If there was a weird cult-like religion based around the artwork made by Nayvadius Wilburn, aka Future Hndrxx, I’m absolutely certain I would be the head Bavaghan thing or whatever. I absolutely adore the work this man does in the booth. He’s got songs for every type of mood – “Never Gon Lose” or something like “Unicorn Purp” for when you’re on top of the world, and just flat out depressing tracks like “XanaX Damage” and “Throw Away” for when you’re down in the dumps. Future will be blessing us with his next work High Off Life at midnight on the day that I’m writing this, and I thought it was only right to tell everyone the actual 5 best projects he’s put together on his rise to rap superstardom. 

 

Honorable Mention: Monster

Monster holds a special place in my heart mostly because of the aforementioned track “Throw Away”. This song is just an absolute masterpiece from start to finish. If you’ve never listened, PLEASE do yourself a favor and click here. It’s literally the story of going out with your friends after a split with a significant other. In the beginning you’re having a blast – you’re single again and the fellas have a certain electricity that just gets you going. But once you get a little fucked up, oh buddy do you take a turn. You may even start thinking about the new guy she’s with, and how much happier she probably is. It’s a scary road to be down (speaking from personal experience) but nobody guides you better than Hndrxx does. He features lines such as “Tell me that the pussy ain’t mines no more, tell me you’re moving on and you don’t love me no more” that hit you right where it hurts when you’re down bad. Full disclosure, after my most recent split I listened to this song 22 times in a row, and each time really struck a chord. “Throw Away” deserves a chef’s kiss for how beautifully done it is, and it makes this album that much better because of it. 

 

5: Purple Reign

Known for tracks like “Inside the Mattress” and the emotionally charged “Perkys Calling” (which was later remixed by 6LACK and called “Ex Calling”, jump starting his career), Purple Reign went fairly under the radar compared to Future’s other work. But make no mistake, it’s some of the best work he’s done. Like most of his other projects, he takes you on a winding journey, getting your juices moving with “Never Forget” before taking the floor out from under you and showing you the downsides to his glamorous lifestyle with “Perkys Calling” and “Purple Reign”. To be fair, the lows of this album are pretty damn low. I could probably go my entire life without ever hearing “No Charge” ever again. However, every other song on this project absolutely hits, and it’s fairly close to unskippable as a whole. Landing on the fifth spot on this list should bring absolutely no shame here. It’s like the Darko Milicic of the 2003 draft, but better. Pretty hard to compete with Lebron, Dwayne Wade, Melo and Chris Bosh in front of you.

 

4: The WZRD

Hndrxx’s most recent project comes in at slot 4. Featuring tracks like “Unicorn Purp”, “Stick to the Models”, and “Call the Coroner”, my man put up 53/15/14 on this one – just played an incredible ballgame. However, much like Purple Reign the lows of this album scrape the bottom of the sea. Seriously, I just want to know what the thought process was during the making of “Jumping On A Jet”. That’s gotta be probably the worst song our Lord and Savior has ever made. But again, the highs put Mt. Everest to shame. Young Thug’s adlibs on “Unicorn Purp” are some of the reasons why I’m still alive to this day. Which is ironic, because I want that song played at my funeral when they’re carting me off. I seriously want everyone I ever knew to remember me by that song, and how Future mispronounces “Massachusetts” and is immediately backed up by Thugger when he mispronounces it the EXACT same way. It’s chemistry like that that really gets me up in the morning.

 

3: Dirty Sprite 2

What can I say about this masterpiece that hasn’t already been said. Every album from here on out is absolutely unskippable – every track hits just like the last and it really reminds you why this man is one of the greatest to ever do it. Dirty Sprite 2 is highlighted by my personal favorite track “Rotation” and the reason Michael Phelps whooped everybody’s ass in the Olympics “Stick Talk”. Seriously, this face is the highest compliment someone can give to a musician:

I personally blame this album for making me the absolutely toxic human being I am today – that much misogyny can’t be good for a poor 17 year old’s brain. When this dropped back in 2015, I swear it was the only thing I listened to until fucking Christmas. To this day I still find myself dripping back into the album from the double cup and enjoying some “Colossal” or “Freak Hoe” or literally any other track from this incredible piece of work. This was the tape that catapulted Future into national stardom, and it’s not that difficult to see why. 

 

2: 56 Nights

When Future’s close friend and collaborator DJ Esco was arrested in Dubai and had to stay in a Saudi prison for 56 days, Hndrxx dealt with the pain by giving us something so hot they had to put a damn warning label on it. This tape starts off with one of my favorite songs by Mr. Wilburn “Never Gon Lose”. That shit gets me going better than any drug ever could. Seriously, the first time I dunked (humble brag) I had just listened to this song for 2 hours straight. Next, that genius gives us another speaker knocker in “Purple Comin In”. I know I’ve already used this analogy, but this is the best pair the world has ever seen since Lebron and Wade. Nay, Shaq and Kobe. Not to mention 56 Nights ends on the perfect amount of laziness and brilliance with “56 Nights”. Future barely mumbles through this whole song but something just hits differently when the autotuned “Diamonds hanging on my I’m intoxicated” graces your eardrums. This tape is quinnessential old Future, and probably my favorite mixtape to ever exist.

 

1: HNDRXX

Just flat out his best work. It’s so different from the rest of his catalog, and is by far his most experimental album. Lemme tell ya, that experiment worked. The drug-induced crooning is taken to a whole nother level, right from the start with “My Collection”, before going into how taken aback he is by the beauty of his woman on “Looking Exotic”. The absolutely brilliant man then trades his toxic ways for simping and emotions on “Damage” and “Use Me” (my personal favorite of this album). The beautiful high notes coming right away on “Use Me” make me tear up almost every single time. Future then throws you for a loop with the most unique beat I’ve ever heard in “Incredible” and a melodic chorus on “Testify”. And I would be remiss if I didn’t include the Bad Gal herself, Rhianna, for her gorgeous duet with Hndrxx on “Selfish”. All in all, this album is just a treat any time, any where.

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