Trillmonga Presents: Why Future is a Romantic Hero

Future is a bona-fide superstar. Known for his drug-related content, trap ballads, and contentious relationship with his famous EX, hip-hop singer Ciara, what many wouldn’t realize is that he is Trap music’s version of a romantic hero. The romantic hero is a literary archetype, one which rejects established norms and conventions. The romantic hero often feels rejected by society and is the center of his existence. If you listen to Future’s first album Pluto all the way to 2018’s Future Hendrix Presents: The Wizrd, it becomes clear that Future is a romantic. Here’s why:

Future, from the beginning, prides himself on being different. The enigmatic rapper goes so far as to name his first album Pluto. A planet that is no longer a planet. One of the farthest known objects in our solar system from Earth. Additionally, Future has coined himself Future Hendrix. Appropriating the name of the late African-American rockstar Jimi Hendrix, who was considered one of the best guitarist of all time. A drug enthusiast and well known for his own eccentric style, Jimi Hendrix can also be seen as a romantic hero for his era. 

Future abhors the media. From his disdain for Social Media or his wariness for interviews, Future stands out in a time where everyone is in love with creating content. Future’s reply is more music, more music videos, more features, and more mixtapes. Less posting, less selfies, and less social media drama, he leaves that for the bloggers. 

Another element of his romanticism is his tendency to express his emotions or lack thereof about female companions in his music. He refuses to let society dictate his behavior. He expresses his desires and motivation through his music. His tendency to describe himself as an outsider, an outcast, aligns with his being a romantic hero. Individualism is a key element of the archetype. Northrop Frye, a Canadian literary critic, quips that the Romantic hero is often "placed outside the structure of civilization and therefore represents the force of physical nature, amoral or ruthless, yet with a sense of power, and often leadership, that society has impoverished itself by rejecting.” This describes Future to a tee. He may not be YOUR hero, but Lord Byron would find the parallels between Future and his titular character, Don Juan, from the poem of the same name. Future lives for the moment, loves women, and has a cavalier attitude, just like Byron’s Don Juan. Regardless of your perceptions of him, Future is the romantic hero of our time.  

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