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Future lands between two camps of opinion. He’s either the greatest rapper, certainly of his generation, or he’s an unwelcome embodiment of the current musical landscape. A new cover story featuring the Atlanta star examines the finer points of this much-ballyhooed barbershop debate.
Future Hendrix is made the cover of GQ magazine’s May cover issue with words from the self-proclaimed GOAT of Hip-Hop journalism, Elliott Wilson. The feature dives into the 38-year-old star’s creative arc, his influence on Hip-Hop as a whole, and the lofty claims of him being the greatest rapper alive as the story’s title boldly suggests.
From GQ:
Artistically, his impact can’t be denied. Especially not after eight solo albums, 19 solo mixtapes, one collaborative album, four collaborative mixtapes, two EPs, and one soundtrack (for 2018’s Superfly). Worldwide, he’s been streamed over 30 billion times and has, in the process, inspired an entire generation of rappers. Few artists are as prolific.
When you survey the hip-hop landscape, no other artist has been as consistently excellent, or as influential, for as long as he has. He invented his own sound, which has since become the dominant style in rap. He has delivered hit after hit after hit. And he’s done it all on his own terms.
I’ll say it again: Future is the best rapper alive.
Wilson’s assertion, while debatable, is definitely rooted in data proving that at the very least, the Freebandz honcho does own a sizeable portion of real estate as it relates to modern Hip-Hop. Again, we’ve no opinion on where Future lands in the lists of all-time greats, but it’s hard to deny that he isn’t an important cog of the greater machine.
What do you think? Is Future the greatest rapper alive? Sound off in the comments if you so choose.
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