Hip hop is a constantly evolving genre that absorbs its surroundings and then uses that to create a sound of that era. The 80s had record scratching, the 90s had boom bap, the 2000s had sampling (to a higher degree thanks to producers like Kanye West, J Dilla, and Madlib), and the 2010s had trap beats. As we enter the new decade, hip-hop seems to be undergoing another cultural shift. Unfortunately, none of that matters on the album Pluto x Baby Pluto, a collaborative project from golden boys, Future and Lil Uzi Vert, because none of the songs are new, inspiring, or interesting in any way. All of the songs reek of mediocrity (when they’re not just downright unlistenable) which is something that should never have happened considering the success of Eternal Atake. I think this album could best be summarized by three words — boring as hell — and honestly, all of the good or enjoyable parts of this album were quickly canceled out by the next verse or at least the next song. Overall, the mix was excellent and pristine, but the instrumentals sounded like they came from a Lil Uzi Vert or Future song that was released four years ago.
Personally, I was disappointed. Lil Uzi Vert is a prominent voice of our generation and can speak to the struggles of many by using his dark subject matter and metal influences that tap into teenage aggression and feelings of loneliness. However, it isn’t very present in this album. Instead, it’s slapdash. While the production is good, the songs aren’t. A big reason for this, in my opinion, is the two artist’s styles. They’re much too similar. Future and Uzi are mainstream successes, and when there is only one mainstream, an album needs diversity. Pluto x Baby Pluto is grasping at straws, leaving it sounding more like an overzealous thirteen-year-old who was given access to an audio engineer. Let’s run through the tracklist:
Stripes Like Burberry is a trap banger detailing the two artists’ come up as young rappers in their respective cities. This is a triumphant song and a good one at that. Uzi starts the track off rapping about money and women as well as some drug references. Overall, it’s a good verse but unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to be playing to his strengths instead going for a Future-esque subject matter and flow, which would be fine (since they’re usually almost the same anyway), but now that Uzi has the actual Future on the track, it sounds very repetitive. However, this was one of the only tracks on this album to get me bopping my head back and forth.
Marni On Me is the second track off this album and is more of the same with lyrics about drugs, women, and money. The instrumental on this song has a newer feel to it than the rest of the album, and it incorporates a brilliant use of textures and details to make the song more interesting, unfortunately, it was poorly mixed and the lyrical content and melodies got boring to me after the 40-second mark. This track had me feeling a range of emotions, and none of them were particularly good. I hated it and felt bored by it as nothing was very interesting to me.
Sleeping on the Floor is another trap song that is rushed and has no focus. The ideas, while present, are unorganized and therefore just sound confused.
The rut continues until Million Dollar Play where the fast and clunky rapping that is a signature of the mumble/auto-croon rap space is executed moderately well, but not enough to save the rest of the album which after this point is either incomplete or half-baked. Plastic and That’s It feature some of the best production this album has to offer, yet neither Future nor Lil Uzi Vert can really deliver something witty, quick, and funny like they usually do.
Another dim light comes with Bought a Bad Bitch, where there is a chorus and the subject matter is focused and remotely thought out. The production is also decent. While the ethos of the song (owning another human because you bought them a plastic surgeon? Really?) is questionable at best, it’s message is conveyed.
Mediocrity continues for the rest of the album and ends with a slightly more introspective song: Moment of Clarity. It’s a good song and genuinely featured some of both artists’ best; however, there were points where it was boring, but it was good enough for me to listen to in one try.
This album is not a good album by any stretch. In fact, it barely makes the album cut, considering so many of the songs were vague and lackluster. It has some substance, but it’s quickly wiped away with some mistake or another that causes quite a big disruption. The production is the best part about this album which is a little depressing considering Eternal Atake was so well received. Pluto x Baby Pluto is a damper on what could have been an amazing year for Lil Uzi Vert.
This project was a strong two to a light three for me. My personal favorite track was Stripes like Burberry because of how balanced it was considering the rest of the album. The lyrical choices were good, and the production quality was decent if a little outdated. Overall, a decent start to the album. My least favorite track was Marni On Me because it was a song that sounded like it came from a SoundCloud level rapper and not someone with a prolific career like Lil Uzi Vert. I have to say I was thoroughly disappointed in this album.
