Watch Future's 'DS2' Get Performed as a Ballet

Future’s DS2 is a landmark of 2010s hip-hop that helped evolve the sound of trap music. The Atlanta rap superstar linked with Grand Marnier to present DS2 Remix: The Ballet. It was performed live on stage Friday (Sept. 19) night at BAM in Brooklyn. Future and DJ Esco took the stage in NYC to present a new spin on a classic album.   

The presentation was the result of a collaboration between Future, Grand Marnier and Team Epiphany, which included working with Rene McLean, who is co-founder of Influence Media Partners/SLANG, and a partner in Future’s catalog; as well as fashion designer Laquan Smith and choreographer Ebony Williams. 

“Grand Marnier, Future, BAM, Laquan Smith, and Ebony Williams were strategically assembled to create something new, innovative, and category shifting,” explained Team Epiphany founder Coltrane Curtis. “We blew up the mold and challenged all of our partners to collaborate and raise the bar — our consumers deserve it.”

DS2 dropped in July 2015, and it’s the album that fully cemented Future’s ascension to hip-hop’s elite. Drake is the album’s only guest feature, and with hits like “Where Ya At” and “F**k Up Some Commas,” it would go on to be an era-defining project — with lingering influence. You can hear traces of Future’s DS2 sound in subsequent releases from artists like Young Thug and Migos.

To build DS2 Remix: The Ballet, McLean brought in brand sponsors and partnerships, Smith designed couture costumes that melded traditional French ballet with contemporary styles, and Williams merged ballet with modern movement. Together, the team created an experience.

“After partnering with Future on his catalogue, NIL, and his go-forward publishing rights, our next step was straightforward. Leverage his natural marketability in luxury categories by identifying synergistic brand sponsors and unique partnerships. ” McClean said. “We turned to Team Epiphany and Grand Marnier — they did just that.”