This piece was originally published at COMPLEX in July 2015.
When the tracklisting for Future’s Dirty Sprite 2 dropped earlier this week, the Drake feature stood out for multiple reasons. Having recently completed a run of Jungle tour dates together and given Drizzy’s persistent rap radio omnipresence, it seemed an obvious pairing for such a highly anticipated album from one of Atlanta’s best known artists. Yet apart from the Toronto titan, apparently the only other voice you’ll hear on DS2 is Future’s. This deliberate decision extends to both the regular and deluxe editions of the record, in sharp contrast not only to last year’s Honest but to the original Dirty Sprite mixtape from 2011. Both of those projects had ample guest verses from the likes of 2 Chainz, André 3000, and Kanye West, among others. These also included features from Casino and Young Scooter, two Freeband Gang (FBG) rappers attached to his Freebandz imprint via Epic Records. Their absence, along with that of other FBG artists like Mexico Rann and Slice 9, from DS2 is a glaring one.