March's 56 Nights was a stand-out release for Future, a concept album inspired by his DJ Esco's two-month stint in a Dubai prison. The tape is produced entirely by 808 Mafia's Southside and Tarantino, and drags in Middle Eastern samples and percussion to create a sound unlike anything Future's done before. Throughout the record, the Atlanta rapper also seemed to have found religion: he makes several references to Islam, a faith his DJ was exposed to during his sentence. "These folks was living crazy, but I learned from them," Esco told FADER shortly after his release. "There's a difference between North and South Pakistan. I didn't know that in Cameroon they speak French. You learn about Islam. In prison they pray five times a day." In the end, it was a guard with whom he'd bonded over Islam that made the call to send Esco back home—the religion might have literally saved his life.
This newfound spirituality carries into Unkle Luc's vision for Future's "Trap Niggas," and they tapped emerging Atlanta rappers Key! and ManManSavage to bring it to life. "ManMan, he plays the character of the trap nigga in the video," executive producer Propane explains. "21 Savage comes and picks him up and they bust a jugg. Once the second verse starts, they come right down the driveway and they walk up the steps. You see Key! standing there with his hands together, praying. But in the next shot, ManMan walks in and Key is not sitting there. Key! is playing the role of an angel, watching over the trap niggas. It was gonna go real deep, if we had the budget to go real deep and crazy," he says. "I didn't want to get too blasphemous with it." Future's 56 Nights is available now, catch him on the road this Spring on the Monster vs Beast Mode Tour and supporting Drake's Jungle Tour.