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Zaytoven Says He and Future Recorded “About 100” Songs for Beastmode 2

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 15: Music producer Zaytoven attends 'All-Star Weekend Kick-Off Party' at Capitol Records Tower on February 15, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Capitol Music Group)

Legendary trap producer Zaytoven released Beastmode 2, the followup to his collaborative Beast Mode mixtape with Future from 2015, last night. In a new interview with the Fader, the producer explained that the duo initially thought the project might come out in 2016, but were delayed because of Future’s busy schedule. Since then, Zay said, the two have worked on “about 100” unreleased songs, which they allegedly combed through very carefully to select the nine songs on Beastmode 2. Though Zaytoven came to prominence by contributing to sprawling Gucci Mane mixtapes in the later 2000s, he voiced his support for the recent G.O.O.D. Music ethos (see: Kanye West’s ye, Pusha T’s Daytona, Nas’ Nasir) of releasing very short projects.

“It’s easier to digest that way,” Zaytoven argued. “We could’ve put 20 songs on there and it’d seem like we guessing. Like we don’t know which songs are the good ones so we just [put] ‘em all on there and let the fans pick…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.”

Of course, Future arguably inaugurated this trend in hip-hop back in 2015, with the original Beast Mode and the other concise, feature-light projects 56 Nights and Monster, a trio of releases that helped redefine his musical style and image.

Ultimately, Zaytoven’s description of the process behind Beastmode 2 makes clear that the new project is another snapshot of very special working relationship. “When Zaytoven and Future are working together, then Future’s not working on no other tracks and Zaytoven’s not making no beats for nobody but Future,” Zaytoven told the Fader. “…I sit there and watch him record and it just blows my mind every time.” Read the full interview here.