Drake, Future - "What A Time To Be Alive"

Despite their different rapping styles, Drake and Future joined forces on their highly anticipated mixtape “What A Time To Be Alive”. After weeks of teasing fans on social media, the duo dropped their new project on Sunday September 20, 2015.

The 11-track hip-hop mixtape features collaborative songs by both artists with the exception of ’30 for 30’ freestyle with stars Drake solely and ‘Jersey’ which stars just Future. The album production is top notch, as you would expect. Metro Boomin who worked on almost all the tracks is a great producer.

It’s a hip-hop/rap mixtape so you already know what to expect: self-praise, luxury cars, extravaganza, flossin’, and ballin’ and more. On ‘Big rings’, the duo celebrate their accomplishments and boast about how they’re going to keep going after success and the finer things of life.

“Cause I got a really big team

And they need some really big rings

They need some really nice things

Better be comin' with no strings”, Drake jumps on the hook.

The third song on the mixtape reminds you that these fellas know where they’re coming from hence the motivation. On ‘Live from the gutter’, Future raps about being from the hood in Atlanta. The Canadian rapper on the other had raps about the pressure of living amongst the high society.

I love Drake, but Future absolutely owned ‘Diamonds dancing’. Can’t seem to get the tune out of my head: “Diamonds, diamonds, diamonds dancing on me”.

The duo pays homage to strippers on ‘Plastic bag’. Three weeks ago, the ‘Started from the bottom rapper threw a hint about this song on Instagram.

One thing I really love about rap lyrics are the massive embellishments and overstatements these rappers put out. ‘Change locations’ had me thinking do Hendrix and Drizzy actually live like this?

“60 naked bitches, no exaggeration

We bought all the bottles, had to change locations

Smashing all the models, now we hit the waitress

When you gettin' a lot of money you can't ever save it”, Future sings on the pre hook.

He had previously said on ‘Diamonds dancing’:

“Sipping on Dom Perignon for no reason,

Popping tags, upper echelon for no reason".

With the public beef going on between Drake and Meek Mill, ironically no direct shots were fired at Nicki Minaj’s boyfriend on the new mixtape. The OVO boss does throw some shade at Diddy, who’s been in a row with him over the ‘0 to 100’ beat.

The mixtape also features production from Southside, Boi-1da, Allen Ritter, Frank Dukes, Neenyo, Noël and Noah “40” Shebib.

Let me be honest, it seems like Drake sort of took a back seat on this one and let the “DS2” crooner take the wheel. Maybe it’s because the mixtape was reportedly cooked in six days in Future’s hometown – Atlanta. Metro Boomin keeps on winning though. The mixtape is hot!

Best songs: “Diamonds Dancing’, ‘I’m the plug’, ‘Change locations’, ‘Jumpman’ and ’30 for 30' freestyle and‘Live from the gutter’.

"What A Time To Be Alive" Tracklist:

01. Digital Dash

02. Big Rings

03. Live From the Gutter

04. Diamond Dancing

05. Scholarships

06. Plastic Bag

07. I’m The Plug

08. Change Locations

09. Jumpman

10. Jersey