Our first clue that Future was going album tier this year was “Crushed Up.” Though I wholeheartedly feel that nothing he does will ever touch “Mask Off” again (which dethroned long-time crown jewel “Tony Montana”) “Crushed Up” is an effort worth rewarding. Future’s performance scales with beat quality like no other rapper since Soulja Boi’s prime, and here he’s working with pure magic on a haunting, what I like to call “Luigi’s-Mansion-Type-Beat” from Wheezy. It’s not deep. Future literally said it was inspired by holding his watch up to his face while Wheezy was playing him the beat in the studio. There’s a good amount of NBA rhymes in it. What I’m saying is, “Crushed Up” is a ton of fun, and the decision to use it as a single, and in turn as a sort of overture to this strange, epic album, is a delight. #future #hiphop #rap #wheezy #crushedup #hndrxx #music #tally #nyc #atl #wzrd #insta #podcast #shelter