As hip-hop and trap music have evolved over the years, Future stands out as an architect to the genre’s current sound and Metro Boomin has produced remarkable instrumentals since 2009. The Atlanta-based artists have collaborated in the past with iconic tracks such as “Mask Off” and “Jumpman”, and the duo announced their first full-length collaborative project “WE DON’T TRUST YOU”, a title that pays homage to Boomin’s iconic tagline, in early 2024. From Future’s nasally voice to Boomin’s hard-hitting production to hidden features that shocked the Internet, the two artists provide listeners with a strong contender for album of the year. The star producer and influential rapper later revealed that they would release an album titled “WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU” April 12.

“I’ve been a Future fan for quite some time now since I was in elementary school, and I grew liking towards him because his music was very different from what I was listening to at the time. Future also does a very good job of conforming to the times and keeping up with the times. Future is one of the few artists that have actually paved the way for Atlanta trap music and trap music in general,” NC alumna Ren Lloyd said. 

While “WE DON’T TRUST YOU” features phenomenal trap music and Kendrick Lamar’s appearance on the energetic track “Like That” made hip-hop fans debate about who they should crown as the best rapper, “WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU” primarily contains synthpop influence and mellow songs. Reminiscent of albums like “HNDRXX”, Future showcases his singing abilities over retro production. While “WE DON’T TRUST YOU” opens up with Future rapping about fake friends, the first track for his latest album includes him repeating the phrase “we still don’t trust you” with nostalgic synth-based instrumentation. The Weeknd makes an additional appearance on the title track and serenades the listener in various tracks, despite previously announcing that he would stop featuring on other artists’ albums. 

Boomin presents saccharine beats with songs such as “Drink N Dance” and “All to Myself”, and Future primarily utilizes melodic rap to talk about lavish lifestyles and failed relationships. Future stands out as a pioneer in modern hip-hop for infusing infatuating melodies over lush trap production and tracks such as “Throw Away” and “LOVE YOU BETTER” remain astounding examples of Future’s talents. However, the songs in this 25-track project begin to blend with each other after the track “Jealous.” While Future and Boomin have showcased their musical capabilities in the past, various tracks in this album feel redundant and repetitive. The album slightly picks up its pace with the powerful ballad “Always Be My Fault”, but their previous album certainly outshines the energy and memorability of “WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU.” 

“I was excited about another album after ‘WE DON’T TRUST YOU’ delivered some of the best songs Future has released in years, but after looking at the lengthy tracklist, the album ended up as a disappointment. It’s good that Future tries new sounds, but R&B isn’t Future’s ideal strength, as he has shown on ‘HNDRXX.’ The first half of the album starts decently, but after a certain point, the only songs worth visiting are the songs featuring The Weeknd,” magnet senior Diego Magana said. 

Despite the album’s redundancy, the surprise features on this album perform excellently on their respective tracks. Additionally, the featured artists throw disses at one of the most prominent artists of the 21st century: Aubrey Drake Graham, famously known as the rapper Drake and the former Degrassi star. Lamar ignited the flames for hip-hop discussion after he crowned himself as a better artist than Drake and J. Cole on Boomin’s previous album, and artists such as A$AP Rocky and The Weeknd threw their shots at the “Hotline Bling” rapper in “WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU.” After Cole attempted to diss Lamar with the now-deleted track “7 Minute Drill”, Cole immediately regretted dissing the Pulitzer Prize-winning artist and took the song off streaming platforms. To show hip-hop fans that he sided with Boomin and Lamar, he features on the track “Red Leather” where he laments about dissing rappers and staying committed in a relationship.

After “Red Leather”, the second disc of the collaborative project starts and the collection of tracks notably contains stronger performances and vigorous production. From the thrilling hi-hats in “Nobody Knows My Struggle” to Future’s seamless rapping in “Streets Made Me A King”, the second disc of “WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU” outperforms the filler tracks of the first disc. Although this collaborative effort did not present Boomin and Future at their best, it still stands as a decent addition to their lengthy discographies. 

“I believe ‘WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU’ was an album for Future fans specifically. It was an album to remind real Future fans that he hasn’t forgotten about them and that he really cares about his fanbase. It was a sound that many Future fans would be very familiar with and would likely gravitate towards, instantly as opposed to people who are not Future fans,” Lloyd said. 

The Chant’s score: B-