In September 2015, Drake and Future caught the music world off guard by dropping their joint mixtape What A Time To Be Alive with no prior promotion. The surprise release capitalized on both rappers being at the peaks of their commercial powers.
Despite no traditional rollout, the 11-track project debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, moving over 375,000 units its first week. Powered by the duo’s combined star power, it quickly became one of the year’s biggest hip-hop releases.
Larger-Than-Life Anthems
What A Time established a cinematic, luxurious sound world filled with braggadocious raps about living lavishly and indulging in life’s excesses. Drake and Future’s trade swaggering verses celebrating their superstar lifestyles over huge looping trap beats and slick, atmospheric production.
Standout tracks like the Metro Boomin produced “Jumpman” and “Big Rings” with their slick quotable lines and infectious hooks became ubiquitous anthems. The pure chemistry between the two artists made their boastful back-and-forths sound natural and effortless.
Critical Reappraisal
While some critics dismissed What A Time as mindless and shallow upon its release, the project has aged into a highly respected cult classic over the years. Many now appreciate it as a perfectly captured time capsule of the melodic, hazy SoundCloud rap era.
Revisited listens reveal Drizzy and Future’s quotable one-liners and effortless cool to be surprisingly replayable, making the album an unlikely grower. Their unfiltered honesty about rap money, fame and vices connected in an authentic way.
Influential Mixtape Milestone
In hindsight, What A Time To Be Alive is considered an important and influential stylistic marker. The blockbuster’s crossover success exposed a wider audience to the rising “SoundCloud rap” aesthetic pioneered by Future and others.
Carrying an undeniable hit factor, the project demonstrated the commercial viability of moody, bass-heavy production and cadences that leaned heavily into infectious melody and vibe over lyrics.
For Drake, What A Time offered an early glimpse into his impressive run of high-profile rap collaborations that expanded his sound in fresh directions each time. For Future, it marked his move into becoming a mainstream superstar beyond the underground.
While ultimately a non-traditional entry into both catalogs, the surprise What A Time To Be Alive remains a towering creative intersection between two of the 2010s’ biggest hitmakers. Its reverberating influence can still be heard today.