Future Brown is the musical collaboration of producers Asma Maroof, Daniel Pineda (Nguzunguzu), JCush and Fatima AlQadiri, all of whom have roots in Los Angeles, New York or Kuwait. This is their self-entitled LP and first studio album following a four track EP released in 2014 by Warp Records, who has signed groups such as Death Grips and Flying Lotus.
Future Brown’s self-entitled release combines the influences of minimalist electronica and IDM with southern hip-hop and pop rap.
Subbasses and warped bell synths form the distinct sound of this album. The sound retains the raw intensity of East Coast beats fused with reverb-ridden European electronica. While the beats across Future Brown are generally very intelligent and well-designed, the nature of hip-hop is that rappers are placed front and center. This is not the case in this album, which both adds to and detracts from its overall quality.
The 11-track album cycles through various rap features, giving the entire album an inconsistent feel, especially as many artists clearly outshine others. Veteran rappers like Shawnna and 3D Na’tee, as well as 19-year-old Chicago rapper Tink, fit into this album perfectly and create a powerfully designed unique sound of electronica-infused hip-hop. However, on many other tracks, the hooks and verses are so weak that they not only distract from the beats but actively drag drown the entire track. The grossly played out and poorly written features of Sicko Mobb and Johnny May Cash are examples of this.
Opening track “Room 302” features young Chicago rapper Tink. Tink’s success has been compared to that of Lauryn Hill, who gained prominence in the Chicago rap scene. This track lays intense percussion and precise synth lines over a sub bass and features one of the catchiest hooks on the entire album. Tink makes another appearance alongside New Orleans rapper 3DNa’tee on the closing track of this album “Wanna Party (Remix).”
“Talking Bands (feat. Shawnna and DJ Victoriouz)” is one of the most well-designed tracks on this album, featuring reverberating choral synths and percussion that ranges from minimalism to southern trap, all the while playing off of modulated bells and a droning bass. Chicago rapper Shawnna showcases particularly strong verses on this track.
One of the most intriguing aspects of this album was the diversity of the rap features, which drew from a variety of geographic influences and musical eras. In addition, half of the rappers featured on this album were female. This became increasingly apparent as these artists often outperformed their male counterparts (with the exception of Roachee and Timberlee).
Recent controversy involving Future Brown emerged after Red Bull music critic Alex Macpherson’s negative review was revoked by the website and replaced by a glowing interview with the group. This is likely a result of Red Bull’s partnership with Warp Records.
In addition, Meaghan Garvey of Pitchfork released a fair but critical review of the album, noting that Future Brown’s musical ambitions surpassed the actual musical ideas featured on the album. Fatima Al Qadiri of Future Brown responded to this on Facebook by calling these reviews “attacks” with “no factual bearing.”
Although Future Brown’s album has its conceptual high points, the social media fallout is simply not worth what the album has to offer. Future Brown is a decent debut album for a group of producers experimenting with rappers to find a distinctive musical style. This group as a lot of promise, and their music can definitely continue to develop.
