Future

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Future's artistic journey began in Atlanta's Dungeon Family collective, where his cousin Rico Wade operated the famous "Dungeon" studio. Initially performing as part of Da Connect under the nickname "The Future," he shelved a planned 2003 album but recorded his first song, "Belly of da Beast." A pivotal moment occurred around age sixteen when he was shot in the hand and robbed, an event he credits with turning him toward music. Encouraged by Wade to write as a respite from street life, Future released early mixtapes like 1000 and Dirty Sprite before gaining regional traction at Atlanta's Magic City strip club. His co-performance on YC's "Racks" in April 2011 marked his first Billboard Hot 100 entry. After signing with Epic Records later that year, he released the mixtape Streetz Calling, which Pitchfork praised for perfecting a genre where singing and rapping blend seamlessly through Auto-Tune.

In Their Own Story

Future's rise to mainstream dominance accelerated with his debut studio album, Pluto, released on April 17, 2012. The project featured platinum-certified singles like "Turn On the Lights" and "Magic," the latter becoming his first lead artist entry on the Hot 100. In 2015, he solidified his collaborative legacy with two major projects: the mixtape Beast Mode with Zaytoven, the mixtape 56 Nights with Southside, and What a Time to Be Alive with Drake, which spawned the hit "Jumpman." His discography expanded rapidly in 2017 when he released Future and Hndrxx, becoming the first musical act to debut two number-one albums on the Billboard 200 in consecutive weeks. The former introduced his first Hot 100 top-ten single, "Mask Off." This streak continued with DS2 (2015) and Evol (2016), supported by features from Drake and the Weeknd respectively. By 2024, he released two collaborative albums with Metro Boomin—We Don't Trust You and We Still Don't Trust You—which produced his third number-one single, "Like That," featuring Kendrick Lamar.

Reader's Guide

Future's solo catalog is defined by consistent chart dominance; every album from DS2 onward has debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200. His ninth studio album, I Never Liked You (2022), produced his second Hot 100 number-one single, "Wait for U," featuring Drake and Tems, which won Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards. In a historic run during 2024, Future released Mixtape Pluto, his seventeenth mixtape, becoming the first hip-hop artist to secure three number-one albums in a single year within six months. His collaborative history is extensive, including Super Slimey with Young Thug (2017), Wrld on Drugs with Juice Wrld (2018), and Pluto x Baby Pluto with Lil Uzi Vert (2020). A guest appearance on Drake's "Way 2 Sexy" in 2021 marked his first number-one song as a featured artist after 125 entries. He currently holds the record for the most albums at number one on the US Top Rap Albums chart with 16.

Did You Know?

• Future was the first musical act to release two chart-topping projects on the Billboard 200 in consecutive weeks with Future and Hndrxx in 2017.
• He holds the record for the most albums at number one on the US Top Rap Albums chart, with a total of 16.
• Future became the first hip-hop artist to achieve three number-one albums in the same year within less than six months in 2024.
• His song "Wait for U" won Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, marking his third win from fifteen nominations.
• Before his solo success, Future recorded one album with Da Connect titled Rico Wade Presents: Da Connect, which was shelved in 2003.