Given the prolific discographies of both Future and Zaytoven, it might be easy to perceive them as less than meticulous. Yet it would appear that the duo truly value the album as a cohesive whole. Refreshing, given that many rappers are content to skate on sporadic singles. Hearing Zaytoven talk about their creative process proves that both parties have a clear sense of vision, and much thought was put into crafting the Beast Mode 2 experience.
Speaking to The Fader, Zaytoven explained that Beast Mode was sculpted from a greater mass of material. "We recorded 100 songs just to give you nine," explains Zay. "So that means we took our time to pick out what we feel like the audience would want. We could’ve put 20 songs on there and it’d seem like we guessing." Admittedly, sometimes it feels like rappers have no sense of quality control, so it's nice to hear Zay double down on the quality-first approach, proving vision is still alive and well. "I’m the type of guy where, if I see like 20 songs, I don’t even wanna listen to one of ‘em ‘cause it’s too much."
The end result is a soulful record from both parties, with Future holding it down with some emotional, nuanced vocals, while Zay lets the piano gently weep on em'. In fact, he seems to feel as if he had more freedom on this project, largely due to Future's trust in him. "Future gave me the liberty of saying, "Ay man, whatever beats you give me to rap on, that’s what I’ma rap on," explains Zay. "So it was like, if I wanna show out on the piano and give him the beat to rap on, that’s what we’re gonna use and it’s gonna make me look good."
Be sure to stream Beast Mode 2, and peep the whole interview with Zaytoven here.
