Future | |
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.jpg) Future in 2019 | |
| Born | Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn[1] (1983-11-20)November 20, 1983 (age 42) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Other names | |
| Education | Columbia High School |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2003–present |
| Works | |
| Children | 7 |
| Relatives | Rico Wade (cousin)[5] |
| Awards | Full list |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | Dungeon Family |
| Website | futurefreebandz |
Musical artist | |
| Website | freebandz |
| Signature | |
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Nayvadius DeMun Cash[9] (néWilburn; born November 20, 1983), known professionally asFuture, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Known for hismumble-styled vocals and prolific output, Future is credited with having pioneered the use ofAuto-Tuned melodies inhip-hop andtrap music.[10][11][12] Due to the sustained popularity of this musical style, he is commonly regarded as one of the most influential rappers of his generation.[13]
Born and raised inAtlanta, Georgia, Future signed a recording contract withRocko'sA1 Recordings in 2011, which entered a joint venture withEpic Records shortly after. His first two studio albums,Pluto (2012) andHonest (2014), were both met with critical and commercial success, spawning theplatinum-certified singles "Turn On the Lights", "Honest", "Move That Dope" (featuringPharrell Williams andPusha T), and "I Won" (featuringKanye West). His subsequent albums have each debuted atop the USBillboard 200; his third and fourth,DS2 (2015) andEvol (2016), were supported by the singles "Where Ya At" (featuringDrake) and "Low Life" (featuringthe Weeknd), respectively. Future'seponymous fifth album and its follow-up,Hndrxx (both 2017) made him the first musical act to release two chart-topping projects on theBillboard 200 in consecutive weeks—the former spawned his firstBillboard Hot 100-top ten single, "Mask Off."
After departing A1, Future released the albumsThe Wizrd (2019) andHigh Off Life (2020)—the latter spawned thediamond-certified single "Life Is Good" (featuring Drake). Future guest appeared alongsideYoung Thug on Drake's 2021 single "Way 2 Sexy," which became his first number-one song on theBillboard Hot 100 after a record-breaking 125 entries.[10] His ninth album,I Never Liked You (2022) spawned the single "Wait for U" (featuring Drake andTems), which became his second to peak the chart and first to do so as a lead artist. At the65th Annual Grammy Awards, the song wonBest Melodic Rap Performance, while its parent album received a nomination forBest Rap Album. His two collaborative albums with record producerMetro Boomin—We Don't Trust You andWe Still Don't Trust You (both 2024)—continued his string of number-one projects on theBillboard 200; the former spawned his thirdBillboard Hot 100-number one single and first to remain atop the chart for several weeks: "Like That" (with Metro Boomin andKendrick Lamar). Future then releasedMixtape Pluto (2024), his seventeenth mixtape which caused him to become the first hip-hop artist to have three number one albums in the same year, and in less than six months.
Future has released themixtapesBeast Mode (withZaytoven),56 Nights (withSouthside), andWhat a Time to Be Alive (with Drake) in 2015—the latter spawned the single "Jumpman". He has released the full-length collaborative projectsSuper Slimey (2017) with Young Thug,Wrld on Drugs (2018) withJuice Wrld,Pluto x Baby Pluto (2020) withLil Uzi Vert. Among thebest-selling hip hop musicians, Future'saccolades include threeGrammy Awards from a total of fifteen nominations. He also holds the record for the most albums at number one on the USTop Rap Albums chart, with 16.
Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn[14] was born on November 20, 1983,[14][15] inAtlanta, Georgia,[16][17][18] the son of Stephanie Jester.[19] He attendedColumbia High School inDecatur. At age sixteen (c. 1999/2000), Future describes getting shot in the hand and robbed, an event he regards as a major turning point in his life.[20]
Future began his career under the name "Meathead", as a member of the Georgia-based musical collectiveDungeon Family. He was led to join the group by his first cousin Rico Wade (1972–2024), who was part of the group's in-house production teamOrganized Noize and operated theEast Point, Georgia "Dungeon" studio which the collective's name was based from.[21][22][23][24] Future performed in a smaller hip hop group within the collective who went by the name "Da Connect", where he would later be nicknamed "The Future" by group memberG-Rock. Da Connect recorded one album,Rico Wade Presents: Da Connect which was slated for commercial release in 2003, but was ultimately shelved.[25] Future had one solo record on the project titled "Belly of da Beast", which is considered to be his first song.[26][27] He did not use autotune in his early career with Da Connect compared to later in his career. During this time, Future appeared in numerous Dungeon Familymusic videos,[28] and received his first songwriting credit on the Organized Noize-produced single, "Blueberry Yum Yum" for rapperLudacris in 2004.
Wade encouraged him to sharpen his writing skills and pursue a career as a rapper, as recording would create temporary respite from street life.[29] Future voices his praise of Wade's musical influence and instruction, calling him the "mastermind" behind his sound.[18] He was thereafter discovered by fellow Atlanta rapperRocko, who took Future under his wing as a solo artist on hisA1 Recordings record label.[30]
From 2010 to early 2011, Future released a series of mixtapes including1000,Dirty Sprite andTrue Story.[30][31] The latter included the single "Tony Montana", in reference to theScarface film.[31][32] He gained regional popularity after his songs were played byDJ Esco atMagic City,[33] astrip club in Atlanta deemed "largely responsible for launching the careers of artists."[34] In April 2011, he co-performed with Atlanta rapperYC on his single "Racks", which would become his firsthit song andBillboard Hot 100 entry—peaking at number 42.[35][36] In July of that year, Future and rapperGucci Mane would release a collaborative mixtape titledFree Bricks.
Future signed a major labelrecording contract withEpic Records in September 2011, days before the release of his next mixtape,Streetz Calling.[37] The mixtape was described byXXL magazine as ranging from "simple and soundly executed boasts" to "futuristic drinking and drugging jams" to "tales of the grind".[36] APitchfork review remarked that on the mixtape Future comes "as close as anyone to perfecting this thread of ringtone pop, where singing and rapping are practically the same thing, and conversing 100% throughAuto-Tune doesn't mean you still can't talk about how you used to sell drugs. It would almost feel antiquated if Future weren't amassing hits, or if he weren't bringing some subtle new dimensions to the micro-genre."[32]
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Though Future had toldMTV thatStreetz Calling would be his final mixtape prior to the release of his debut studio album, another mixtape,Astronaut Status, was released in January 2012. In December 2011, Future was featured on the cover of Issue 77 ofThe FADER.[38][39][40]XXL's Troy Mathews wrote, "WhileAstronaut Status is up and down and never really hits the highs like 'Racks', 'Tony Montana', and 'Magic' that fans have come to expect from Future, it's apparent that he's poised to continue the buzz of 2011 humming right along into 2012."[41] Future was selected to the annualXXLFreshmen list in early 2012.[42]
His debut albumPluto, originally planned for January 2012, was eventually released on April 17.[43][44] Its first three singles weremastered re-recordings of pre-existing songs, "Tony Montana", "Go Harder", and "Magic", the latter contained aguest feature from high-profile hometown native, rapperT.I.[45] According to Future, "'Magic' was the first record T.I. jumped on when he came outta jail. Like, he was out of jail a day and he jumped straight on the 'Magic' record without me even knowing about it."[45] The track became Future's first single as a lead artist to enter theBillboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 69 in April 2012. In addition, the albums next singles, "Same Damn Time" and "Turn on the Lights" peaked at number 92 and 50 on the Hot 100 respectively, further ushering Future into the mainstream spotlight. The latter was eventually certifiedplatinum by theRIAA and spawned a remix featuringLil Wayne.[46] Other collaborators on the album includeTrae tha Truth,R. Kelly andSnoop Dogg.[47] On October 8, 2012, Future would perform the hook forPusha T's single "Pain", which preceded his 2013 debut studio albumMy Name Is My Name.
It was announced that Future would be repackaging his debut albumPluto on November 27, 2012, under the namePluto 3D, featuring 3 new songs and 2 remix songs, including the remix for "Same Damn Time" featuringDiddy andLudacris, as well as his single "Neva End (Remix)" featuringKelly Rowland.[48] In November 2012, Future wrote, produced, and co-performed with Barbadian singerRihanna on "Loveeeeeee Song", from the singers seventh studio album,Unapologetic.
On January 15, 2013, Future released the compilation mixtapeF.B.G.: The Movie which features the artists signed to hisFreebandz label:Young Scooter, Slice9, Casino, Mexico Rann and Maceo. It was certified platinum for having over 250,000 downloads on popular mixtape siteDatPiff.[49] Future said of his second studio albumFuture Hendrix it will be a more substantive musical affair than his debut album and featuresR&B music along with his usual "street bangers". The album was to be released in 2013.[50] The album featured his then-fiancéeCiara, as well as other high-profile artists includingKanye West,Drake,Kelly Rowland,Wiz Khalifa, andAndré 3000, among others.[51]
The album's lead single, "Karate Chop" featuring Casino, premiered on January 25, 2013, and was sent tourban radio on January 29, 2013.[52] The song, produced by Atlanta-based producerMetro Boomin, spawned an official remix featuringLil Wayne, was sent radio and was released on iTunes on February 19, 2013. On August 7, 2013, Future changed the title of his second album fromFuture Hendrix toHonest and announced that it would be released on November 26, 2013.[53] It was later revealed that the album would be pushed back to April 22, 2014, as it was said that Future has tour dates withDrake onWould You Like A Tour?.[54] Along with "Karate Chop", the album was preceded by the singles "Honest", "Shit", "Move That Dope", featuringPharrell and Pusha T and "I Won" featuring Kanye West; "Honest" peaked at number 55 on the Hot 100. Upon release, the album was received generally positively and peaked at number 2 on theBillboard 200. During this time, Future also made a slew of guest appearances on hit songs including Lil Wayne's 2013 hit single "Love Me", Rocko's single "U.O.E.N.O." the same year, andDJ Khaled's 2014 single "Hold You Down". The former became his first top-10 entry on the Hot 100 and receiveddiamond certification from the RIAA.
Future releasedDS2 on July 16, 2015.[citation needed] On September 20, 2015, Future released a collaborative mixtape with Canadian rapperDrake, titledWhat a Time to Be Alive.[55][56] The album debuted at number one on theBillboard 200, Billboard R&B Charts, and Billboard Hot Rap Songs, marking the first time a rapper was able to score two number one albums in a year, in 11 years, sinceJay Z back in 2004. The mixtape has sold over 334,000 copies in the U.S.[57] On January 17, 2016, Future released another mixtape, titledPurple Reign, with executive production fromMetro Boomin andDJ Esco, as well as beat credits fromSouthside,Zaytoven and more.[58] On February 5, 2016, Future premiered his fourth studio album,EVOL, onDJ Khaled's debut episode of theBeats 1 radio showWe The Best.[59] In 2016, Future became the fastest artist to chart three number-one albums on theBillboard 200 sinceGlee soundtrack albums in 2010.[60]
On June 29, 2016, he appeared in an issue ofRolling Stone.[61] On Valentine's Day 2017, Future announced via Instagram that his self-titled fifth studio album would be released on February 17, 2017.[62] Exactly one week later, he would release his sixth studio album titledHndrxx. Both albums went number one consecutively, which made Future the first artist to debut two albums at number one at the same time on theBillboard 200 andCanadian Albums Chart. On October 20, 2017, he alongsideYoung Thug would drop their collaboration mixtape CalledSuper Slimey. He, along withEd Sheeran, collaborated with singer-songwriterTaylor Swift on the song "End Game" from her albumReputation.[63] The song peaked at number 18 on theBillboard Hot 100 and was Future's eighth top 20 hit.[citation needed]
On January 11, 2018, Future collaborated alongsideKendrick Lamar,James Blake andJay Rock for the song, "King's Dead", from thesoundtrack album of theMarvel Studiossuperhero filmBlack Panther and Jay Rock's third studio albumRedemption. At the61st Annual Grammy Awards, the song earned twoGrammy nominations, forBest Rap Performance andBest Rap Song, marking Future's first career Grammy nominations.[64] Future curated thesoundtrack for the movieSuperfly, which was released in June 2018.[65] On October 19, 2018, Future releasedWrld On Drugs, a collaborative mixtape with fellow American rapperJuice Wrld.[66]Wrld on Drugs debuted at number two on the USBillboard 200 behindA Star Is Born byLady Gaga andBradley Cooper, with 98,000album-equivalent units, which included 8,000 pure album sales.[67] It became Future's tenth top-ten album in the United States, and Juice Wrld's second.[67]
On January 18, 2019, Future released his seventh studio album,Future Hndrxx Presents: The Wizrd. The album consists of 20 songs and was promoted by a film titledThe Wizrd, released on January 11 onApple Music.[68]The Wizrd received generally positive reviews from critics[69] and became Future's sixth US number-one album, debuting at number one on the USBillboard 200 with 125,000 album-equivalent units (including 15,000 pure album sales).[70] With the release ofThe Wizrd, several songs from the album charted on theBillboard Hot 100, leading to Future becoming the artist with the 10th most entries in Hot 100 history.[71] At the61st Annual Grammy Awards held on February 10, 2019, Future won his firstGrammy Award forBest Rap Performance for his collaboration alongsideJay Rock,Kendrick Lamar andJames Blake for the song, "King's Dead", from thesoundtrack album of theMarvel Studiossuperhero filmBlack Panther.[72]On June 7, 2019, Future released his second project of the year, his debut solo EP titledSave Me.[73]Save Me received mixed reviews from music critics and debuted at number 5 on the USBillboard 200.[74]
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On January 10, 2020, Future released the third single for his then upcoming seventh studio album: "Life Is Good", which featuresDrake; the song peaked at number two on theBillboard Hot 100, and eventually was the highest charting song off the album.[75] On February 15, 2020, Future released an official remix of his song "Life Is Good", the remix kept Drake’s feature—and added new verses fromDaBaby andLil Baby.[76] On May 1, 2020, Future guest appeared on Drake’s sixth mixtapeDark Lane Demo Tapes; on the mixtape—Future appeared on the tracks "Desires",[77] and "D4L" alongsideYoung Thug. Both tracks charted within the top-30 of theBillboard Hot 100.[78] On April 1, 2020, Future released the fourth single for his then upcoming album, "Tycoon"—the song debuted and peaked at number 76 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart.
Later that month (April), Future announced his eighth studio album, at the time titledLife Is Good;[79] The title was later changed toHigh Off Life and the album was released on May 15, 2020.[80] The album became Future’s seventh consecutive number one album, debuting at number one on the USBillboard 200 chart with 153,000album-equivalent units in its first week.[81] The album sales week also became Future’s largest week since 2015, when his third albumDS2 debuted atop the chart with 151,000 album-equivalent units.[82] On May 26, 2020, Future released the ninth track fromHigh Off Life as a single, becoming the albums fifth and final single—the track being "Trillionaire", which featuresYoungBoy Never Broke Again.[83]
On July 21, 2020, Future and fellow rapperLil Uzi Vert both deleted all posts on theirInstagram pages respectively and proceeded to upload a visual teaser directed byHype Williams, intending to announce an at-the-time upcoming album titledPluto x Baby Pluto.[84][85][86] Later that month, on July 31—which is Uzi’s birthday, Future and Uzi both released the collaborative singles "Patek" and "Over Your Head", both singles would later appear on the deluxe edition ofPluto x Baby Pluto.[87] On November 13, 2020, after extensive promotion—Future and Lil Uzi Vert released their collaborative albumPluto x Baby Pluto, which was both artists second project of the year; the album debuted and peaked at number two on the USBillboard 200 with 105,000album-equivalent units.[88] The album was blocked from the number-one spot byAC/DC’s albumPower Up—which debuted atop with around 12,000 more units (117,000 units).[88][89][90]
Throughout 2020, Future guest appeared on many songs, all of which either performed well on music charts, or didn’t chart. Future was featured on "Big Drip" byUfo361 on January 17, 2020[91]—"Dead Man Walking" by2 Chainz also on January 17, 2020[92][93]—"1st n 3rd" alongsideLil Baby by Marlo on January 23, 2020[94][95]—"Happiness Over Everything (H.O.E.)" alongsideMiguel byJhené Aiko on February 26, 2020[96]—"What It Was" byLil Gotit on June 26, 2020[97]—"Rari" by Octavian on July 27, 2020[98]—"Thrusting" alongsideSwae Lee byInternet Money on August 21, 2020[99]—"Gucci Bucket Hat" withPap Chanel featuring Herion Young on October 20, 2020[100]—and many other features.[101]
On March 26, 2021, Future collaborated with rapperMoneybagg Yo to release the single "Hard for the Next", which became the second single from Moneybagg Yo's fourth studio album:A Gangsta's Pain.[102][103][104] On May 28, 2021, Future collaborated withHotboii to release the non-album single "Nobody Special."[105][106][107] On September 24, 2021, Future collaborated with rapperGunna to release the single "Too Easy", which happened to be the lead single from Gunna's at-the-time upcoming third studio album:DS4Ever; the song charted in the top-twenty of the USBillboard Hot 100 chart.[108][109][110][111] On December 15, 2021, Future collaborated with rapperRvssian to release the non-album single "M&M", which also features vocals fromLil Baby.[112][113] Throughout 2021, Future appeared on many songs as a featured artist, most notably—he broke the record for the mostBillboard Hot 100 entries (125) until a number-one song was captured, he earned his first number-one with his feature alongsideYoung Thug onDrake's single "Way 2 Sexy", which debuted in the Hot 100's number one position.[114][115][116][117]
On February 11, 2022, Future released his first solo single in over a year, "Worst Day", which happened to appear on the deluxe edition of his at-the-time upcoming ninth studio album.[118][119][120] On April 20, 2022, Future was named the "best rapper alive" byGQ.[13] Then on April 22, 2022, Future and record producerSouthside released the collaborative single "Hold That Heat", which features rapperTravis Scott.[121][122][123] On April 29, 2022, Future released his ninth studio albumI Never Liked You after it was previously announced earlier that month.[124][125] The album was a commercial success, becoming his eighth number one album and debuting atop theBillboard 200 chart—moving 222,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, becoming Future's largest sales week by album-equivalent units.[126]
I Never Liked You notably spawned four simultaneous top-ten entries on theBillboard Hot 100: "Wait For U" featuringDrake andTems (at No. 1), "Puffin On Zootiez" (at No. 4), "712PM" (at No. 8), and "I'm Dat Nigga" (at No. 10). All sixteen tracks from the album debuted on the Hot 100; as well as two additional tracks charted by Future, causing him to have 18 simultaneous entries that week.[127][128] On May 3, 2022, Future released the seventh track from his ninth studio albumI Never Liked You as a single, "Wait for U", which features Drake and Tems—the track previously became Future's second number one single on theBillboard Hot 100, Drake's tenth, and Tems' first.[129][130] On May 6, 2022, Future released "Keep It Burnin", the third track fromI Never Liked You as a single, the track features vocals fromKanye West.
Future releasedWe Don't Trust You, a collaborative album withMetro Boomin, on March 22, 2024. The duo then released the sequel album,We Still Don't Trust You, exactly three weeks later on April 12, 2024.[131] On September 2, 2024, he confirmed the release of his seventeenth mixtapeMixtape Pluto.[132]
In early 2025, Future featured on the songFxck Up the World fromAlter Ego, the first studio album of the Thai rapperLisa.
Future's music has been characterized astrap music.[11][133] Future makes prevalent use ofAuto-Tune in his songs, both rapping and singing with the effect. In 2013,Pitchfork wrote that Future "miraculously shows that it's still possible for Auto-Tune to be an interesting artistic tool", stating that he "finds a multitude of ways for the software to accentuate and color emotion".[134] TheLA Times wrote in 2016 that "Future's highly processed vocals suggest a man driven to bleary desperation by drugs or love or technology", stating that his music "comes closest to conjuring the numbing overstimulation of our time".[135]GQ stated in 2014 that he "has managed to reboot the tired auto-tune sound and mash it into something entirely new", writing that he "combines it with a bizarro croon to synthesize how he feels, then [...] stretches and deteriorates his words until they're less like words, more like raw energy and reactive emotions".[136] CriticSimon Reynolds wrote in 2018 that "he's reinventedblues for the 21st century."[137]
American singer and rapperT-Pain, who also uses that audio processor, criticized Future's unconventional use of it in 2014.[138] In response, Future stated in an interview that "when I first used Auto-Tune, I never used it to sing. I wasn't using it the way T-Pain was. I used it to rap because it makes my voice sound grittier. Now everybody wants to rap in Auto-Tune. Future's not everybody."[139] Due to the sustained contemporary popularity of his musical style, he is commonly regarded as one of the most influential rappers of his generation.[13]
Future is the unmarried father of seven children by his account, each with different women, although another child's paternity has been litigated.[140][141] He has a son named Jakobi born in June 2002 with Jessica Smith, daughter Londyn born in 2009 with India J and adopted her son Jaiden, son Prince born in 2013 with entrepreneur and influencer Brittni Mealy, son Future Zahir born in May 2014 with Ciara, son Hendrix born in December 2018 with model Joie Chavis, daughter Paris and son Kash with unknown women.[142] In October 2013, Future was engaged toCiara, who is the mother of one of his sons, but she ended the engagement in August 2014 due to his infidelity.[143]
Future is aChristian, and has publicly acknowledged his faith on multiple accounts.[144][145] Throughout his music career, Future has made references toGod andJesus with his music, whilst being open about the role of faith in his life and childhood.[144]
In 2016, Future was sued by both Jessica Smith and Ciara. Smith sued him for failing to paychild support, stating their son "suffers from emotional and behavioral issues stemming from Future's neglect as a father",[146] while Ciara sued him fordefamation,slander, andlibel.[147] In October 2016, a judge said that Future's string oftweets bashing Ciara did not relate to the $15 million she was asking for.[148] In 2019, two women from Florida and Texas respectively filed paternity suits claiming that Future was the father of their respective daughter and son.[149] In 2020, the Texas woman dropped her paternity suit.[150]
Young Thug's oft-imitated style — melancholy and machine-tweaked, yet melodic and flamboyant — places him right beside Future as the defining act of contemporary Southern rap
Media related toFuture (rapper) at Wikimedia Commons| Studio albums |
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| What a Time to Be Alive |
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| Evol |
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| Wrld on Drugs | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| High Off Life | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Pluto × Baby Pluto | |||||||||||||||||||||
| I Never Liked You | |||||||||||||||||||||
| We Don't Trust You | |||||||||||||||||||||
| We Still Don't Trust You | |||||||||||||||||||||
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