If Future fans were to be polled about his musical magnum opus, you’d likely see a split decision between “March Madness” and “Codeine Crazy.” With both tracks highlighting the duality of Future’s personality, the latter played a pivotal role in articulating his pain, culminating in a rare moment of vulnerability from the Atlanta rapper. Easily the most emotional song of his expansive catalog, “Codeine Crazy” would never have been so effective without TM88’s hauntingly melancholic production.

Image via HNHH

Yet despite the impact that the ballad went on to have, in another universe, it may very well never have existed in the first place. In fact, it may very well have remained buried in a folder on TM88’s hard drive, doing the digital equivalent to collecting dust. During a recent exchange on Twitter, the producer responded to a fan using “Codeine Crazy” as a testament to his brilliance, implying that the beat solidified him as one of hip-hop’s beat-making greats. TM responded to the compliment with a surprising revelation: “Tbh codeine crazy was a throw away.” 

It didn’t take long for the incredulous memes to begin rolling in, and soon enough his replies were filled with people questioning what might drive him to shelve such an instrumental. Yet hindsight is 20/20, and TM likely had his reservations about the instrumental’s viability in the first place. All things considered, we’re ultimately pleased that he had a change of heart — “Codeine Crazy” has gone on to forge a legacy of its own, and the game is all the better for it.