Future

Nayvadius DeMun Cash (formerly Wilburn) is an American rapper and singer known professionally as Future. He is considered a pioneer of the use of auto-tuned melodies in modern trap music and is commonly regarded as one of the most influential rappers of his generation. Future was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and signed a recording contract with Rocko’s A1 Recordings and Epic Records in 2011. He has released numerous studio albums, mixtapes and collaborative projects, many of which have achieved critical and commercial success.

Future’s first two studio albums, Pluto (2012) and Honest (2014), contained platinum-certified singles, including “Turn On the Lights,” “Honest,” “Move That Dope” (featuring Pharrell Williams and Pusha T), and “I Won” (featuring Kanye West). His subsequent projects have each peaked at the top of the US Billboard 200 chart, including DS2 (2015), Evol (2016), Future (2017), and Hndrxx (2017). He is the first artist to debut two chart-topping albums on the Billboard 200 in consecutive weeks. Future has also released successful mixtapes and collaborative projects, such as What a Time to Be Alive (with Drake) and Pluto x Baby Pluto (with Lil Uzi Vert).

Future has won three Grammy Awards from a total of ten nominations. He has also been featured on numerous hit songs, including “Way 2 Sexy” (with Drake and Young Thug), which became his first number-one song on the Billboard Hot 100 after a record-breaking 125 entries. In addition, Future has received critical acclaim for his songwriting skills, which he honed early in his career, writing for Ludacris and other artists.

Future began his career as a member of the Georgia-based musical collective Dungeon Family. He performed in a smaller hip hop group within the collective who went by the name “Da Connect.” Future was later discovered by fellow Atlanta rapper Rocko, who took Future under his wing as a solo artist on his A1 Recordings record label.

Future’s early life was marked by adversity, including getting shot in the hand and robbed at age sixteen. Nevertheless, he persisted in pursuing his dream of a career in music, encouraged by his cousin Rico Wade, who is a record producer and member of Dungeon Family. Future credits Wade with helping him develop his sound and sharpen his writing skills.