One of the things that seems to fascinate Future fans the most about his music is that the wounds behind his haunted crooning appear to be rooted in identifiable heartbreak — specifically, his 2014 breakup with R&B star Ciara after the birth of their son, Future Zahir. While Ciara appears to have moved on, settling into a new life with NFL quarterback Russell Wilson, fans find possible subtle references to Ciara throughout Future’s work, including on his newly released EP, Save Me.
In this case, it’s the fourth track, titled “Shotgun,” that has drawn fans’ attention, as many are convinced that the moody beat for the song contains an interpolation of Ciara’s 2006 hit “Promise,” from her album The Evolution. On “Shotgun,” which is produced by Seth Firkins and frequent collaborator Detail, Future warbles “You wanna ride with me, shotgun” to an unnamed paramour and waxes somewhat philosophically on the nature of loyalty, telling the song’s subject, “You could’ve quit but you ain’t give up on me, you stayed down.”
Intriguingly, the first verse actually ends on the word “promise” as well, which may lend some credence to the fan theory. Of course, without an official credit, fans will have to wait for confirmation, but in their fantasies of an endlessly petty Future still subbing his ex some five years later, it’d be worth questioning why Future would pay to sample — and thus enrich — Ciara if he was still that upset at her.
Save Me is out now via Epic Records.
