Freebandz is an American

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

founded by American rapper

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...

. The label's releases are distributed through

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

History

2011–2012: We Global

Freebandz was founded by Future. Future signed a major label deal with

in September 2011, days before the release of his mixtape, ''Streetz Calling''. The mixtape was described by '' XXL'' magazine as ranging from "simple and soundly executed boasts" to "futuristic drinking and drugging jams" to "tales of the grind." A ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' review remarked that on the mixtape Future comes "as close as anyone to perfecting this thread of ringtone pop, where singing and rapping are practically the same thing, and conversing 100% through

Auto-Tune Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances. Auto-Tu ...

doesn't mean you still can't talk about how you used to sell drugs. It would almost feel antiquated if Future weren't amassing hits, or if he weren't bringing some subtle new dimensions to the micro-genre." Though Future had told

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

that ''Streetz Calling'' would be his final mixtape prior to the release of his debut studio album, another mixtape, ''

Astronaut Status ''Astronaut Status'' is the ninth mixtape by American rapper Future. It was released on January 12, 2012. The album features guest appearances from rappers Gucci Mane, Young Jeezy, Ludacris and Rocko. Future previously stated ''Streetz Calling'' ...

'', was released in January 2012. In December 2011, Future was featured on the cover of Issue #77 of ''

The FADER ''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes. It is o ...

''. Before his album being released in April 2012. ''XXLs Troy Mathews wrote, "While ''Astronaut Status'' is up and down and never really hits the highs like 'Racks', 'Tony Montana', and 'Magic' that fans have come to expect from Future, it’s apparent that he’s poised to continue the buzz of 2011 humming right along into 2012." Future was selected to the annual ''XXL''

Freshmen A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

list in early 2012. His debut album ''

Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the S ...

'', originally planned for January, was eventually released on April 17. It included

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

es of "Tony Montana" featuring

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

and "Magic" featuring T.I. According to Future, "'Magic' was the first record T.I. jumped on when he came outta jail. Like, he was out of jail a day and he jumped straight on the 'Magic' record without me even knowing about it." The track became Future's first single to enter the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. Other collaborators on the album include

Trae Tha Truth Frazier Othel Thompson III (born July 3, 1980), better known by his stage name Trae tha Truth (or simply Trae), is an American rapper and record executive from Houston, Texas. Embarking on a musical career in 1998, he soon established himself ...

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwid ...

and

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

On October 8, 2012,

Pusha T Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 20 ...

released "Pain" featuring Future, the first single from his upcoming debut album. It was announced that Future will be repackaging his debut album ''Pluto'' on November 27, 2012 under the name ''

Pluto 3D ''Pluto 3D'' is the reissue of American rapper and singer Future's debut studio album ''Pluto'' (2012). It was released on November 27, 2012, seven months after its parent album, by A1 Recordings, Freebandz Entertainment and Epic Records. ''Pluto ...

'' featuring 3 new songs and 2 remix songs including the remix for "Same Damn Time" featuring Diddy and

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...

, as well as his newest street single " Neva End (Remix)" featuring

Kelly Rowland Kelendria Trene Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's List of best-selling girl groups, best-selling girl ...

. In 2012, Future wrote, produced and was featured on "

Loveeeeeee Song "Loveeeeeee Song" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna recorded for her seventh studio album ''Unapologetic'' (2012). The song features vocals by American rapper Future who also co-wrote, and music produced by Luney Tunez, Emmanuel Zara ...

" taken from Barbadian singer

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

's seventh studio album ''

Unapologetic ''Unapologetic'' is the seventh studio album by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on 19 November 2012 by Def Jam Recordings and SRP Records. It was recorded between June and November 2012, during promotion of her sixth studio album, ' ...

''.

2013–present: Various projects

On January 15, 2013, Future released the compilation mixtape ''F.B.G.: The Movie'' which features the artists signed to his Freebandz label:

Young Scooter Kenneth Edward Bailey (born March 28, 1986), better known by his stage name Young Scooter, is an American rapper who is affiliated with Freebandz and 1017 Brick Squad Records and CEO of his own label Black Migo Gang. Scooter grew to prominence ...

, Casino, Maceo, Mexico Rann, and Slice 9. It was certified platinum for having over 250,000 downloads on popular mixtape site

DatPiff DatPiff is an online audio distribution platform that was launched in 2005. It is headquartered in Pennsylvania. It specializes in hip-hop, rap, and urban music. The site was founded in the spring of 2005 by Marcus Frasier. It is owned by Media ...

. Future said of his second studio album ''Future Hendrix'' it will be a more substantive musical affair than his debut album and will feature R&B music along with his usual "street bangers". The album was to be released in 2013. The album would feature

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur. She released her debut studio album, '' Goodies'' in 2004, which spawned four singles: " Goodies" (featuring Petey Pa ...

Jeremih Jeremy Phillip Felton (born July 17, 1987), known professionally as Jeremih ( ), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. In 2009, he signed a record deal with Def Jam Recordings. Jeremih's commercial debut single, "Birthday Sex", ...

Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD with ...

, and

André 3000 André Lauren Benjamin (born May 27, 1975), better known as André 3000, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is best known for being a part of southern hip hop duo Outkast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi. B ...

, among others. The album's lead single, "

Karate Chop In martial arts, a knifehand strike is a strike using the part of the hand opposite the thumb (from the little finger to the wrist), familiar to many people as a karate chop (in Japanese, ''shutō-uchi''). This refers to strikes performed with t ...

" featuring Casino, premiered on January 25, 2013 and was sent to

urban radio Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contem ...

on January 29, 2013. The song is produced by Metro Boomin. The official remix, which features Lil Wayne, was sent radio and was released on iTunes on February 19, 2013. On August 7, 2013, Future changed the title of his second album from ''Future Hendrix'' to ''Honest'' and announced that it would be released on November 26, 2013.Future Changes Album Title & Announces Release Date
. MissInfo.tv (August 7, 2013). Retrieved on 2013-11-16. It was later revealed that the album would be pushed back to April 22, 2014, as it was said that Future has tour dates with

on Would You Like A Tour?.Future Talks About "Honest," Drake's Album
Complex (October 4, 2013). Retrieved on 2013-11-16. In December 2013, it was announced that Future would make a guest appearance on

Kat Dahlia Katriana Sandra Huguet (born July 29, 1990), better known by her stage name Kat Dahlia (formerly Kat Hue), is a Cuban-American recording artist. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Dahlia is a singer, songwriter and rapper, known for her "razor ...

's upcoming debut, ''

My Garden ''My Garden'' is the debut studio album by American recording artist Kat Dahlia. It was released on January 13, 2015, by Epic Records, distributed by Vested in Culture. The album was supported by two singles; "Gangsta" and "Crazy", as well as the ...

''. Future released '' DS2'' on July 16, 2015. On September 20, 2015, Future released a joint-mixtape with Canadian rapper

, ''

What a Time to Be Alive ''What a Time to Be Alive'' is a collaborative commercial mixtape by Canadian rapper Drake and American rapper Future. It was released on September 20, 2015, by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, Republic Records, Epic Records, A1 R ...

''. On January 17, 2016, Future released another mixtape, titled

Purple Reign ''Purple Reign'' is the sixteenth mixtape by American rapper Future, hosted and executive-produced by DJ Esco and Metro Boomin. It was released on January 17, 2016 with an 11-hour notice via LiveMixtapes and DatPiff. It is Future's first non-comm ...

, with productions from

Metro Boomin Leland Tyler Wayne (born September 16, 1993), professionally known as Metro Boomin, is an American record producer, record executive, beatmaker, and DJ. He is known for his dark production style and its influence on modern hip hop and trap. R ...

Southside Southside or South Side may refer to: Places Australia * Southside, Queensland, a semi-rural locality in the Gympie Region Canada * South Side, Newfoundland and Labrador, a community in the St. George's Bay area on the southwest coast of New ...

Zaytoven Xavier Lamar Dotson (born January 12, 1980), professionally known as Zaytoven, is an American trap music record producer, disc jockey, and keyboardist from Atlanta, Georgia. He has released collaborative projects with artists including Gucci Ma ...

, and more. On February 5, 2016, Future premiered his fourth studio album on DJ Khaled's debut of his

We The Best ''We the Best'' is the second studio album by Miami-based DJ and Terror Squad member DJ Khaled. It was released on June 12, 2007, by Terror Squad Entertainment, distributed by Koch Records. DJ Khaled alongside fellow rapper Fat Joe and collec ...

Radio show on

Beats 1 Apple Music 1, previously branded as Beats 1, is a 24/7 music radio station owned and operated by Apple Inc. It is accessible through iTunes or the Apple Music app on a computer, smartphone or tablet, smart speaker (such as the Apple HomePod), ...

Musical style

Future uses

in his songs. Rapper T-Pain, who also uses that audio processor, criticized Future, stating that the rapper doesn't know how to use it correctly. After that announcement Future stated in an interview; "When I first used Auto-Tune, I never used it to sing. I wasn't using it the way T-Pain was. I used it to rap because it makes my voice sound grittier. Now everybody wants to rap in Auto-Tune. Future's not everybody."

Artists

Real Boston Richey Jalen Taheen Foster, known professionally as Real Boston Richey, is a rapper from Tallahassee, Florida. He is currently signed to American rapper Future's record label Freebandz, and is noted for his usage of Michigan-style hip-hop production. Hi ...

* Doe Boy *

DJ Esco William Seay Moore (born December 31, 1990) known professionally as DJ Esco, is an American DJ, record producer, and record executive. Career A resident DJ at Magic City Mondays in Atlanta, Moore has worked as a DJ and A&R representative for ...

* Zoey Dollaz * Guap Tarantino *

Tru Life Roberto Guzmán Rosado, Jr. (born March 19, 1976), better known by his stage name Tru Life, is an American rapper. He was signed to Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records briefly but was incarcerated soon after. Before signing he had spent time with variou ...

Lil Double 0 Tyreke Rieco Rogers (born December 5, 2001), known professionally as Lil Double 0, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He is known for his album ''Walk Down World'' which peaked at number 175 on the Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200. He ...

* Rakks Former artists *Fxxxxy (Deceased) * OG Double D (Deceased) * Lil Donald

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (2012) * '' Honest'' (2014) * '' DS2'' (2015) * ''

EVOL Evol may refer to: * ''Evol'' (Sonic Youth album), 1986 * ''Evol'' (Future album), 2016 * EvoL, South Korean girl group * "E.V.O.L.", a song by Marina and the Diamonds * ' Kamen Rider Evol', the main antagonist of a Japanese tokusatsu series, Ka ...

'' (2016) * ''

FUTURE The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...

'' (2017) * ''

HNDRXX ''Hndrxx'' (pronounced "Hendrix") is the sixth studio album by American rapper Future. It was released on February 24, 2017, through A1 Recordings, Freebandz, and Epic Records. It followed the release of Future's eponymously-titled fifth album b ...

'' (2017) * ''

The Wizrd ''Future Hndrxx Presents: The Wizrd'' (also referred to simply as ''The Wizrd'' and stylized as ''The WIZRD'') is the seventh studio album by the American rapper Future, released on January 18, 2019, by Freebandz and Epic Records. It was announce ...

'' (2019) * ''

High Off Life ''High Off Life'' is the eighth studio album by American rapper Future, released on May 15, 2020, by Freebandz and Epic Records. The album was executive produced by close friend and frequent collaborator DJ Esco. It features guest appearances ...

'' (2020) * '' I Never Liked You'' (2022)

Singles

* ''Bad Tings'' feat. DB Bantino - Zoey Dollaz

Awards and nominations

BET Awards

The

BET Awards The BET Awards is an American award show that was established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which are presented annua ...

were established in 2001 by the

Black Entertainment Television Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...

network to celebrate African Americans and other individuals in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year.

BET Hip Hop Awards

The

BET Hip Hop Awards The BET Hip Hop Awards are an annual awards show, airing on BET, showcasing hip hop performers, producers and music video directors. The awards ceremony began in 2006; it was held on November 12, 2006 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, and w ...

are an annual awards show, airing on BET, showcasing hip hop performers, producers and

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

directors.

Much Music Video Awards

The

Much Music Video Awards The iHeartRadio MMVAs were an annual awards show broadcast on Much to honour the year's best music videos that was last held in 2018. Originally debuting in 1990 as the Canadian Music Video Awards, the awards were renamed in 1995 to the MuchMu ...

are annual awards presented by the Canadian TV channel Much to honour the year's best music videos.

References

{{Authority control American record labels Record labels established in 2011 American hip hop record labels Vanity record labels