We’re currently living in an period where Future is both one of the elders and most progressive artists in rap today. Most impressively though, he took his brand of honesty, relentlessness, and excess and made it the blueprint for countless rappers after him. He didn’t invent it, but he’s furthered the tradition of auto-tuned trap confessionals more than any of his contemporaries to the point that this style is ubiquitous in today’s rap landscape. His background, along with his tormented aura and his habit of keeping most of his personal life private, are primarily responsible for the near-folk hero status he enjoys. He’s been referred to as “Beyonce for dudes” and it makes sense. He’s on a creative level that few will ever reach, and he has an energy about him that reflects that. But he’s also gone through the same types of hardships we all experience, like the death of a loved one, heartbreak, and the inability to let go of the things that make us happy, no matter how bad for us they are. Future is both above us and right there with us at the same time.