Future (rapper)
Encyclopedia
Harold Michael Simmons II (born September 17, 1988), better known by his stage name Future (also known as Future the Artist and Future the Unknown), is an American rapper, singer-songwriter
, and record producer
, best known for his singles "Ballin'" and "Rainin' Money" and his high top fade haircut. He is currently promoted by Sir Lazenby Productions and sponsored by the number one college music website GoodMusicAllDay.com.
on September 17, 1988. At the age of six, he won the city-wide speech contest and began gaining local popularity as a public speaker. He performed his speeches at various events, such as Mayor Scott L. King
's campaign banquet and in Washington, D.C.
on the steps of the Congress building concerning the National Deficit. At age eight, his family moved to Nashville, Tennessee. In 2006, he graduated from Hume-Fogg High School
, where he played alto saxophone in the Jazz band and volunteered for several local youth organizations. He then attended Belmont University
, where he became a member of the Phi Beta Sigma
fraternity, and graduated in 2011 from Belmont's Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business.
and Sam & Ruby
, and opened for Kanye West
, GZA
, and Nappy Roots
.
and GLC
. Also during this time, Future did shows with Wale
, Pharrell, Little Brother
and Afroman
.
In 2010, Future began traveling and recording his next project. After graduating college in May 2011, Future began releasing singles and videos with popular college music website GoodMusicAllDay and has since been co-signed by other music websites such as MzHipHop and The Smoking Section. He and Nashville rapper Chancellor Warhol's song "Bonus Lvl/Fly Away" was recently featured on the HBO Canada
series Less Than Kind
.
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Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, best known for his singles "Ballin'" and "Rainin' Money" and his high top fade haircut. He is currently promoted by Sir Lazenby Productions and sponsored by the number one college music website GoodMusicAllDay.com.
Early Life and Education
Future was born in Gary, IndianaGary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
on September 17, 1988. At the age of six, he won the city-wide speech contest and began gaining local popularity as a public speaker. He performed his speeches at various events, such as Mayor Scott L. King
Scott L. King
Scott L. King was mayor of Gary, Indiana from 1996 to 2006, when he resigned. He was Gary's first white mayor since the election of Richard Hatcher in 1967. A member of the Democratic Party for most of his time in office, King left the party to become an independent in 2005, shortly before his...
's campaign banquet and in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
on the steps of the Congress building concerning the National Deficit. At age eight, his family moved to Nashville, Tennessee. In 2006, he graduated from Hume-Fogg High School
Hume-Fogg High School
Hume-Fogg Academic High School is a public magnet high school located in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, teaching grades 9-12.-History:Hume-Fogg's original incarnation, Hume High School, which opened in 1855 on Eighth Avenue and Broad, was the first public school in Nashville.In 1875 Fogg High...
, where he played alto saxophone in the Jazz band and volunteered for several local youth organizations. He then attended Belmont University
Belmont University
Belmont University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It is the largest Christian university in Tennessee and the second largest private university in the state, behind nearby Vanderbilt University.-Belmont Mansion:Belmont Mansion...
, where he became a member of the Phi Beta Sigma
Phi Beta Sigma
Phi Beta Sigma is a predominantly African-American fraternity which was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students. The founders A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse, and Charles I...
fraternity, and graduated in 2011 from Belmont's Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business.
Biscuits and Gravy
In 2006 at age 17, Future and a few of his friends started a band called The Legendary Biscuits and Gravy, with him on lead vocals and alto saxophone, Eric Sexton on keyboard, Brandon Holt on drums, and Wesley Winfrey on tenor saxophone (bassist Brady Surface was later added). The band quickly became a local favorite and received good reviews for their fusion of jazz, R&B, and Hip Hop and their high level of musicianship at their young ages. In 2007 the band was nominated for the Southern Entertainment Awards Best Indy R&B Artist of the Year. In 2008 and 2009, the band performed for Next Big Nashville music festival alongside other nationally-recognized Nashville bands, like The Pink SpidersThe Pink Spiders
The Pink Spiders are an American rock band, formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2003. The band currently consists of Matt Friction , Bob Ferrari , and Brandon Jazz ....
and Sam & Ruby
Sam & Ruby
Sam & Ruby are an American musical duo composed of Sam Brooker and Ruby Amanfu. Sam & Ruby are based in Nashville and have recorded two EPs and one full-length record, and are currently signed to the Rykodisc record label. Their song "Heaven's My Home" was featured on the movie and soundtrack The...
, and opened for Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
, GZA
GZA
Gary Grice , better known by his stage names GZA and The Genius, is an American hip hop artist and founding member of the seminal hip hop group the Wu-Tang Clan. He has also appeared on his fellow clan members' solo projects and has maintained a successful solo career...
, and Nappy Roots
Nappy Roots
Nappy Roots is an American alternative Southern rap quintet that originated in Bowling Green, Kentucky in 1995 and is best known for its hit single "Awnaw."...
.
Solo Career
In April 2009 Future released his first solo EP entitled The Sci Fly EP that he self-wrote and produced. It received good reviews for the electro-influence, advanced lyricism and pop hooks, and was nominated for a Nashville Music award for Best Urban Recording of the Year. Between September and October 2009, Future began the Overnight Mixtape series, in which he recorded and released six mixtapes, recording each mixtape during an overnight studio session and releasing it for free download the next day. The Nashville Scene spotlighted the Overnight Mixtapes in the 2009 Year in Music issue, stating that Future dominated the local underground hip hop scene. Overnight Mixtape, Vol. 4 featured lives skits from Bun BBun B
Bernard Freeman better known by his stage name Bun B, is an American rapper and was one half of the southern hip hop duo UGK . He is also a guest lecturer at Rice University located in Houston, Texas...
and GLC
GLC
GLC may refer to:* GLC * GLC * GLC * GLC , an American rapper signed to Kanye West's G.O.O.D...
. Also during this time, Future did shows with Wale
Wale
A wale is a broad, thick plank around the outside of a wooden ship.The garboard is the wale next to the keel; the gunwale is the top such plank and covers the heads of the timbers between the main and fore drifts....
, Pharrell, Little Brother
Little Brother
Little Brother was an American alternative hip hop group from Durham, North Carolina that consisted of rappers Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh , and DJ/producer 9th Wonder...
and Afroman
Afroman
Joseph Edgar Foreman , better known by his stage name Afroman, is an American rapper who came to prominence with his singles "Because I Got High" and "Crazy Rap". "Because I Got High" circulated around the Internet before becoming a hit worldwide...
.
In 2010, Future began traveling and recording his next project. After graduating college in May 2011, Future began releasing singles and videos with popular college music website GoodMusicAllDay and has since been co-signed by other music websites such as MzHipHop and The Smoking Section. He and Nashville rapper Chancellor Warhol's song "Bonus Lvl/Fly Away" was recently featured on the HBO Canada
HBO Canada
HBO Canada is a Canadian television channel, which airs programming sourced from the HBO subscription service in the United States. HBO Canada is not available as a standalone channel, but as one channel within the TMN and Movie Central multiplexes....
series Less Than Kind
Less Than Kind
Less Than Kind is a Canadian television comedy-drama series that stars Jesse Camacho as Sheldon Blecher, a teenager growing up in a loving but dysfunctional Jewish family in Winnipeg. The show's cast also includes Maury Chaykin and Wendel Meldrum as Sheldon's parents, Benjamin Arthur as his older...
.
Awards
- 2007 Southern Entertainment Award Nominee w/ Biscuits and Gravy (Best Indy R&B Artist)
- Winner of 2007 and 2008 Belmont University Urban Showcase
- 2009 Nashville Music Award Nominee (Best Urban Recording of the Year)
Discography
- Clean Cut Mixtape Vol. 1 (2006)
- Foreplay: The Mixtape (2007)
- The $FR33.99 Mixtape (2009)
- The Sci Fly EP (2009)
- The Overnight Mixtape Vol. 1-6 (2009)