"Wait for U" is a song by American rapper

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...

, featuring vocals from Canadian rapper and singer

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

and Nigerian singer

Tems Temilade Openiyi (born 11 June 1995), known professionally as Tems, is a Nigerian singer. She rose to prominence after she was featured on Wizkid's 2020 single "Essence," which reached the top ten of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 after the releas ...

. It was sent to

rhythmic contemporary radio Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary never uses ...

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 ''For Broken Ears'' is the debut extended play by Nigerian singer, songwriter and producer Tems. It was produced primarily by Tems, along with production from Spax, Omeiza and Tejiri Akpoghene, and was released on 25 September 2020 by Leading Vib ...

'' (2020). Future and Drake wrote the song with producers

FnZ FNZ (also known as Finatik N Zac) are Grammy award-winning Australian record production and songwriting duo composed of Michael "Finatik" Mule and Isaac "Zac" De Boni. Production credits Notes * signifies songwriting credit only Refere ...

(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. The song debuted at number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming Future's second, Drake's tenth, and Tems' first number-one hit on the Hot 100.

Critical reception

Michael Di Gennaro of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' 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 Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

and

Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur. She released her debut studio album, '' Goodies'' in 2004, which spawned four singles: " Goodies" (featuring Petey Pa ...

". In a negative review, ''

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'' 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 ''

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'' 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".

Music video

The official music video for "Wait for U", directed by

Director X Julien Christian Lutz (born October 31, 1975), known professionally as Director X, is a Canadian filmmaker, commercial director, music video director, and television director. Having directed more than 100 music videos, he is widely known as a pr ...

, 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 Laura Raia (born May 12, 1993) professionally known as Moxie Raia, is an American singer-songwriter. She is of Italian descent. Her first mixtape ''931'' featuring artists like Pusha T, Wyclef Jean and Post Malone was released in March 2016. Th ...

, Cece 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

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Credits and personnel

– lead vocals, songwriting *

– featured vocals, songwriting *

** Finatik – production, songwriting ** Zac – production, songwriting * ATL Jacob – production, songwriting * 1SRAEL - production, songwriting * Sonic Major - production, songwriting * Tejiri Akpoghene - songwriting * Floyd E. Bentley III - songwriting * Ethan Stevens – mixing * Joe LaPorta – mastering * Eric Manco – recording

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2022 singles 2022 songs Future (rapper) songs Songs written by Future (rapper) Drake (musician) songs Songs written by Drake (musician) Tems (singer) songs Songs written by Tems (singer) Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Epic Records singles Music videos directed by Director X