Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn, famously known by the stage name Future, is an Atlanta-based rapper.
He’s grown in popularity for a decade due to his heavy-hitting trap sound and the intriguing dichotomy between his aggressive voice and lyrics with his otherwise calm, relaxed demeanor.
Future is also full of surprises, as he’s done things that other trap artists may never do, such as add autotune to his music or collaborate with Taylor Swift.
We’ll share a snippet of the best of Future’s career by listing out the best Future songs to date.
March Madness
“March Madness” is one of the best Future songs due to its layered meanings.
March Madness is the name of the NCAA basketball competition, and Future references it in the title and throughout the song to allude to two different things with this metaphor.
The first is alluding to the fact that he and his crew are also “balling,” e.g., wealthy.
The second reference is a bit more somber, as he compares “shooting” in a basketball game — which disproportionately features young black men — to the cops “shooting” people on the streets — also disproportionately young black men.
This song is fun to dance to, but when you listen to the lyrics, you realize it also has a strong political message about police brutality.
Mask Off
“Mask Off” is a popular jam because it is so easy to dance to and even rap along to, compared to songs where he mumbles more or uses hard-to-replicate autotune. Plus, the beat is magnetic!
Future alludes to the fact that he doesn’t have to wear a mask like he used to because he doesn’t have to commit crimes to make money.
He gets to live a luxurious, famous life now and is very much in the public eye, so “mask off” may also be a way of saying that he couldn’t hide even if he wanted to.
However, he still raps about the hard life on the streets because that is and will always be where he came from.
F*ck Up Some Commas
The best Future album is DS2 from 2015, and “F*ck Up Some Commas” was one of the chart-topping hits from that album.
This is a perfect trap song by all accounts: it’s bass-heavy, has a repetitive and catchy hook, and just enough mumbling to make it hard to understand what Future is saying.
When he says “commas,” he’s referring to the commas in the dollar amounts he can spend. F*cking up commas means he is willing and able to go hard with his spending, thus blowing through $100,000 to $1,000,000 in no time.
Tony Montana
An early Future hit was “Tony Montana,” a banging track that references the fictional character from Scarface. Tony Montana in Scarface is known for being violent as a way to make it in America.
Similarly, Future understands living a life surrounded by people who use violence as a way to try and make something of themselves.
This is a tough life to lead, not necessarily a life he wishes for others. But he embodies the same character as Tony Montana because that is what he knows.
Turn On the Lights
“Turn On the Lights” is one of the best future songs for a breakup, especially a messy breakup that involved cheating, because he raps openly about wanting someone who isn’t going to be disloyal.
It has a catchy beat like his other songs, but instead of his hard-hitting rap, he takes on a more singing style with the help of autotune.
Karate Chop (Remix) ft Lil Wayne
Going back to his trap hits, “Karate Chop” became an instant hit and certified head-banger after its release in 2014.
Lil Wayne hops on the remix to boost it, and his verse is one of the most memorable from the track.
Wayne and Future use a chopped-and-screwed style flow, as if all of their words are being cut short accidentally, but they’re intentionally rapping that way. This flow is unique and works perfectly with the song’s theme about “chopping” up narcotics.
Wicked
“Wicked” is another Future song with an enticing, bass-heavy beat that gets people going from the moment it starts. It’s a great song to listen to over speakers or with headphones.
It includes everything a proper trap song should have:
- hi-hats
- 808 beats
- heavy bass
- unique flow
The song alludes to the things in his lifestyle that some would consider “wicked,” such as drugs, violence, gambling, and sexual exploits.
Move That Dope ft Pharrell Williams and Pusha T
Like “Karate Chop” and “Tony Montana,” “Move That Dope” is another early hit from Future that helped put him on the mainstream map.
The song is about moving dope, i.e., selling drugs. Again, this is presumably not something Future has to do now that he’s rich and famous for his art, but it was an integral part of his reality and survival on the streets.
Future and Pusha T, who feature on the track, have real-life experience dealing drugs to make money, even as young as sixteen.
Where Ya At ft Drake
In “Where Ya At,” Future and Drake call attention to the fact that many people they know want to act friendly and familiar now that they’re famous, but those same people were not there for them as they were working hard to make a name for themselves.
When they had nothing, many people didn’t care. Future and Drake are grateful for the real ones stuck with them when selling drugs (Future) or recording in the bathroom (Drake).
And while they don’t necessarily hate them, they don’t have any time for the fake people who just want clout.
Wait for U ft Drake and Tems
“Wait for U” is arguably one of the best Future songs on his new album, as well as one of the best Future songs about love — especially complicated love.
They allude to how love is already complicated, and it becomes even more so with their famous, on-the-go, and highly public lifestyles.
Drake hops on the track, which is not surprising. He is the king of rap songs about complicated love and a frequent collaborator with Future. Nigerian artist Tems is also featured since her song “Higher” is sampled on the track.
“Stick Talk”
Future’s boasting about buying new firearms in this upbeat track from 2015’s DS2. However, even though he’s keen to brag about what he’s able to spend his money on, he knows there are eyes on him.
“They say my whole hood got it under investigation,” he raps. His neighbourhood is being watched by the authorities, who know that there is a danger of gun violence. Future isn’t too worried about it though – he’s more concerned with buying a “new toy”.
“Low Life” ft The Weeknd
The Weeknd joins Future to paint a picture of a lavish, hedonistic lifestyle in which every instinct is followed and every vice is indulged. The two do drugs with girls young enough to be their friends’ daughters and brag about how they could easily cheat on them.
They also list all the expensive cars in the garage – Porsches, Bentleys, Ferraris – and make plans to “turn a five star hotel to a traphouse”. The high life is colliding with the low life.
The track was originally dropped in December 2015 as a Christmas gift to fans. It later appeared on Future’s 2016 album, EVOL.
“Used To This” ft Drake
Over a beat built around a sultry piano riff, Drake and Future rap about being at the top of their game. In fact, they’ve been at the top so long that the fame and fortune doesn’t phase or excite them anymore. They’re used to fancy cars, mansions in the hills and adoring fans. But they also stress that hard work makes it all possible, and that they’ll never forget about the people who have been there since day one.
“Honest”
“Honest” is the title track and lead single of Future’s 2013 album of the same name. It sees him rapping frankly and openly about the wealth he has accumulated and the lifestyle he now gets to lead. “Gold bottles on bottles, I’m just honest,” he confesses. “100,000 on watches, I’m just honest.”
Future was inspired to write ‘Honest’ after a public disagreement with his ex and the mother of his oldest child, Jessica Smith. Smith accused Future of lying about his net worth, and the rapper retaliated with a track proclaiming his honesty.
“I Won” ft Kanye West
Future teams up with Kanye to play on the meaning of ‘trophy wife’. The two brag about their respective spouses and compare being with them to winning some kind of competition. “I won me a trophy,” Future sings. He expresses that he hasn’t always done things how he should, but he really wants to do right by the woman he loves.
When Future decided he wanted West to guest on his Honest album, he sent him a range of tracks to choose from. West selected ‘I Won’ and sent a verse back within just in 24 hours.
“Benz Friendz (Whatchutola)” ft André 3000
Future wants to make sure that the women in his life are around for more than just his money. “Aye, see how she react when you’re no longer in your Beemer,” he raps. The two test the women in their life and find that their girlfriends are far more concerned with the cars they’re driving and the presents they’re buying. Until they can find a girl who’s willing to stick around if they aren’t driving a Benz – “I will ride my f***in’ bike, or walk.”
“LOVE YOU BETTER”
Heartbreak hits harder when it’s your first, and it seems like Future hasn’t experienced a true heartbreak before the one he talks about on ‘LOVE YOU BETTER’. He’s used to being the one leaving, but this time he’s experiencing the other side of things and it’s not a pleasant feeling. “You tellin’ me you fallin’ out of love with me,” he sings. “Hope you can find someone to love you better than I can.”
This track from his 2022 album, I Never Liked You, is a short one at just over two minutes, but it’s packed full of feeling and sees Future take things to an unusually vulnerable place. He tells the woman he loves that his relationship with his grandmother taught him to be gentle and asks her not to break his heart.
“712PM”
The first track on 2022’s I Never Liked You, “712PM” sees Future flexing hard about his lifestyle, his wealth, his success, and his sexual conquests. He alludes to his drug-dealing days and the money he made from that life, and boasts about the money and jewellery he now has.
He also brags about the women he’s slept with – about from one that he regrets, when he was “rolling off the pills”. All in all, though, he paints a positive picture of the life he leads.
“KEEP IT BURNIN” ft Kanye West
Another successful collab with West, ‘KEEP IT BURNIN’. The two rappers have different focuses in their respective verses. Future boasts about his wealth and success and the girls around him. He also alludes to his past and his younger days spent around pimps and prostitutes whilst he was still growing up.
West also brags about his wealth and references his roots, however he is also concerned with his planned 2024 run for president and his Christianity.
“I Serve The Base”
Future again references his days dealing drugs in this trap-heavy track. ‘Base’ is a reference to freebase cocaine, which he’s out on the streets selling in ‘I Serve The Base’. “I serve cocaine in some Reeboks,” he raps. Like many songs on DS2, ‘I Serve The Base’ is heavily freestyle-based.
“My Collection”
Future addresses his exes in this frank, vulnerable track from 2017’s Hndrxx. He remembers them all – “Even if I hit you once you part of my collection,” he tells them. His woes in love include custody battles, cheating and court cases. However, he’s not ready to give up and stop pursuing women that he likes – he likes being able to call a girl his own.
Final Thoughts
Future is one of the best rappers in the game, and he has a catalog of songs to prove it. These are just a few of the best Future songs, as he has many more that are worth listening to.
Caitlin Devlin is a music, entertainment and lifestyle writer based in London. When she’s not creating playlists for Repeat Replay, she’s reviewing gigs and interviewing artists for Ticketmaster UK and thinking about what her Spotify Wrapped will look like this year.