Future & Drake's "Wait For U" Was Kanye West's Song First

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Rappers Kanye West (L) and Future look on courtside during the first half between the Miami Heat and the Minnesota Timberwolves at FTX Arena on March 12, 2022 in Miami, Florida.
ATL Jacob shares the story behind Future and Drake's #1 single.

Despite being one of the most prolific and influential artists of our time, Future never had a #1 hit record until 2021. Thanks to Drake's Certified Lover Boy, Future's contributions to "WAY 2 SEXY" officially earned him his first chart-topper on the Billboard Hot 100. Mind you, it's kind of shocking considering how many timeless records Future's released throughout his career.

He earned his second #1 single earlier this year following the release of I Never Liked You. Once again, Future and Drake proved that they work magic with the Tems-assisted, "Wait For You." However, the song was actually Kanye West's before it landed in Future's lap, according to ATL Jacob. In an interview with B High Atl, the producer revealed that Kanye West took a keen liking to the beat but never ended up finishing the record.

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"What’s crazy is before ‘WAIT FOR U’ came out, that was one of [Kanye’s] favorite songs,” Jacob said. “He was like, ‘Man, this record crazy!’ So we was trying some stuff on it but you know, we just ain’t get to the point where we actually finished ‘WAIT FOR U.'”

Interestingly enough, ATL Jacob knew that the song was going to be a hit for Future, though the Dungeon Family alumnus practically skipped it every time they were in the studio together. It was only until they were at Drake's house recently that Future expressed his love for that beat.

"We were talking the other day when we were at Drake’s house, and he said he skipped it because he knew it was one of his favorites. He said he listened to that beat every day for a month straight … and he knew what he was going to do to it," he continued. “A long time went by like, six or seven months. So I was like, let me try the beat with another artist, since he ain’t like it. Then he called me and said, ‘Hey, don’t ever get this beat out to nobody else. I got a crazy song on it.'” 

Check the interview below.  


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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