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Freebandz
Parent companySony Music Entertainment (SME)
Founded2011
FounderFuture
Distributor(s)Epic
Genre
Country of originUnited States
LocationAtlanta, Georgia
Official websitefreebandz.com

Freebandz (or Freebandz Entertainment, doing business as Wilburn Holding Co.) is an American record label founded by Atlanta-based rapper Future in 2011. The label's releases are distributed through Epic Records. Freebandz has signed artists including Real Boston Richey, Lil Double O, Doe Boy, Young Scooter and DJ Esco.[1]

History

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2011–2012: We Global

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Freebandz was founded by Future. Future signed a major label deal with Epic Records in September 2011, days before the release of his mixtape, Streetz Calling.[2] 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."[3] A Pitchfork 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 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."[4]

Though Future had told MTV that Streetz Calling would be his final mixtape prior to the release of his debut studio album, another mixtape, Astronaut Status, was released in January 2012. In December 2011, Future was featured on the cover of Issue #77 of The FADER.[5] Before his album being released in April 2012.[6][7] XXL's 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."[8] Future was selected to the annual XXL Freshmen list in early 2012.[9]

His debut album Pluto, originally planned for January, was eventually released on April 17.[10][11] It included remixes of "Tony Montana" featuring Drake and "Magic" featuring T.I.[12] 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."[12] The track became Future's first single to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[13] Other collaborators on the album include Trae Tha Truth, R. Kelly and Snoop Dogg [14] On October 8, 2012, Pusha T 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 featuring 3 new songs and 2 remix songs including the remix for "Same Damn Time" featuring Diddy and Ludacris, as well as his newest street single "Neva End (Remix)" featuring Kelly Rowland.[15] In 2012, Future wrote, produced and was featured on "Loveeeeeee Song" taken from Barbadian singer Rihanna's seventh studio album Unapologetic.

2013–present: Various projects

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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, Casino, Maceo, Mexico Rann, and Slice 9. It was certified platinum for having over 250,000 downloads on popular mixtape site DatPiff.[16] 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.[17] The album would feature Kanye West, Rihanna, Ciara, Drake, Kelly Rowland, Jeremih, Diplo, and André 3000, among others.[18]

The album's lead single, "Karate Chop" featuring Casino, premiered on January 25, 2013 and was sent to urban radio on January 29, 2013.[19] 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.[20] 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 Drake on Would You Like A Tour?.[21] In December 2013, it was announced that Future would make a guest appearance on Kat Dahlia's upcoming debut, My Garden.[22] Future released DS2 on July 16, 2015.

On September 20, 2015, Future released a joint-mixtape with Canadian rapper Drake, What a Time to Be Alive.[23]

On January 17, 2016, Future released another mixtape, titled Purple Reign, with productions from Metro Boomin, Southside, Zaytoven, and more.[24]

On February 5, 2016, Future premiered his fourth studio album on DJ Khaled's debut of his We The Best Radio show on Beats 1.[25]

Musical style

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Future uses Auto-Tune in his songs. Singer T-Pain, who also uses that audio processor, criticized Future, stating that the rapper doesn't know how to use it correctly.[26] 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."[27]

Notable artists

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Discography

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Studio albums

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See also: Future discography

Duo projects

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  • Freebandz Presents: The Music Tape (2024)

Awards and nominations

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BET Awards

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The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other individuals in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year.

Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2012 Best New Artist (Future) — Nominated [31]
2013 Best Male Hip-Hop Artist (Future) [32]
2014 Best Male Hip-Hop Artist (Future) [33]

BET Hip Hop Awards

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The BET Hip Hop Awards are an annual awards show, airing on BET, showcasing hip hop performers, producers and music video directors.

Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2013 Best Collabo, Duo or Group (Future) "Bugatti"
(with Ace Hood and Rick Ross) 		Nominated [34]
Best Featured Verse (Future)
2014 MVP of the Year (Future) — [35]
Album of the Year (Future) Honest
Best Collabo, Duo or Group (Future) "Move That Dope"
(with Pharrell, Pusha T and Casino)
Best Club Banger (Future) Won
Best Hip Hop Video (Future) Nominated
People's Champ Award (Future)

Much Music Video Awards

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

Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2015 Best Hip Hop Video (Future) "DnF"
(Future with P Reign and Drake) 		Won [36]

References

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  1. ^ https://www.revolt.tv/article/2022-06-30/177320/11-record-labels-founded-by-black-artists/?amp
  2. ^ Chandler, D.L. (September 9, 2011). "Fab 5 Alum Future Signs Major Label Deal". MTV. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  3. ^ Fleischer, Adam (September 12, 2011). "Reviews: Future, 'Streetz Calling'". XXL. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  4. ^ Sargent, Jordan (November 17, 2011). "Future: Streetz Calling". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  5. ^ EDITOR'S LETTER. The Fader Issue 77, Dec 2011/Jan 2012.
  6. ^ Markman, Rob (September 12, 2011). "Future Says 'Streetz Calling' Will Be His Last Mixtape". MTV. Archived from the original on September 24, 2011. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  7. ^ Sargent, Jordan (January 30, 2012). "Future: Astronaut Status". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  8. ^ Mathews, Troy (January 18, 2012). "Reviews: Future, 'Astronaut Status'". XXL. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  9. ^ "XXL's Freshman Class of 2012". XXL. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  10. ^ Ramirez, Erika (December 14, 2011). "2 Chainz and Future Talk Upcoming Projects and Touring". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  11. ^ "Future Travels to 'Pluto' with Drake, R. Kelly, T.I. and Ludacris". Rap-Up. March 2, 2012. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  12. ^ a b Langhorne, Cyrus (March 4, 2012). "Drake, T.I. and Ludacris See The Future, Pack Bags For 'Pluto'". SOHH. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  13. ^ "Future Album and Song Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  14. ^ Martin, Andrew (March 15, 2012). "Future Enlists R. Kelly, Snoop Dogg For 'Pluto'". Prefix Magazine. Archived from the original on March 17, 2012. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  15. ^ "Future Unveils 'Pluto 3D' Album Tracklist and Release Date". theversed.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
  16. ^ "FreeBand Gang Future Presents F.B.G: The Movie". DatPiff. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  17. ^ "Future Says 'Future Hendrix' LP Will Have 'More Substance, More Passion'". HipHopDX. Retrieved December 11, 2012.
  18. ^ Harling, Danielle. (December 19, 2012) Future Confirms Collaborations With Rihanna, Kanye West & More For "Future Hendrix" | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales Archived 2013-09-21 at the Wayback Machine. HipHop DX. Retrieved on 2013-11-16.
  19. ^ "Urban Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  20. ^ Future Changes Album Title & Announces Release Date Archived 2013-08-12 at the Wayback Machine. MissInfo.tv (August 7, 2013). Retrieved on 2013-11-16.
  21. ^ Future Talks About "Honest," Drake's Album. Complex (October 4, 2013). Retrieved on 2013-11-16.
  22. ^ "Kat Dahlia Teases New Album with 'Crazy' Single". HispanicBusiness.com. December 23, 2013. Archived from the original on March 15, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  23. ^ "What a Time To Be Alive". iTunes. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  24. ^ "Future Drops Purple Reign". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  25. ^ "Future to Premiere New Album on DJ Khaled's Radio Show". Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  26. ^ Reagans, Dan (February 14, 2013). "T-Pain: Future Is Not Using Auto-Tune Correctly". BET. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  27. ^ "My Complex: Future Talks Auto-Tune, Dumbing Down Music, and Why He's Not a Romantic". Complex. January 23, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  28. ^ "Future & FreeBand Gang Future Presents F.B.G: The Movie". Hot97.com. January 21, 2013. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  29. ^ "Doe Boy". July 23, 2015.
  30. ^ "DJ Esco". July 23, 2015.
  31. ^ "BET Awards 2012 Nominations Announced". The Hollywood Reporter. May 22, 2012. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  32. ^ "BET Awards 2013 Nominations: The Complete List". MTV. May 14, 2013. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  33. ^ "BET Awards 2014: The Complete List of Nominees". TheWrap. May 14, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  34. ^ "Here Are The BET Award Nominees". Complex. August 23, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  35. ^ "Here Are the 2014 BET Hip-Hop Award Nominees". Complex. September 4, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  36. ^ "A Drake Surprise At The 2015 MMVA. That Is All". June 22, 2015. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
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