"Mask Off" is a song by American rapper Future for his eponymous fifth studio albumFuture. The track was later released as the second single after initially charting as an album track and receiving more popularity than the lead single "Draco". It was Future's highest-charting single as a lead artist, peaking at number five on the US BillboardHot 100, until "Life is Good" debuted and peaked at number two in 2020.
Composition
Composed in E flat minor, the song samples "Prison Song" by Tommy Butler, released in 1976 as part of his musical Selma. It also bears similarities to "Topp Doggz" by Swedish hip hop band Looptroop Rockers with Petter, which also samples "Prison Song". In this track, Future shares openly about his drug use and addiction. It also tells a story that explores the surface of Future's past, from trapping to living a life of luxury.
Chart performance
"Mask Off" peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the week of May 6, 2017, becoming Future's highest-charting overall single on the chart, before being surpassed by "Life is Good", which peaked at number two on the Hot 100 in 2020. It also peaked in the top 10 in New Zealand, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Canada and France, where it charted the highest at number two. It was certified seven times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for combined sales and streaming equivalent units of over four million units.
The official remix features a guest appearance from American rapper Kendrick Lamar and was mixed by engineer Alex Tumay, released on May 23, 2017. Its release follows the performance of "Mask Off" by Future alongside Kendrick Lamar at the 2017 Coachella Festival. Lamar has performed live covers of "Mask Off" at every show on the Damn Tour since the release of the remix. Fellow rapper Joyner Lucas has released his own remix onto SoundCloud and YouTube. On the remix, he sent shots at rappers Logic and Lil Yachty. On June 16, 2017, a remix produced by Marshmello was released. Marshmello's fans have deemed the remix ironic as the DJ is known for masking his identity behind a marshmallow-inspired helmet.
