DS2

Background

On July 10, 2015, Future posted the cover artwork, while announcing that the title to his new album would be called DS2, and would be released on July 17, 2015. The track list of the album was released on July 15, 2015. In an interview with Power 105.1, he explained that the official album title was abbreviated to DS2, in order to avoid a lawsuit from Sprite.

Singles

The album's lead single, "Fuck Up Some Commas" was released on March 2, 2015, the music video for the song was released on March 27. The song was later announced to be included on the album's deluxe edition.

The album's second single, "Where Ya At" featuring Drake, was released on July 18, 2015. The song was produced by Metro Boomin.

"Stick Talk" was later sent to rhythmic contemporary radio as the album's third single on February 1, 2016. The song was produced by Southside.

Album artwork

The basis for the album's cover art is a stock photo sold through Shutterstock with the title "Color drop in water, photographed in motion. Ink swirling in water. Cloud of silky ink in water isolated on white background. Colorful ink in water, ink drop." The image was created by Sanja Tošić, an artist based in Slovenia. Although she did not know who Future was until The Fader contacted her to ask about the album art, Tošić said that she would buy a copy of his album.

Critical reception

DS2 received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 80, based on 22 reviews. AllMusic wrote that with DS2 Future solidified himself as, "a strange and yet in command figure standing at the center of a slick, inventive swirl of music." Kris Ex of Billboard stated, "Produced by a handful of trusted Atlanta trap producers, DS2 is gothic, narcotic and full of overcast skies." Complex wrote of the album, "If you've followed Future's recent moves, DS2 is not unprecedented, but it greatly enhances the brooding ambiance of his recent work, a dive further into the abyss." Brian Josephs of Consequence of Sound stated, "DS2 is his strongest campaign yet, and it's the first time a new Future album has met all expectations." Calum Slingerland of Exclaim! wrote that "the majority of these beats hit to hurt, and though the emotional Future that listeners have come to know through past cuts "Throw Away" and "My Savages" has been dialed back, the honesty and vulnerability come through when it counts." Sheldon Pearce of HipHopDX stated, "Dirty Sprite 2 doesn't survey any new territory for the croaking crooner, but it magnifies the depth of his distress and channels it into an even richer multilayered sonic experience."

Chris Kelly of Fact said, "DS2 is a relentless, dud-free hour that adds in most of his recent highlights to complete the story of his last year." Reviewing the album's deluxe edition for Vice, Robert Christgau deemed DS2 a "miserable minor masterpiece" that is "all the proof we needed that money can't buy happiness". Brian Duricy of PopMatters said, "Self-mythologizing aside, the music on DS2 is worthy of the praise lauded on Future." Meaghan Garvey of Pitchfork stated, "Future was always straightforward, never ashamed to confess his depression or infatuation, but the narratives never felt so focused, nuanced, or vulnerable than here." Christopher R. Weingarten of Rolling Stone stated, "It has little of the far-reaching ambition of Honest, but what it lacks in bold stroke, it more than makes up for in consistency." Drew Millard of Spin stated, "Dirty Sprite 2 is a tremendous compendium of everything you want from a Future album in 2015." Pat Beane of Tiny Mix Tapes stated, "DS2 finds a hellish, motivating power by articulating how it's possible to have the best time of your life during the worst time of your life. And it all sounds so good." Vish Khanna of Now said, "In lieu of artistry or any semblance of lyrical spark, DST offers monotonous production and relentless chanting."

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with 151,000 album-equivalent units; it sold 126,000 copies in its first week. In January 2016, the album sold 344,000 copies domestically. In May 2016, the album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and equivalent album units of over a million units.