Wait for U
2022 single by Future featuring Drake and Tems
"Wait for U" is a song by American rapper Future featuring Canadian rapper Drake and Nigerian singer Tems. It was sent to rhythmic contemporary radio as the second single from Future's ninth studio album, I Never Liked You, on May 3, 2022. The song samples Tems' song, "Higher", from her debut extended play, For Broken Ears (2020). Future and Drake wrote the song with producers FnZ (Finatik and Zac) and ATL Jacob, alongside Tejiri Akpoghene and Tems, who are credited songwriters for the sampling of "Higher", and Floyd E. Bentley III. "Wait for U" is an R&B song that lyrically discusses the occasional toxicity of a romantic relationship.
"Wait For U" debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Future's second (first as a lead artist), Drake's tenth, and Tems' first number-one hit on the Hot 100, and peaked within the top 10 of the charts in many other countries, including Canada, United Kingdom and New Zealand. The song received two nominations at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards: Best Rap Song and Best Melodic Rap Performance, winning the latter.
01Critical reception
Michael Di Gennaro of Exclaim! felt that "Wait for U" is one of "the most Drake-sounding Future songs from a production standpoint" with "tender moments that harken back to the popstar aspirations Future once had when writing songs for Rihanna and Ciara". In a negative review, HipHopDX music critic Anthony Malone opined that both "Wait for U" and "I'm on One", another track from I Never Liked You that Drake is featured on, do not "match the toxic king chemistry of their previous collaborations", adding that "like an old rock star who can still play the hits off muscle memory, Drake and Future recite the same stories of one-night stands, DM debauchery and drug-filled nights at the club in their sleep" and "however, their charisma is notably absent from the music". In a similar review, Alphonse Pierre of Pitchfork said that the sample of "Higher" by Tems "is a cheat code to a catchy song, but Future and Drake are on such autopilot that I'd rather listen to the original".
02Music video
The official music video for "Wait for U", directed by Director X, was released on May 5, 2022. It is a medieval-themed video that deals with love and betrayal. The video includes cameo appearances from Moxie Raia, Cecilia Rose, producer ATL Jacob, Strick, and Trey Richards. Drake plays a knight that delivers a note to a queen for Future, who plays a "toxic" king. On the way to deliver the note, Drake engages in a sword fight and saves a woman. At the end of the video, Future wins a duel against another man as the queen reads his note, rolls her eyes and throws it away. Future's note is a reference to a leaked text exchange of his from 2018 in which he told a woman he did not want to see her. The music video was filmed at Casa Loma in Toronto, Canada.
03Credits and personnel
- Future, lead vocals, songwriting
- Drake, featured vocals, songwriting
- Tems, featured vocals, songwriting
- FnZ
- Finatik, production, songwriting
- Zac, production, songwriting
- ATL Jacob, production, songwriting
- Wheezy - production, songwriting
- Sonic Major - production, songwriting
- Tejiri Akpoghene - songwriting
- Floyd E. Bentley III - songwriting
- Ethan Stevens, mixing
- Joe LaPorta, mastering
- Eric Manco, recording
04Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
05Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) | 2× Platinum | 140,000‡ |
| Austria (IFPI Austria) | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| Canada (Music Canada) | 2× Platinum | 160,000‡ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark) | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| France (SNEP) | Gold | 100,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI) | Gold | 50,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ) | 3× Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| Nigeria (TCSN) | 2× Platinum | 200,000‡ |
| Poland (ZPAV) | Gold | 25,000‡ |
| Portugal (AFP) | 2× Platinum | 50,000‡ |
| Spain (Promusicae) | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA) | 11× Platinum | 11,000,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
06Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | May 3, 2022 | Rhythmic contemporary radio | ||
| Italy | May 6, 2022 | Radio airplay |
07Awards and nominations
| Year | Ceremony | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | African Entertainment Awards USA | Best Collaboration | Nominated | |
| American Music Awards | Collaboration of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Favorite Hip-Hop Song | Won | |||
| BET Hip Hop Awards | Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Best Collaboration | Won | |||
| Best Hip Hop Video | Nominated | |||
| MTV Video Music Awards | Song of Summer | Nominated | ||
| Best Hip Hop | Nominated | |||
| 2023 | Grammy Awards | Best Rap Song | Nominated | |
| Best Melodic Rap Performance | Won | |||
| BET Awards | Best Collaboration | Won | ||
| Viewer's Choice | Nominated | |||
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | Best Collaboration | Nominated | ||
| Favorite Hip-hop Song | Won | |||
| NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Hip Hop/Rap Song | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration (Contemporary) | Nominated |
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Wait for U”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Future - Wait for U.png by Unknown author, Fair use
- Casa Loma (23170005321).jpg by Larry Koester, CC BY 2.0
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