Lil Uzi Vert & Future - “Pluto x Baby Pluto” Review

Story posted November 18, 2020 in

On Christmas 2019, Lil Uzi Vert tweeted “we gonna treat 2020 like 2016.” That statement couldn’t have been more true.

Dropping a double album in March, including a follow up to his 2016 fan-favorite mixtape, “Lil Uzi Vert vs. The World,” Uzi left followers extremely satisfied. However, he decided that it wasn’t enough leading to this new collaboration with Future.

Future has also had a big year, dropping his eighth album, “High off Life.” The trap extraordinaire has a history of collaboration albums with releases with Drake, Young Thug and the late Juice WRLD boasting his discography.

Through a mix of melodic and hard trap beats, “Pluto x Baby Pluto” serves both Lil Uzi Vert and Future as a victory lap as both of them have taken over 2020.

Dropping two collaborative singles in July, fans were given a taste of the duo. But now with a 54 minute album, there are more than enough tracks to be heard. There are no featured artists either — the only vocals are coming from the Atlanta and Philadelphia natives respectively.

The record features production from well-known producers such as London on da Track, Wheezy, DJ Esco and Zaytoven.

The instrumentation used on the beats is varied with horns, guitar, piano, plenty of synthesizers and even vocal samples used throughout the tracks. The drums consist of hard-hitting trap beats and punchy 808s. However, there is nothing too experimental or genre-defying to be found.

Some of the standout tracks for production are: “Plastic,” “That’s It,” “She Never Been To Pluto” and “Moment of Clarity.” They all manage to capture an aesthetic of glamour and fun, something that has been lacking in the current times.

Most of the tracks seem like they could have either been on Future’s “High Off Life” or Uzi’s “Eternal Atake.”

Lyrically, the album's themes are finite. Future sums it up on “Sleeping On The Floor” with the line: “Yeah, yeah, money and power and sex, yeah.” There is rarely any expansion, leaving a lot of the tracks to seem cookie-cutter.

On cuts like “Drankin N Smokin” and “I Don’t Wanna Break Up,” both artists dive a little deeper into their personal lives and show vulnerability. They rap about heartbreak and their past romantic partners, delivering some of their most passionate bars. However, these tracks can get lost in the overwhelming amount of songs on the album.

For a majority of the time, Future and Uzi bounce off each other very well, and their chemistry is very apparent. They take turns on the hooks of the songs, and they play off each other's strengths very well. It is balanced, and they both stand out for their own reasons.

The album's biggest problem is that it's slightly monotonous. There is no reason why there needs to be 16 tracks here. Towards the end of the record, the tracks just start to blend together.

The number of references to how rich they are getting or how many designer clothes they wear gets old fast, and ultimately becomes ear-numbing. Features would have gone a long way as the lack of diversity can leave listeners bored occasionally.

The worst track by far is Uzi’s solo song, “Lullaby” in which it seems like he isn’t even trying. He drones over the track in such an uninteresting flow with lyrics that are so uninspired.

The project would have been infinitely better without a third of its tracks.

Overall, “Pluto x Baby Pluto” is a very decent project with fun to be had more times than not. The duo proves that they can work together well, and apparently, another project is already on its way.

Next time, though, they should focus on quality and not quantity.

Rating: 6/10

Reviewer’s Favorite Songs: “Sleeping On The Floor,” “Million Dollar Play,” “Bought A Bad B---h”

Reviewer’s Least Favorite Song: “Lullaby”

 

Caelan Chevrier is a freshman majoring in journalism. To contact him, email cjc6789@psu.edu.

About the Contributors

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Caelan Chevrier

Third Year / Marketing & Journalism

Caelan Chevrier is a third-year student in the Smeal College of Business at Penn State University studying marketing and broadcast journalism with the goal of graduating with a bachelor’s degree in four years. His career goal is to spread informative, meaningful, and entertaining content across various platforms and to be a positive impact on the community. He has also spent time working at WWE in the communications department and writing for The Westport Local Press in his hometown of Westport, CT. If you’d like to contact him, email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).