Future Just Dropped 2 Albums In 1 Week, But WHY!?

Rap superstar Future is on a roll. First, he announces his eponymous fifth studio album, Future, on February 14, three days before it was released worldwide on February 17. The album, which features a 17-song tracklisting  and his first to include no features, features production from frequent collaborators such as Southside, Metro Boomin and Zaytoven as well as others.

Then, a few days later, on February 22, he announced another album. Now his sixth, HNDRXX was released on Friday, February 24, exactly one week after his previous album. Sonically, this album was said to include more rhythmic-leaning, radio friendly tracks than Future. It features another 17 songs and guest appearances from Rihanna and The Weeknd.

So, why did Future release 34 songs in one week?! And not in mixtape format. Yes, Future has always been known for his work ethic, especially in recent years as he’s become the only mainstream rap artist to put out a project as consistently as he does, kicking off the trend with his back-to-back-to-back mixtape releases of Monster, Beast Mode and 56 Nights in late 2014 and early 2015, which were all released within months from each other. Oh yeah, Purple Reign came not too long after. But Future and HNDRXX are not mixtapes. They’re actual full-length studio albums, released and distributed through his major label Epic Records. They also weren’t released within months either, but within a mere week.

One plausible reason behind the rushed releases is that Future lost a lawsuit against rapper and fellow Atlanta-native Rocko, who sued him last year for signing with Epic and not including him in the deal, as he was (or still is) under contract with Rocko’s label, A1. Rumors began circulating last week that according to the lawsuit settlement, Future lost and was ordered to pay Rocko 50% of his touring revenue for the next two years as well as surrender all royalties from his next two albums.

While slightly outrageous, it doesn’t seem that far fetched to me. Rocko denied the rumors, but it raises questions to what the settlement did actually order. It would certainly make sense, and if I was in Future’s shoes I would rush two albums out as well to be done with the situation. However, Future’s albums still come out under A1/Free Bandz/Epic Records, so he is still contractually obligated to Rocko, who first signed him to A1 years before his deal with Epic. It’s getting pretty interesting in the rap game. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens?