Future is well-known for his ridiculous output of tracks, but he’s also one of the early pioneers of using the auto-tune feature in modern trap music. While he’s never been the chart-topper of the century, he has become one of the most influential rappers of his generation, continually finding success with his albums and mixtapes and laying down some of the best verses you’re ever going to find.
In this article, we’ll be taking a deep dive through Future’s honey and emotional discography, bringing you 31 of the rapper’s best songs of all time.
1. Turn On The Lights
The most successful single from Future’s debut studio album Pluto is also potentially the best song he’s ever laid down. Not only did it help him become a breakthrough artist, but it’s also still one of his best-selling singles. Turn On The Lights topped the Heatseekers chart and made it to number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts while peaking at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100.
A hopeful, romantic hit that taps into the lonely energy that everyone feels at some point in their life, this one was a departure from the massive street anthems the album was laden with. Plus, who wouldn’t want someone to want to tell the world about them because they think everyone would be jealous?
2. Codeine Crazy
Future doesn’t even attempt to hide his problems with drugs in this one, mostly maligning the fact that it’s become such a problem for him. Lines like “I’m an addict and I can’t even hide it” alone are emblematic of that. It’s sort of an odd song, painting a lot of his other tracks that focus on an overindulgent lifestyle and partying as utterly ridiculous and unworthy.
Hidden inside of that is the rapper describing the darker side of life that can seem to overshadow everything you find important. In the end, it’s an uncomfortable conversation that he is really having with himself; the results of which, we have to wait and see.
Next: Songs about drugs and drug abusing
3. Perkys Calling
Perkys Calling is another song that sees Future open up about his drug addiction. When he isn’t high, all he can think about is getting high. When he is high, it just doesn’t feel as good as it used to. The chorus of “I can hear the ___ callin’” throws his mental state on repeat with the only change in each line the way he names the drugs, ending with “the streets” to relate all of it to his roots and the world around him.
The all-consuming nature of addiction is something that weighs on you, heavier and heavier, before you eventually succumb to its weight, and he nails that entire concept in this song.
Next: Songs about addiction (full playlist)
4. Mask Off
Mask Off can make the argument that it’s actually the best song Future has ever produced. It out-charted the lead single from his 2017 album, Draco, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. Up until he was credited on two Drake songs that reached number one, it was the highest-charting song of his career.
The exotic instrumentation of the track makes it an absolute club banger and super hard to not dance along to. It’s not a song that he says too much in, serving as a come-up story that explores his past. The climb from the trap house to luxury is a long one, but this retelling of it went on to be certified eight times platinum.
Next: Top hip hop albums of all time list feature
5. Hardly
Monster was a pretty dark album if you give it more than a casual listen. Many of the songs are related to hard times and experiences in Future’s life, with Hardly being one of the most crushing. In it, he reveals he uses intoxication to suppress his demons rather than for enjoyment, and despite trying to wash himself of past sins, he reminds everyone that he doesn’t forget his enemies. Unfortunately, it seems that the drugs he uses to cope can only do so much, and it’s still eating away at him.
6. March Madness
March Madness served as the lead single for Future’s 56 Nights mixtape in 2015. Billboard ranked it as one of the top 100 songs that defined the 2010s, and the track was certified platinum by the RIAA. On the charts, it made it to the Bubbling Under Hot 100 and peaked at number eight.
It’s a socially conscious banger dedicated to shaming the fact that young Black men are shot down in society so easily and how it seems Black people can’t party without holding a gun thanks to the paranoia stemming from that. This is quite literally the rapper at his best.
Next: Songs about social justice or with social justice themes
7. My Collection
My Collection is one of Future’s songs that seems to bring an Eminem-style of energy to the recording studio. Why? It’s an absolutely unapologetic fuck you to his exes. It’s a relationship song that’s full of anger and bitterness fully dedicated to flexing on all of his exes and featuring an equally NSFW music video that launched exclusively on Apple Music.
Overall, the music is a vibe, super good, but the lyrics are just pure hate and fire spewed from his mouth and the bruised ego accompanying those failed relationships.
Next: Great list of songs about being angry
8. F*ck Up Some Commas
F*ck Up Some Commas was initially released on Monster and was then included in his third studio album, DS2. It peaked at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 20 total weeks on that chart, eventually being certified triple platinum by the RIAA. Rolling Stone ranked it at number eight on their list of the 50 Best Songs of 2015 at the end of the year. An awesome jam, it spawned its own official remix and made its way around the freestyle circuit as well.
9. Blow A Bag
Everyone should be able to enjoy spending some money at some point in their life, so it’s—hopefully—a feeling most people can relate to. Future takes it a step further in Blow A Bag, celebrating blowing through a ridiculous amount of money all at once. Well, that or going through a massive bag of weed. But, since drugs can’t cure his pain, maybe going on a big shopping spree will put a dent in those hurt feelings.
10. Monster
The title track of Future’s Monster mixtape was his absolute peak with the 808 Mafia. An incredible song that helped make the mixtape arguably better than any album he’s ever released. It’s not a critic favorite, but by god, it’s a fan favorite.
11. All da Smoke
Absolutely one of the best songs on Super Slimey, Future takes the stage alongside Young Thug to make it perfectly clear how scared they are of anyone. FYI, they aren’t at all. The whole track is an anthem stating they’re prepared for war and ready to take on anyone in their way. The song frankly just goes hard, and it deserves a spot in any list of his best songs.
12. Hallucinating
Jimi Hendrix’s purple haze has little on riding a wave after taking one too many hallucinogens. Hallucinating explores exactly that theme, going over all the drugs that Future takes and insisting that there’s no way you could be any higher than he is. If you think you are, you must be trippin’. Really it’s a song born of him trying acid for the first time. Apparently, it went well, and he felt good.
13. You Deserve It
One of the best feelings in life isn’t just reaching your goals and finding success. It’s hearing other people telling you that you deserve everything you’re getting—in a good way, not a hateful way—and that your work is deserving of that success. In You Deserve It, Future delves into that feeling and describes it to a tee. It’s his triumphant entry into the luxury life he’s earned, with all of his boys behind him telling him he’s finally getting what he deserves.
14. Same Damn Time
Future’s debut album Pluto gave fans a lot to think about. In many ways, it measured up to the success of the Monster mixtape and even found a lot of praise from critics. Originally recorded for his mixtape Streetz Calling and remastered for his debut album, Same Damn Time was the fourth single released from the album, peaking at number 92 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 12 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Eventually, its title worked its way into music jargon and became a common phrase describing his work and the work of others. The sign has two official remixes, one of which was included in the Pluto 3D, a rerelease of his debut album.
Next: Our picks for the greatest rappers of all time
15. Wicked
From Future’s 16th mixtape Purple Reign came Wicked. It served as the lead single from the mixtape, releasing for digital download in April 2016. He would appear on the Late Night With Jimmy Fallon TV program to perform the song before he went on to perform it at the BET Awards. In an unfortunate turn of events, this was the track that was playing during the Orlando nightclub shooting at the club, Pulse.
16. Loveeeeeee Song
Technically, this song is Rihanna’s, but Future features as a vocalist on the track and co-wrote the lyrics so it passes the vibe check. It’s a slow, sci-fi-style R&B track that played a big role in her experimental new sound in 2012. Loveeeeeee Song was a standout track on the Unapologetic album and a rather touching duet between Future and Rihanna. The song peaked at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 and charted on the UK R&B Chart, placing number 17.
17. Might as Well
Might As Well is yet another time Future reached into his bag of personal experiences to give us a look at the man behind the curtain. It touches on all kinds of different aspects of his life, from his divorce from Ciara to his time spent selling drugs back when Snoop Dogg was mixing gin and juice together. It’s not as dark and twisted as some of the songs we’ve already covered, but it shows a vulnerability that isn’t seen often in hip hop and comes off more like a late-night conversation between friends that are confiding in each other.
18. Throw Away
Throw Away is an introspective, two-part single from Future’s Monster mixtape. In the beginning, he sees women as good for nothing but sex, making them disposable and “throw-away” objects. It really shows the bad mentality he has had in the past, revealing that to fans. The second part sort of absolves the first, but only insofar as realizing he’s messed up. In it, he realizes he found someone he actually loves and wants to be around for the long term, seeing the folly of his previous actions and knowing he messed up with someone he truly cares for.
19. Itchin
![[Bonus] Itchin](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FbBtZ1Yrprg/0.jpg)
The grind is inseparable from hip hop, with every single artist out there knowing the long hours it takes to get where you want to be and how much hustle you have to put in. That desire and motivation are like an itch, one that needs to be scratched if you ever want it to go away. Itchin is pretty much about that feeling, with Future describing the tough teenage years he’s gone through and the drive to grow into a successful adult.
It’s also one of the cleanest collaborations between Mike WiLL Made-It and any artist he’s ever worked with, with Future perfectly navigating the incredible beats and melodies laid down by the producer.
Next: Songs about working hard
20. Deeper Than The Ocean
Deeper Than The Ocean was the birth of his Future Hendrix persona and his first major song to go into depth on deep emotional topics. The guitar melodies in the track are directly paying homage to the late Jimi Hendrix, played in the background of a furtive meditation by Future on how fame can cause people to lose their humanity. There’s an incredible guitar solo in there as well, proving he isn’t just inspired by Southern rap elements and playing on the classic rock roots he has.
21. Kno The Meaning
Kno The Meaning ended up being a bonus addition song on the rereleased version of Pluto. It goes all the way back to when Future was touring to support his mixtapes and his relationship with DJ Esco during that time period. Watching the latter get locked up in a Dubai jail for 56 nights separated Future from that motivational influence in his life and the hard drive that had all his music on it. Half a song describing his process and the other half confessing his mindset, this is pretty much everything you want in a Future track.
22. Bugatti
Ace Hood’s Bugatti was a major collaboration between himself, Future, and Rick Ross. It ended up being the most successful single of Ace Hood’s career, peaking at number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 and being certified platinum by the RIAA. It is an insanely good song with a great beat that comes with a star-studded music video that features Birdman and DJ Khaled. You can even listen to this one on the Radio Los Santos radio station on Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V.
23. Lay Up
Layups are some of the easiest shots in basketball, and if you’re getting a lot of layups, the other team is probably really bad. Future used that as a metaphor in this one, laying one up on all his haters in one of the most outwardly aggressive flex songs of his career. It’s not an in-your-face kind of aggressive, it’s an “I’m too good for you” kind of aggressive, with lines like “I don’t do shit if it’s regular” leading the way to separate the rapper from the normies out there.
24. Long Time Coming
![Future - Long Time Coming {Prod. Nard & B} [True Story]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/F5j-o5w6O00/0.jpg)
Long Time Coming is all about reminiscing about a long-lost love, and it’s implied that the two eventually found a way to work it out since the very end of the song sees her asking Future to give her a ring. That ring has two meanings; it could just be to give her a call after he’s been checking up on her the whole time, but it could also mean giving her a wedding ring that symbolically rekindles the relationship. Who knows which it meant, but the track creates an epic romance drama that stands out among the braggadocious songs released alongside it.
25. Dirty Sprite
![Future - Dirty Sprite (Prod. Mike Will Made It) [Dirty Sprite]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ldDtOs5C6I0/0.jpg)
If you don’t know, now you know. Lean, or Dirty Sprite, is a mixture of strong promethazine cough syrup with Sprite. Future is paying homage to his drink of choice at the time this banger was released in 2011. He shouts out three well-known lean drinkers, two of which had died due to complications with it.
Honestly, his Codeine Crazy single was him admitting he had a major problem with the stuff, so it isn’t really funny. That being said, the track is super high-energy and one of his best songs to listen to while you’re at the gym.
26. Honest
Future dropped this album title track back in 2013, which addressed an accusation regarding his true net worth, child support, and his lying to his own mother. The song eventually peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 55. It ended up being another one of his many platinum singles and reached the top 20 of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart as well. It’s notable as a track in general for its unusually simple pattern, something that does lend credence to him being honest about everything.
27. Stick Talk
If you were wondering what Michael Phelps was listening to when he was recorded with that pissed-off face at the Rio Olympics, it was this song. Stick Talk weaves the tale of Future taking control of the world around him, from running around with guns to how much money he has and from his expensive cars to dealing drugs. The “stick” in this track is referring to the magazine on an assault rifle, referring to the huge amounts of violence that go on in the neighborhoods where the rapper grew up.
28. Truth Gonna Hurt You
Future hasn’t really ever shied away from the fact that he’s struggled with fame and dealt with some pretty serious issues that came about from his background and rise to stardom. Truth Gonna Hurt You is much more of a sad ballad than anything else, telling others he has a lot of work to do before he’s even worthy of having a relationship with and serving as an honest introspection that gave up one of our first glimpses into the difficulties he was facing.
29. Can’t Turn Me Down
Gucci Mane’s Free Bricks album was a blast. But you know who had more fun than anyone listening to the album? Future did. His early collaborative work with Gucci Mane sounds like he’s having the time of his life. Can’t Turn Me Down should have been a summer anthem or something, and it’s a shame it didn’t get all the credit that it should have for being a banger.
30. Tony Montana
If there ever comes a day when I hear an opening line I agree with more than “F*ckin’ cockroaches,” I’ll be incredibly surprised. Tony Montana was entirely based on the theme of the movie Scarface but played from the perspective of the protagonist. Everything’s in there, from the banana boats to the scene where Montana buys a Porsche. According to the rapper, “[he] just went in there and painted a picture of the whole movie.”
31. Scholarships
Drake and Future teamed up for this insanely good hit, showcasing the ability of the former to turn a phrase like nobody else. The entire point of Scholarships is to give a broad insight into the fact that success is great and all, but it creates a lot of pressure that is incredibly emotionally draining. Being at the top of the world is cool and all until you can’t breathe anymore. Regardless, when these two are ballin’ out of control, you better hope the demons come and take their soul.
As a contributing writer for Music Grotto, Dakotah writes and produces professional music/media content. He works closely with editorial staff to meet editorial standards and create
quality content for the Music Grotto website. Dakotah is passionate about music in a wide variety of genres, from hip-hop to country and lo-fi to metal, and he enjoys creating music pieces for Music Grotto.
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