People are questioning whether the Drake/Future mixtape is really that flame emoji

'I got a really big team, they need some really nice things'

Automatically liking everything Drake puts out is a weird trend that’s emerged over the past year, with every song, mixtape and diss track being met with obligatory all-caps tweets, fire emoji and Vines of things exploding.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved every album so far and was a huge fan of If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, but on this week’s Future collab “mixtape” (if that word even has any meaning anymore), the bangers are starting to feel a little phoned in.

The artwork is a stock image. The title is just a Simpsons meme. The lyrics are cringingly cliched in places. The whole thing was made in just six days.

While I’m not gonna pretend I won’t be bumping Diamonds Dancing and Big Rings at parties in coming weeks, there’s an air of ‘let’s just slap a few half-assed club bangers on iTunes and charge $10 for it’ about the release.

I’m not alone in feeling this way either.

Here's a handful of appraisals from r/hiphopheads discussion thread for the mixtape:

‘This mixtape was the status quo. Nothing new, nothing original just the same ole "bangers". Straight vine/instagram music. Idk why people get hyped for the same exact mediocre shit over and over. How many times can you simple ass niggas hear the same ole song with same flows, producers, weak lyrics(even by mainstream standards) before it gets old. Damn this nigga future raps like how my older family members use to imitate rap music. Nigga can barely formulate sentences and yall niggas eat that shit up.’ - billcosbysweater

‘It's early yet, but I can't get into it. First, let me say I never really liked Future's sound or the whole Atlanta mumble with autotune over trap beats thing (I know this will invalidate my opinion with a lot of r/hhh[1] ). Second, I don't like the lack of lyrics from Drake. A few years ago Wayne was made fun of for making stupid one liners and quickly fell from grace. Now Drake makes repetitive "sound bite rap" on this and everyone is using fire and diamond emojees saying "it's the production fambruh". I think it sounds like a lack of effort. They say this was made in six days, and I think it shows.’ - imrollin

‘I personally think Drake is single-handedly ushering a new era of rap similar to ringtone rap. Everything in the music is meant to be featured in 6 second vines and hashtags on Twitter. The worst part about this "new rap" is that people will defend it by pointing out that the music wasn't meant to be deep and that it is only made to play in clubs. To me, that is not a good precedent. It's not genuine. Rap is about people enjoying the music they are making and genuinely putting effort into it. It took 6 days to make this mixtape and it was banged out and put up on iTunes instantly. Drake is very tuned into social media and make his music accordingly. I just don't like this direction popular rap is taking.’ - Toeknee99

There’s no question Drake is giving the people what they want, but he’s not growing as an artist. He spent so long detailing the hollowness at the top, and has now reverted to pretending popping champagne with the squad is nothing but ecstasy.

Hopefully with long-touted album Views From The 6, if it’s still on, we’ll get something a little different.