The Singles Jukebox

Wiicked…

[Video][Website]
[4.50]

Taylor Alatorre: Between the Jamie Foxx parody and Desiigner’s XXL Freshman spot, June 2016 has confirmed Future’s transition from forward-thinking upstart to a member of rap’s old guard. Accordingly, his current single is his most conservative of the post-Monster era. Name-checking the Taliban has lost its shock and awe factor, and the slurring of the title feels too deliberate, like an 11-year-old pretending to be drunk. While it may lack for surprises, “Wicked” otherwise succeeds in condensing the appeal of Future into a compact package. His blend of guttural melody and verbal economy is on full display, backed by a droning yet springy Metro/Southside beat which helps his lines land their punches. The nimble delivery of “she want that big big dog status” shows a rapper who is not yet content to rest on his laurels, no matter how ubiquitous his style may become. If only that rapper had showed up more often.
[6]

Katie Gill: Imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery. As such, all these tiny little underground rappers that got their sound by copying Future (cough, Desiigner, cough) have soured me on Future himself. Thankfully, he’s slightly more intelligible here than on previous records, with the exception of his inability to pronounce the word “wicked”: a shame considering that’s the damn song title.
[4]

Jonathan Bogart: There’s something strangely comforting about the feeling that creeps over you when you realize that you are now officially too old to get what the youth find thrilling about work that, by the standards you’ve unconsciously adopted all your life, is only half-finished, or less. Like what they say freezing to death is like. Just close your eyes and let it happen.
[4]

Ryo Miyauchi: There’s not much to get from the verses besides being filler so Future’s fading, wiggling flow doesn’t get left behind the cutting room floor. Even then, he’s only half committed to his idea, while tossing backup lines in between as if he realized he has yet to figure out how to fully flesh them out into legit hooks. Purple Reign has weirder, more defined, and more moving moments, so I don’t know why this is the one he’s pushing.
[5]

Tim de Reuse: When you write a verse that ends trying to draw out natural assonance between “asparagus” and “embarrassed,” you should take a step back and be really, really sure that you can pull it off. I don’t think playing it straight was the way to go here; it feels like half of a joke, streamlined to the point of lacking any meat. Maybe if the hook didn’t sound more like “wiggle, wiggle, wiggle” than “wicked, wicked, wicked,” I wouldn’t be looking for something else to laugh at.
[3]

Alfred Soto: A year ago he sounded fresh and occasionally chilling; now I have to fight the urge to joke about the title (okay, fine: he should’ve called it “Peeved”). A few more mumbled indifferent rhymes and Metro Slummin’ beats like this and I may stop playing DS2.
[5]