Future

Nayvadius DeMun Cash (*né* Wilburn; born November 20, 1983), better known by the stage name 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 melody and auto-tune in modern trap music. Due to the sustained contemporary popularity of his musical style, he is commonly regarded as one of the most influential rappers of his generation.

Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Future signed a recording contract with A1 Recordings and Epic Records in 2011, and released the albums *Pluto* (2012) and *Honest* (2014), which contained the platinum singles "Turn On the Lights", "Honest", "Move That Dope" (featuring Pharrell Williams and Pusha T), and "I Won" (featuring Kanye West). He then achieved critical and commercial success with *DS2* (2015) and its singles "Fuck Up Some Commas" and "Where Ya At" (featuring Drake), and followed it up with *Evol* (2016) and its lead single "Low Life" (featuring The Weeknd). Future's eponymous fifth album and its successor *Hndrxx* (both 2017) made him the first artist in history to debut two albums in consecutive weeks atop the US *Billboard* 200; the former contained the international hits "Used to This" (featuring Drake) and "Mask Off".

After departing A1, Future released the albums *The Wizrd* (2019) and *High Off Life* (2020), which featured the RIAA certified Diamond single "Life Is Good" (featuring Drake). In 2021, Future achieved his first number-one single on the Hot 100 after a record-breaking 125 entries after featuring with Young Thug on Drake's "Way 2 Sexy". His ninth studio album, *I Never Liked You* (2022), spawned his second number-one hit, "Wait for U" (featuring Drake and Tems), which became his first chart-topping single as a lead artist. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance, while its parent album received a nomination for Best Rap Album.

Future released the mixtapes *Beast Mode* (with Zaytoven), *56 Nights*, and *What a Time to Be Alive* (with Drake) in 2015; the latter included the song "Jumpman". He released the full-length collaborative projects *Super Slimey* (2017) with Young Thug, *Wrld on Drugs* (2018) with Juice Wrld, and *Pluto x Baby Pluto* (2020) with Lil Uzi Vert. Among the best selling musicians, Future's accolades include 2 Grammy Awards.

### Early Life

Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn was born on November 20, 1983, in Atlanta, Georgia. He attended Columbia High School in Decatur.

Future began his career under the name "Meathead" while performing as one of the members of the musical collective The Dungeon Family. He received the name "Future" because he was nicknamed "The Future" by his group members. His first cousin, record producer and Dungeon Family member Rico Wade, encouraged him to sharpen his writing skills and pursue a career as a rapper, which could also be used to create temporary respite from street life. Future voices his praise of Wade's musical influence and instruction, calling him the "mastermind" behind his sound. He soon came under the wing of fellow Atlanta rapper Rocko, who signed Future to his label, A1 Recordings.

From 2010 to early 2011, Future released a series of mixtapes including *1000*, *Dirty Sprite* and *True Story*. The latter included the single "Tony Montana", in reference to the *Scarface* film. During that time, Future was also partnering with rapper Gucci Mane on their collaborative album *Free Bricks*, and co-wrote and featured on YC's single "Racks". He gained popularity after his songs were played by DJ Esco at Magic City, a strip club in Atlanta deemed "largely responsible for launching the careers of artists." Future has also wrote lyrics for several artists, he most notably wrote the hook for "Blueberry Yum Yum" by Ludacris in 2004.