The Atlantic

Future Contains Multitudes

The rap star’s back-to-back new albums showcase his appeal with two very different sounds.
Source: Scott Roth / AP

Remember that scowl Michael Phelps made at the Rio Olympics? It came from listening to the Atlanta rapper Future. In fact, some percentage of the scowls happening at any given time on Earth in the past few years likely have been thanks to Future, contemporary hip-hop’s most reliable resource for mood alteration.

The 33-year-old Future is for a milestone: being the first artist to have two separate albums chart at No. 1 in back to back weeks. Which would seem

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