Released just a week after his self-titled fifth effort,
Future
's
HNDRXX
provided an introspective and confessional complement to the more extroverted
. Languid and self-aware,
presents
as a man lamenting past sins and missteps. Without ever mentioning her by name, ex-girlfriend
Ciara
looms over many of the songs, the former couple's legal troubles bleeding into
's wounded lyrics. For fans in search of more substance than what would typically be found in his usual trap bangers,
offers one of the deepest views into the rapper born
Nayvadius Wilburn
's soul. So while the production here isn't as exciting as on
, the vulnerability displayed makes
a highlight in
's catalog. "Use Me" serves double-duty, not only as a plea to a woman, but also as a tempting call from his drugs. On "Turn on Me," a late-album track packed with some of his more exposed open-journal rhymes,
wonders "why [he] ain't happy." After all the boasting and bravado, it's almost refreshing to hear him be a normal, damaged man. R&B stars
the Weeknd
and
Rihanna
offer two high-profile features on
, bringing their own pain and catharsis to
's therapy session. "Selfish," the
number, is a bittersweet, yearning highlight. When digested with
,
shows listeners what lies beneath the veneer and posturing, a brief look at the struggles one man must face when the party ends. ~ Neil Z. Yeung