Future (rapper)

Future
Future in 2019
Born
Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn[1]

(1983-11-20) November 20, 1983 (age 41)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Other names
EducationColumbia High School
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Years active2003–present
Works
Children7
RelativesRico Wade (cousin)[5]
AwardsFull list
Musical career
Genres
Labels
Formerly ofDungeon Family
Websitefuturefreebandz.com

Nayvadius DeMun Cash[8] (né Wilburn; born November 20, 1983), known professionally as Future, is an American rapper and singer. Known for his mumble-styled vocals and prolific output, Future is considered a pioneer of the use of Auto-Tuned melodies in trap music.[9][10][11] Due to the sustained popularity of this musical style, he is commonly regarded as one of the most influential rappers of his generation.[12]

Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Future signed a recording contract with Rocko's A1 Recordings in 2011, which entered a joint venture with Epic Records shortly after. His first two studio albums, Pluto (2012) and Honest (2014), were both met with critical and commercial success, spawning the platinum-certified singles "Turn On the Lights", "Honest", "Move That Dope" (featuring Pharrell Williams and Pusha T), and "I Won" (featuring Kanye West). His subsequent albums have each debuted atop the US Billboard 200; his third and fourth, DS2 (2015) and Evol (2016), were supported by the singles "Where Ya At" (featuring Drake) and "Low Life" (featuring the Weeknd), respectively. Future's eponymous fifth album and its follow-up, Hndrxx (both 2017) made him the first musical act to release two chart-topping projects on the Billboard 200 in consecutive weeks—the former spawned his first Billboard Hot 100-top ten single, "Mask Off."

After departing A1, Future released the albums The Wizrd (2019) and High Off Life (2020)—the latter spawned the diamond-certified single "Life Is Good" (featuring Drake). Future guest appeared alongside Young Thug on Drake's 2021 single "Way 2 Sexy," which became his first number-one song on the Billboard Hot 100 after a record-breaking 125 entries.[9] His ninth album, I Never Liked You (2022) spawned the single "Wait for U" (featuring Drake and Tems), which became his second to peak the chart and first to do so as a lead artist. At the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, the song won Best Melodic Rap Performance, while its parent album received a nomination for Best Rap Album. His two collaborative albums with record producer Metro Boomin—We Don't Trust You and We Still Don't Trust You (both 2024)—continued his string of number-one projects on the Billboard 200; the former spawned his third Billboard Hot 100-number one single, "Like That" (with Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar).

Future has released the mixtapes Beast Mode (with Zaytoven), 56 Nights (with Southside), and What a Time to Be Alive (with Drake) in 2015—the latter spawned the single "Jumpman". He has released the full-length collaborative projects Super Slimey (2017) with Young Thug, Wrld on Drugs (2018) with Juice Wrld, Pluto x Baby Pluto (2020) with Lil Uzi Vert. Among the best-selling hip hop musicians, Future's accolades include three Grammy Awards from a total of fifteen nominations.

  1. ^ "Nayvadius Wilburn Mugshot".
  2. ^ Weingarten, Christopher R. (April 15, 2014). "Future: How Hip-Hop's Paranoid Android Became a Robocroon Superstar". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 8, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  3. ^ Garvey, Meaghan. "Future's Reign". MTV. Archived from the original on January 12, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  4. ^ Johnson, Cherise (February 29, 2016). "Big Gipp Details Future's Dungeon Family Background; Rapper Was Known As Meathead". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  5. ^ Johnson, Billy Jr. (April 23, 2014). "Future Thanks Rico Wade". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 8, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  6. ^ "Maybe This Is Why Modern Mumble Rap Exists..." HipHopDX. February 25, 2017. Archived from the original on September 19, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  7. ^ Harold, Oscar. "Review: 'Mumble Rap' is a poor label for new Hip-Hop". The Cardinal Times. Archived from the original on August 7, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  8. ^ "Future Appears to Confirm He Legally Changed His Last Name to Cash". XXL. November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Thompson, Paul (July 31, 2018). "Why Future Is One of the Most Important Artists of This Decade". Vulture. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  10. ^ Kearse, Stephen (October 21, 2019). "How Future Rewrote Rap in His Own Image". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  11. ^ Holmes, Charles (January 17, 2019). "Future Changed Rap for a Generation. He Doesn't Know How to Feel About It". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  12. ^ "Future Is the Best Rapper Alive". GQ. April 19, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.