While you might not recognize the name Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn if you’re a fan of rap music you’re likely to recognize the name Future. The American rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer is full of surprises, with one of the biggest being that he loved going to school.
Future attended Columbia High School where he played sport and discovered Shakespeare, whose work he “fell in love with”. He and his mother co-founded the FreeWishes Foundation, an organization that is heavily involved in the education of children, adults, and the elderly.
The rapper had a rough upbringing but he fought his way out of his circumstances and has forged a successful music career for himself. Today you’ll discover more about his childhood, his days as a high school student, and how he contributes to education.
Future’s Past and Present
On 20 November 1983, Future was born as Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn in Kirkwood, Atlanta, to Haitian parents Stephanie Jester who was a 911 operator and an unnamed man who wasn’t listed on his birth certificate. His father abandoned Future and his sister Tia and the pair were brought up by their mother, aunts, and uncles.
His childhood nickname was ‘Meathead’ due to his large head but as soon as he stepped into the studio this nickname was replaced with ‘the Future’ due to his natural talent. He was introduced to music by his cousin, Rico Wade, and became a member of the infamous Dungeon Family musical collective.
Kirkwood was an area that had been hit incredibly hard by the crack epidemic and drugs played a large role in Future’s upbringing. As such, Future became involved in the local drug trade as a trafficker and legally changed his name to Nayvadius Cash.
Today, he is a successful rapper and is a father to eight known children named Jakobi, Londyn, Prince, Future Zahir, Hendrix, Paris, Kash, and Reign. He has interesting views on fatherhood and said to Beat I “My kids gotta understand, they gotta make a sacrifice, having a superstar dad… Just stepping out of that zone, to be able to be a provider. I understand my position as a provider and my role as a dad also.”
Each of his children has a different mother. These mothers are singer Ciara, model and professional dancer Joie Chavis, clothing designer Brittni Mealy, model Eliza Seraphin, and influencer India J, a woman named Jessica Smith, as well as two unidentified women.
Future’s School Days
Future grew up in Kirkwood, Atlanta, and even though he was focused on music from a young age, he still made his schooling something of a priority. He attended Columbia High School and enjoyed his time as a high school athlete, playing for the school’s basketball team, but that’s not the primary reason why he loved going to school.
It was while a student at this school that Future discovered Shakespeare and began writing his own poems, an act that would eventually evolve into him writing the lyrics for his rap songs. In an MTV interview, he said “When I went to school, I would read Shakespeare and just fell in love with how he mixed his words. I started playing around and writing poems, reading poems.”
Unfortunately, due to his criminal activities and budding career as a rapper, Future dropped out of Columbia High School in his senior year. Future regrets dropping out and said if he could turn back the clock “I would have been reading more books. Just as much as I work in the studio now, I would been in school that much.”
Above and beyond Future, Columbia High School has churned out several hip-hop stars including Yung Chris, B. o. B, Hoodrich Pablo Juan. It is also where Erica Ash, Travis Leslie, Chris Tucker, and Mark David Chapman — John Lennon’s infamous murderer — attended school.
Future’s Impact on Education
Future and his mother co-founded the FreeWishes Foundation which aims to promote life-long learning and inclusive education for all pupils in preschool, primary school, and high school. But it’s not just children that benefit from Future’s generosity.
The FreeWishes Foundation also helps adults from low-income areas obtain credentials to improve their lives and career prospects. Future’s organization also focuses on helping senior citizens improve their digital literacy and efficiency with everyday technology.
In 2020 the rapper launched the “I’m Still a Dreamer” campaign which will provide Georgia college freshmen that have been impacted by COVID-19 with scholarships to help ease the financial burden of higher education.