Atlanta, GA – Prolific rapper Future surprised fans last week with the release of his guest-less mixtape, Pluto. The project is a strong contender for the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart, which would make it his third No. 1 album of 2024 and eighth consecutive chart-topper.
Future performs onstage during 2023 Rolling Loud California
Billboard staff writer Kyle Denis expressed his enthusiasm for the new release on the latest episode of Billboard Unfiltered. “Never too much Future for me, to be honest,” he shared. “‘Told My’ is my favorite song. ‘I told my b—h if I gotta be faithful, I might fall off.’ That’s a bar.”
Denis continued, praising Future’s consistency in delivering a collection of tracks that resonate with fans: “That’s gonna be something I live by for the next eight months or so until the next tape drops maybe. I had a great time with the Future record. I just feel like he never lets me down in terms of giving me a collection of solid tracks that I like to bump for the next couple of months.”
Future’s Unstoppable Momentum
Deputy Director, Editorial Damien Scott echoed Denis’ sentiment, adding, “I love the album, I think it’s great. I also love the other two albums he dropped. There’s only so many hours I could devote to Future. I can’t play him around my kids,” Scott admitted. “It’s not like too much Future, but you could’ve held off on this while we’re still enjoying this other album that still has legs.”
Scott went on to highlight Future’s ability to craft a compelling narrative around his persona, stating, “He’s great at making the story. He’s great at furthering the narrative. Everything we’ve learned about Future is through The Shade Room, which is hilarious because we don’t learn much from his music about him, but he’s able to continue this narrative that we all buy into album after album.”
Janet Jackson Sparks Controversy with Comments on Kamala Harris
In other news, music icon Janet Jackson made headlines over the weekend for controversial comments made during an interview with The Guardian. Jackson stated that presidential candidate Kamala Harris “is not Black” and that she “heard that she’s Indian.” These remarks sparked immediate backlash on social media.
Guest anchor and senior producer Tetris Kelly weighed in on the controversy, attributing Jackson’s comments to the spread of misinformation: “No matter how famous you are, she’s still an auntie,” he remarked. “That’s the way I look at it. That’s your Black auntie that be at the cookout that be like, ‘Yeah, I saw on Facebook.’ We talk about misinformation and that’s kind of how it works.”
Denis, however, expressed disappointment, stating, “I’m expecting her to be a knowledgable person because she’s a voting citizen who’s grown.”
Chloe Bailey’s Career Trajectory: A Need for Focus?
The Billboard Unfiltered panel also discussed the solo career of Chloe Bailey, offering advice on how the talented artist can further solidify her star power.
Denis suggested that Bailey might benefit from streamlining her artistic vision: “I think she would do well with an editor or an executive producer to streamline the visions that she has that feel too much on a single song let alone an entire album,” he said. “She probably does have too much freedom. Sometimes you need to hone it in.”
He went on to compare Bailey’s branding to Sabrina Carpenter’s recent success: “When I think of the name Chloe Bailey, a lot of things come to mind, but they’re not really a uniform brand of what Chloe Bailey is or represents,” he continued. “Half the reason people were so into the Sabrina Carpenter arc this year was how well she branded herself across those singles aesthetically, style-wise all that stuff. There’s a disconnect there on that level with Chloe.”
Damien Scott offered his perspective, suggesting a collaboration with a renowned producer like Darkchild: “I think there could be a lot of success had if she were to sit down with somebody we all threw out Darkchild. I think she needs a direction. The way that Darkchild talked about working with Brandy, that’s the type of work she needs,” he said. “What are you really trying to say? Let’s find some sounds that match that. Let’s find some themes that match that.”
For the full discussion on these topics and more, watch the latest episode of Billboard Unfiltered.
