Stars: 3 /5
Future and Lil Uzi Vert are undoubtedly legends. “Dirty Sprite 2” made Future a prominent figure in trap music the same way “Lil Uzi Vert vs the World” made Uzi one of the faces of new-age rap. “Pluto x Baby Pluto” not being great was a let down because the best is expected of this duo.
Production on this album overshadowed Future and Uzi. The well-connected duo tapped into a pool of extraordinary beatmakers. Veterans Zaytoven and DJ Esco contribute their sounds along with the young talents Lukrative and Brandon Finessin. Sounds range from simple, bass-heavy beats that the artists somewhat harmonize over, to beats with unique and intricate instrumentation. This unique variety of beats is the highlight of the project. There are more moments where I acknowledged the fantastic beats as opposed to bars from Uzi and Future.
Seamless chemistry is not something I expected from the two artists who have been known to churn out music at a rapid pace. At no point in the album did Uzi and Future trade verses. Apart from a few opening choruses, the format of every song was Uzi then future or vice versa. I expected at the least to be blown away by the solo songs but that was not the case either.
The few songs that did blow me away are what saved the album. “Real Baby Pluto” was the first song to truly blow me away. Zaytoven delivers another of his classic Atlanta trap beats that presents an environment for Future to excel in and he does. Dance moves must be broken out when Uzi’s catchy chorus comes on.
“Million dollar baby” is the next grail on “Pluto x Baby Pluto.” This song is another Zaytoven production which is most likely a result of me growing up near Atlanta. The ability Uzi has to make beats his own is absurd and the way he slides through pockets in the beat is a talent not many rappers have. “Shoot it up, shoot it up, shoot it up,” both artists say rapidly almost mocking the sound of a gun with the adlibs doing the same in the background. “Pluto my name, and I’m bigger than Kennedy,” Future raps.
“Plastic” is the final song that I can say was highly memorable. Londonondatrack, another Atlanta product, produced this track. The beat seems to be singing while the trap snare rolls variate. Future never says more than three words in succession at the beginning of the song with his staccato rapping. Uzi begins to emerge in the background repeating Future’s words then begins the same staccato flow in his own style. “I just made it all the way back from the moon, man my dog is locked up he took a case for my gown.” The duo is at their best on this track.
Many other tracks on this project are valid and have no glaring problems. “Off that” and the solo Future song “Rockstar Chainz” are my other favorites on this album. Future is constantly releasing music and while it is not all great, I always expect the best out of respect for his abilities. While Uzi has not been as active as Future, he has been a top rapper since coming on the scene in 2015. These titans of modern rap have a standard to uphold. I feel like this album will not have a lasting impact on the rap game and it’s not the album that the duo is more than capable of producing. It was good but not great, and with this lineup of producers, it should have been great. “Pluto x Baby Pluto (Deluxe)” was released on Nov. 17 and I hope it is more memorable or are least as good as the original.
