I couldn’t believe that Kanye and Future had finally collaborated again when I heard “Father Stretch my Hands Pt. 2” for the first time. This is what we’ve been waiting for! I thought to myself as I bobbed my head in pure, turnt splendor. I wasn’t really sure exactly what the “Panda” Future referred to was, but I imagined it to symbolize some sort of Xanax, codeine or diamond infused dingus. It wasn’t until a few days later, while scrolling through my Twitter feed and viewing the intense discussion of the song that I pieced together the sad reality--there was a new Future that was being Future better than Future! Or so we should think.
Panda is a hot song, I’d be hating if I said that it’s not a hit. But anyone that is at least relatively familiar with Future’s music will tell you that “Panda” is basically a carbon copy of the slurred, melodic, trap gospel that Future has become revered for. I’ve concluded that the song nearly mirrors one of Future’s club bangesr from the Monster mixtape, “Commas”. Both songs have a melodic, repetitive intro that transforms into a warped, muffled sound before the beat drops. Not only that, there’s a momentary silence before the initial drop in both songs, and another about halfway through both songs. In continuation, the drum patterns are eerily similar; both songs feature a bunched 808 knock every 4-8 seconds and have similar beats per minute, “Panda” with 145 and “Commas” with 140. The only true difference is the bridge at the end of “Commas” (where the keyboard returns with no drums), as well as the filtered distortion at it close. If you listen closely to “Panda”, there’s even a siren identical to the signature tag of the 808 Mafia production team, approximately :26 seconds into the song.
Still not hearing it? Listen to Desiigner’s cadence and delivery throughout the song. Although Desiigner’s flow is considerably faster in comparison to Future’s usual pace, he faithfully relies on the disjointed, staccato, rapid-fire ribbit that Future has trademarked. Aside from that, none of his ad-libs are very original. From the endless “Yeah! Yeah!”s to the semi-automatic machine gun mouth sounds to the unintelligible shrieks, it just never ends. To top it off, once you’re finally able to understand the song’s lyrics, you realize it covers pretty much the same subject matter that Future (and damn near every other rapper) touches on today: lean, Xanax, choppers, murder, whips, and a lot of broads.
Although I’ll openly admit that Future’s style was completely jacked, I still have to give credit where it’s due. “Panda” is a very catchy, and the energy behind it is amazing. Kanye’s decision to sample it in the first place proves that. Plus, “Panda” hit number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a feat that regardless of how you may feel about it, Future still has yet to accomplish. Is this because Future’s subject matter is a little too real or street for the mainstream? Is it because Future’s persona isn’t marketable enough? Or is “Panda” really that good? Whatever the reason may be, Desiigner was able to take the formula for and produce a smash hit. That has to be respected.
Maybe I’m a little biased because I live in Atlanta and feel personally offended that Desiigner so carelessly claims access to our lovely women (He’s even admitted that he’s never even been to Atlanta), but It’s not just the music; it’s the fact that he’s running off with Atlanta’s sound, style, swag, sauce or whatever you may call it so unapologetically. Apparently there are other songs he’s created that sound nothing like Future, and I strongly hope for that to be the case because I am interested in hearing his true sound. This is his opportunity to continue the monumental tear that he’s currently on and show the world that he’s an artist to be taken seriously. But word on the street is that his next single is titled “Pluto”. Coincidence? I think not. I guess only the future will tell.
