Mask Off
"Mask Off" is a song by American rapper Future from his eponymous fifth studio album. The track was later released as the second single after initially charting as an album track. "Mask Off" was written by Future alongside producer Metro Boomin, with additional writing credits going to Tommy Butler for the sampling of "Prison Song".
It was Future's highest-charting single, peaking at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100, until the releases of "Life Is Good", "Way 2 Sexy", "Wait for U", and "Like That" with the former peaking at number two, and the latter three peaking at number one. The song was also his highest charting solo song until "Puffin on Zootiez" peaked at number four. A remix featuring Kendrick Lamar was released on May 23, 2017.
Future and the FreeWishes Foundation announced the "Mask On" campaign in 2020. Together, they provided more than 100,000 masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Composition
The song samples "Prison Song", written and produced by Tommy Butler and sung by Carlton Williams, released in 1976 as part the musical Selma. In this track, Future opens up about drug use and addiction problems.Chart performance
"Mask Off" peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the week of May 6, 2017, becoming his first top-five charting single on that chart. 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 has since been certified nine times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for combined sales and streaming equivalent units of over nine million units in the United States.Music video
The music video for "Mask Off" was released on May 5, 2017. It was directed by Colin Tilley, and features appearances from Amber Rose and DJ Esco.Live performances and remixes
The official remix features a guest appearance from fellow 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 performed live covers of "Mask Off" at every show on the Damn Tour since the release of the remix.On May 28, 2017, Joyner Lucas released his own remix onto SoundCloud and YouTube entitled "Mask On". On the remix, he sent shots at Logic and Lil Yachty.
On June 16, 2017, a remix produced by Marshmello was released, which was deemed ironic by some as the DJ is known for masking his identity behind his namesake marshmallow-inspired helmet.
Track listing
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
Legacy
- The song was used in the Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode Return to Skyfire.
- The song was used in the Rick and Morty episode Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim's Morty.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, the song experienced a resurgence, especially due to the lyrics in the chorus, "Mask on, fuck it, mask off." Future and the FreeWishes Foundation announced the "Mask On" campaign and provided more than 100,000 masks during the pandemic.
- The city of Inglewood created a COVID-19 "Mask On" PSA in 2020 to encourage people to wear protective masks during the coronavirus pandemic.