Future

Busting out of Atlanta in 2011 with his hit street track "Tony Montana," rapper Future grew up in Atlanta's Zone 6 section.

Born Nayvadius Cash, hip-hop was in his family, as his cousin was producer Rico Wade. It was his local crew who gave him his moniker, dubbing him "The Future of Rap," something the nation got to experience in 2010 when he partnered with Gucci Mane for the mixtape Free Bricks. In 2011, he released the street album Streetz Calling and made a guest appearance on YC's mixtape hit "Racks." In the fall of that year, as "Tony Montana" was catching fire, it was announced that Future would be signing to the Epic Label Group thanks to producer and C.E.O. L.A. Reid. Future's debut album, Pluto, landed on Epic proper in 2012, featuring valuable input from Snoop Dogg, T.I., and Juicy J. Later that year, Future enjoyed high-profile credits (co-writing and performance) on Rihanna's Unapologetic with the track "Loveeeeeee Song," and early 2013 brought a compilation mixtape, F.B.G.: The Movie, on his own Freebandz imprint.

Future's second full-length album, initially known as Future Hendrix but later retitled Honest, was issued in early 2014. It earned both critical acclaim and popular success, peaking at number two on the pop charts. Two singles from the album, "Move That Dope" (featuring Pharrell, Pusha T, and Casino), and "I Won" (featuring Kanye West), charted inside the rap Top 40. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi