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1. Futuristic lost money on his first few tours “I actually lost money on my first three or four tours. When I left, I had $3,000 in the bank and when I came home I had $100.”

2. He was only 21 when he managed to gain a substantial following of fans.
3. His net worth is $220,000.
4. He is the 10th most famous person born on June 2nd on famousbirthdays.com

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Futuristic is one of my favorite rappers because of his fast pace and good lyrics. He is not a mainstream rapper and is loyal to his fans. I saw him in concert in Boston and he was awesome he was interactive with the crowd, went crowd surfing and it was very fun.

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On January 19, Austin, Texas' infamous venue and restaurant, Stubb's BBQ, prepared its indoor stage for another night of live music in front of a sold out crowd. Hip-hop artist Mike Stud was listed on the marquee as the headlining act on the 39-date Back 2 You tour, but the sell-out was largely induced by the opening act, Zachary "Futuristic" Beck.

Five years of intricate rhyming sequences, methodical marketing, consistent YouTube video uploads, self-booked tours, and independent album releases helped the Tempe, Arizona rapper build a growing combined social media count (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) of over 1.1 million followers.

In a city more known for its triple digit summer temperatures than its hip hop scene, Futuristic began his career by selling concert tickets to high school classmates for the chance to open for artists that made a tour stop between their Texas and California dates.

In 2012 Futuristic uploaded mini music videos of original songs and remixes of popular songs on YouTube and promoted them on Facebook, and was prompted to hit the road. However, with no formal booking agent he was forced to bear the responsibility of booking his own tour.

"I was booking the hotels, calling the promoters, booking the openers, renting the cars, and doing the music and performing on top of that," Futuristic said. "I actually lost money on my first three or four tours. When I left I had $3,000 in the bank and when I came home I had $100."

To increase his presence in cities that he wasn't able to physically be in - and to avoid leaving the promotion of the show in the hands of "janky" concert promoters - he employed a traditional street team. Though some artists view this medium of promotion as out of date, Futuristic had over 3,000 emails from fans interested in being a part of the team when he posted the "help wanted" e-flyer on his social media pages. The street team members were tasked with communicating with the show's concert promoters, posting promotional flyers, and selling tickets. Those who met or exceeded expectations were rewarded with three free passes to Futuristic's show when he came to their city.

As the opener for the Back 2 You tour, he admitted that he settled to take a smaller rate. Nonetheless, he makes up for it by bringing in approximately $2,000 in merchandise sales per show - not to mention the items that he sells out of his house when he's not on the road.

For independent artists, every dollar counts, and Futuristic's model is no different. Major label artists give little thought to receiving income from album sales, and rely on the income they receive from touring to stay afloat financially.

"For me, selling albums is everything. You always hear these stories about how touring is where artists make the most of their money. I tour a lot, but it isn't my main source of income. I've built an internet following. I think my internet presence is a little bit bigger than my shows at the moment."

His most recent album, Coast 2 Coast , a collaborative project with Brooklyn rapper Devvon Terrell, has sold over 14,000 units since its release on December 25, 2015 at a price of $5.99 on iTunes. He distributes his albums through Tunecore, a popular online music distribution service amongst independent artists and labels that allows them to upload singles for $9.99 per year, and albums for $49.99 per year.

He built anticipation for the project by capitalizing on the holiday season. The duo created a video series of song remixes that were individually released for 12 days leading up to Christmas Day, aptly titled "12 Days of Christmas," with a direct link to preorder the album in the YouTube description box. Additionally, setting the release date on Christmas took advantage of the chance that his fans received iTunes gift cards as stocking stuffers.

When it comes to Spotify and other streaming services he believes that artists "Have to change with the times. I make good money off of Spotify. I get it because it's not a sale, but if people are streaming your songs, then it's a new way to gain fans."

Streaming is laborless marketing for Futuristic, but his innovative efforts in that department are the reason that his music reaches a varied demographic. For example, on the day the popular video game Call of Duty: Black Ops III was released in 2015, Futuristic uploaded a spin-off music video that borrows thematic elements from the game as a way to stay trending and promote prior releases.

Though he has done the majority of the grunt work, Futuristic gives a credit to his four-man crew who each wear multiple hats while on tour, and were seen hectically entering and exiting the green room throughout the interview. Still, he has created a model that begins and ends with him, and now label deals are coming to the table that look more like partnerships rather than unilateral agreements.

"We've been getting offered deals for years. I have my own ideas and my own visions. If I want to randomly put music out, then I'll randomly put music out. I don't like people telling me what I can or can't do."

Though Futuristic performed in front of a sold out crowd of 300, if he continues to use the internet to his advantage, Stubb's coveted outdoor stage - with a listed maximum capacity of 1,800 - could be the next venue that holds his "We're The Future" supporters.

"I told myself that if I'm not 'on' by the time I'm 25, then I'll re-evaluate my life. But I'm 24 right now and I've been successful...I really just want to keep pushing."

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Rapper Futuristic Finds Success With A D.I.Y. Approach To The Music Business

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On January 19, Austin, Texas' infamous venue and restaurant, Stubb's BBQ, prepared its indoor stage for another night of live music in front of a sold out crowd. Hip-hop artist Mike Stud was listed on the marquee as the headlining act on the 39-date Back 2 You tour, but the sell-out was largely induced by the opening act, Zachary "Futuristic" Beck.

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Futuristic x Devvon Terrell - Bodied (#OneTake)

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As a child I would dream about it
Sometimes it wake me from my sleep and I would think about it
Making music was all that could keep me off these streets
I don't know where I'd actually be without it, but think about it
I dedicated like twenty years to the goal
I still ain't made a name for myself and it's getting old
How many more words can I enter into this phone
Without running out of topics and dropping interesting quotes
I know people around the globe is wishing that they had a chance
To get they hands on that advance that I just passed up
Hit the road and have at least two-hundred people at every show
Smoking until I choke, that sounds mad fun
And being able to pay my bills is a plus
But money I be spending for promos is twice as much
Not to mention if you get in to the club with all these other rappers then you gotta have the nicest stuff
So f**k it, man, I'm drinking 'til I'm blacking out
They know me around the city for acting out
My dad visited for the weekend, he got a taste
And left a day early, hit me with a text, "what's that about?"
I told him, "it's okay, it's not a problem"
But everyone around me seem to think that I can't stop it
But yet they always wanna go out on my tab, they jobless
And they looking for a way to get it popping
So I got them, I start chilling with my old friends
They all married with good careers
Envious of what I'm doing
But only if they knew
I would trade them for a second and be outta here
But I'm too addicted to this music
And I got eight siblings that I never see
In a room I never leave
Stuck on my computer watching other n****s catch some speed
All they songs is extra weak, confusion steady stressing me
Running out of patience, let the journey get the best of me
Thought I had the recipe, so I followed every step
Left my girl and moved away, I know she happy I left
Lil bro is all alone, mama need a bigger check
All my n****s falling off, I'm still tryna be the best
Locked myself inside this booth, started making hella tracks
Cry myself to sleep at night, swear I been to hell and back
Loaded up that gun I bought, withdrew everything I had
Put it all in envelopes, had it sitting in my hand
Wrote my mama letter, and apologized for suicide
I been on a mission that they talk about but few will try
Had my finger on the trigger, would have left it all behind
And lyrics popped into my head, maybe music saved my life
Maybe music saved my life
Maybe music saved my life
Maybe music saved my life
Yeah, maybe music saved my life