Evol (Future album)

Evol
Studio album by Future
Released February 6, 2016 (2016-02-06)
Recorded 2015
Genre
Length 39:26
Label
Producer
Future chronology
Purple Reign
(2016)Purple Reign2016		 Evol
(2016)		 Free Bricks 2K16 (Zone 6 Edition)
(2016)Free Bricks 2K16 (Zone 6 Edition)2016
Singles from Evol
  1. "Low Life"
    Released: March 1, 2016
  2. "Wicked"
    Released: April 13, 2016

Evol (stylized as EVOL) is the fourth studio album by American rapper Future. It was released on February 6, 2016, by A1 Recordings, Freebandz and Epic Records. It premiered on DJ Khaled's We The Best Radio debut on Beats 1. Evol follows five months after the collaborative mixtape, What a Time to Be Alive (2015), and a month after Purple Reign (2016). Production was handled by frequent collaborators Metro Boomin, Southside, TM88 and DJ Spinz, among others.

The album was supported by two singles: "Low Life" featuring The Weeknd, and "Wicked". Evol received generally positive reviews from critics and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. It also debuted at number one on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

Background and release

On December 25, 2015, The Weeknd released a collaborative song with Future, titled "Low Life", on SoundCloud. It was produced by Metro Boomin and Ben Billions and co-produced by The Weeknd. The song was later revealed to be included on Evol.[1][2] On March 1, 2016, "Low Life" was released as the album's first single.[3] A music video for the track premiered on MTV on the same month.[4]

On February 1, 2016, DJ Khaled announced that he would be premiering Future's fourth album on the debut show of We The Best Radio on Beats 1.[5] Future then announced the album title, release date and artwork, as well as individually tweeting the track list.[6]

The album cover artwork was created by the Polish creative production studio Ars Thanea.[7] The album's title is love spelled backwards.[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.8/10[9]
Metacritic68/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Billboard[12]
Clash8/10[13]
Consequence of SoundB+[14]
The Guardian[15]
HipHopDX3/5[16]
PopMatters6/10[17]
Pitchfork7.3/10[18]
Spin8/10[19]
Tiny Mix Tapes[20]

Evol received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 68, based on 17 reviews.[10] In his review, Craig Jenkins of Billboard states, "The spite of 2014 mixtape Monster, the woe of 2015's Beast Mode, and the devilish glee of his No. 1 album DS2 have all chilled into a dull malaise here". He concluded with "Evol doesn't break any rules or set many new ones, but as the latest in a seemingly never-ending series of wonders Future and his team wield in their creation of druggy, downcast afterparty dispatches, it is a joy."[12] Matthew Ramirez of Pitchfork found that while Evol "has slightly more misses than hits, the highs are high—arguably higher than Purple Reign's".[18] Samantha O'Connor of The 405 said, "His intensity is consistent and his affinity for recognizing his fans favor is respectable. He doesn't change things up much sonically, which is a welcomed critique."[21] Sheldon Pearce of Consequence of Sound said, "It's an extraordinary triumph of ambitious trap soundscapes and an excellent complement for a driven artist, a man no longer inhibited by loss. With every passing release, Future grows more confident, and more callous."[14] Dean Van Nguyen of Clash said, "Again Future marshals the glittering soundscapes expertly, his tuneful flow reining in the beats while imbuing all the fragility, heartsickness and aggression that make it the most impressive instrument in rap right now."[13] Israel Daramola of Spin said, "EVOL, along with the Purple Reign mixtape, doesn't provide that instant hit that Future's world-class 2015 was so full of. Instead it crawls into your brain and makes itself at home; you'll find yourself going back to it over and over without even realizing."[19]

Chris Gibbons of XXL said, "EVOL is only the latest building block on one of the most impressive runs from any rapper we've seen, and Future shows no signs of slowing down for anything."[22] Grant Rindner of The Line of Best Fit said, "Odds are Future will drop another project or five between now and the end of the calendar year, so while EVOL is ultimately dispensable it's still a pretty good time."[23] Birkut of Tiny Mix Tapes said, "The production is slick and striking, even when it fades to black ("Xanny Family") or gets tangled up in layered hi-hats ("Program")—these tracks sound equally as engaged and provocative as anything on last year's masterful DS2."[20] Shirley Ju of HipHopDX said, "As it stands, EVOL is nothing out of the ordinary from his past endeavors. With no measures in place preventing from Future releasing new full-length projects, this album could easily be surpassed in a month or two."[16] Lanre Bakare of The Guardian said, "The formula is working, but for fans using his albums as a way in, they're missing a big part of what makes Future so intriguing."[15] Brian Duricy of PopMatters said, "EVOL doesn't stand up to his critical peaks, but this could easily be seen as but a release to tide fans over before the next blockbuster."[17] Andy Gill of The Independent said, "His raps here still stick fairly closely to the trap-music conventions that have dominated the hip-hop scene in Future's hometown Atlanta for the past decade or so."[24] At the end of the year, Evol was named the 36th best album of 2016 by Tiny Mix Tapes.[25]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 134,000 album-equivalent units; it sold 100,000 copies in its first week, and boasted over 25 million streams.[26][27] Evol is the third project by Future to debut on the Billboard 200 at number one in seven months.[28] As of March 2016, the album has sold 125,000 copies domestically.[29] The album has since been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 500,000 units in the United States.[30]

Track listing

Standard version[31]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Ain't No Time"
Southside3:22
2."In Her Mouth"
  • Wilburn
  • Luellen
Southside3:12
3."Maybach"
3:40
4."Xanny Family"
  • Wilburn
  • Luellen
  • Wayne
  • Metro Boomin
  • Southside
3:05
5."Lil Haiti Baby"
  • Ben Billions
  • Schife Karbeen
4:37
6."Photo Copied"
  • Wilburn
  • Luellen
  • Wayne
  • Allen Ritter
  • Metro Boomin
  • Southside
  • Ritter
2:52
7."Seven Rings"
3:25
8."Lie to Me"
3:32
9."Program"
  • Wilburn
  • Luellen
Southside2:56
10."Low Life" (featuring The Weeknd)
5:13
11."Fly Shit Only"
  • Wilburn
  • Hill
  • McGee
  • DJ Spinz
  • SK
3:32
Total length:39:26
Streaming version
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."Wicked"
  • Metro Boomin
  • Southside
2:53
Total length:42:19

Sample credits

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
United States (RIAA)[30] Gold 500,000double-dagger

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region Format Date Label Ref.
United States Digital download February 6, 2016 [31]
United Kingdom [43]

References

  1. ↑ "Future + The Weeknd – Low Life [Prod. By Metro Boomin & Ben Billions] by Metro Boomin". SoundCloud. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  2. ↑ "The Weeknd, Future Drop Laid-Back New Track 'Low Life'". Rolling Stone. December 25, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Future's "Low Life" Edges Drake's "Summer Sixteen" For Most Added At Rhythmic Radio". Headline Planet. March 1, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Watch Future and The Weeknd's Video for "Low Life"". Complex. March 25, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Future Reportedly Debuting An Album On DJ Khaled’s New Apple Music Show This Friday". Stereogum. February 4, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  6. ↑ Darville, Jordan (February 3, 2016). "Future's New Project EVOL Is Up For Pre-Order Tonight". The Fader. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  7. ↑ Low, Carver (February 4, 2016). "Future's "EVOL" Album Art Has Been Identified, And It's Not Stock Photography This Time". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Future Announces New Album 'EVOL'". Rap-Up. February 3, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  9. ↑ "EVOL by Future reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  10. 1 2 "Reviews for EVOL by Future". Metacritic. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  11. ↑ Jeffries, David. "Evol – Future". AllMusic. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  12. 1 2 Jenkins, Craig (February 8, 2016). "Future Hits His Songwriting Stride on Surprise Album 'EVOL': Review". Billboard. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  13. 1 2 Dean Van Nguyen (February 19, 2016). "Future – EVOL". Clash. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  14. 1 2 Pearce, Sheldon (February 9, 2016). "Future – EVOL". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  15. 1 2 Bakare, Lanre (February 18, 2016). "Future: Evol review – prolific hip-hop star tones down the weirdness". The Guardian. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  16. 1 2 Ju, Shirley (February 11, 2016). "Future EVOL Review". HipHopDX. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  17. 1 2 Duricy, Brian (February 9, 2016). "Future: EVOL". PopMatters. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  18. 1 2 Ramirez, Matthew (February 11, 2016). "Future: EVOL". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  19. 1 2 Daramola, Israel (February 10, 2016). "Review: Future Speeds Down the Expressway to Yr. Skull on 'EVOL'". Spin. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  20. 1 2 Birkut. "Future – EVOL". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  21. ↑ O'Connor, Samantha (February 8, 2016). "Future – EVOL". The 405. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  22. ↑ Gibbons, Chris (February 10, 2016). "Future Keeps It Consistent With His Gift of Melody on 'EVOL'". XXL. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  23. ↑ Rindner, Grant (February 16, 2016). "EVOL by Future". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  24. ↑ Gill, Andy (February 12, 2016). "Future, Evol: 'Rapping romantic heading down a dead-end street', album review". The Independent. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  25. ↑ "2016: Favorite 50 Music Releases". Tiny Mix Tapes. December 14, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Future Scores Third No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. February 14, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Charts Don't Lie: February 17". HotNewHipHop. February 17, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Future's "EVOL" hits #1 In Its First Week". HotNewHipHop. February 12, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Charts Don't Lie: March 2". HotNewHipHop. March 2, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  30. 1 2 "American album certifications – Future – Evol". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  31. 1 2 "EVOL by Future". iTunes. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  32. ↑ "[US&titel=Evol&cat=a Australiancharts.com – Future [US] – Evol"]. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  33. ↑ "[US&titel=Evol&cat=a Ultratop.be – Future [US] – Evol"] (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
  34. ↑ "[US&titel=Evol&cat=a Ultratop.be – Future [US] – Evol"] (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Future – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Future. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  36. ↑ "[US&titel=Evol&cat=a Dutchcharts.nl – Future [US] – Evol"] (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
  37. ↑ "[US&titel=Evol&cat=a Lescharts.com – Future [US] – Evol"]. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  38. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  39. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  40. ↑ "Future – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Future. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  41. ↑ "Future – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Future. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  42. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  43. ↑ "EVOL by Future". iTunes. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
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