Who is Bobby Raps? After Drake, reference track for Future's 'Xanax Damage' goes viral online

A video of a reference track for Future's 2019 track XanaX Damage featuring rapper Bobby Raps is spreading like wildfire online. A video posted by a user @chriscznn on X (formerly Twitter) on May 28 showed Bobby Raps in the studio preparing the track that would later go on to make it to Future's 2019 EP Save Me.

Bobby Raps is a Minnesota rapper, singer, and producer who is credited on a number of hip-hop albums and EPs including Future and Metro Boomin's WE STILL DON'T TRUST YOU. The aforementioned reference track leak arrived on the heels of a couple of Passionfruit hitmaker Drake's reference tracks getting leaked. This included references for Ratchet Happy Birthday and Mob Ties.

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Bobby Raps was credited as a producer on Future's 'XanaX Damage'

Yet another reference track leaked on Tuesday, and this time the track belonged to Future. A video showcasing the reference track for what later became Future's XanaX Damage spread through social media. The video showed rapper Bobby Raps talking about the track while listening to it with a few friends.

Although Future's original track differs from the Bobby Raps track in many regards, the core components of the non-single track are available on full display in the leaked reference track. According to Genius, Bobby Raps was credited as a producer of the song alongside Nellz and Will Yanez.

Bobby Raps is credited as the founder of the St. Paul hip-hop collective known as Thestand4rd alongside singer Spooky Black (Corbin), producer Psymun, and producer and rapper Allan Kingdom.

According to Genius and All Music, Bobby, whose real name is Robert John Richardson, started rapping and making tracks as a teenager and released his first mixtape, Gimme Daps, when he was only a high school senior. After opening for artists like Too $hort and E-40, Bobby recorded Ready with Spooky Black.

The duo was later joined by Psymun and Allan Kingdom and together went on to form Thestand4rd, releasing their self-titled debut studio album, which according to All Music led to their first-ever tour being sold out. As a solo artist, Bobby released a couple of mixtapes and an EP including 2015's Couch Potato before signing to Republic Records and dropping his first studio album Mark in 2017.

Apart from his own career, Bobby is also credited by a plethora of high-profile artists on some of their major projects. He is credited as a producer on The Weeknd's Starboy, Lil Uzi Vert's Eternal Atake, Gunna's Wunna, and Young Thug's Business is Business.

Bobby Raps' other collaborations with Future include a production credit on Future and Lil Uzi Vert's 2020 album Pluto x Baby Pluto and was most recently listed as a producer, composer, and lyricist on Future and Metro Boomin's 2024 album WE STILL DON'T TRUST YOU.

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Two new alleged Drake reference tracks leaked online

First Person Shooter hitmaker Drake was recently subjected to two new reference track leaks. On Tuesday, May 28, an alleged reference track for Drizzy's 2018 track Mob Ties from the album Scorpion leaked. X user @PushaThanos__ shared the leaked track, which was allegedly first written and performed by rapper Vory, who was credited as a writer for the original track.

A few hours after the aforementioned alleged reference track leaked, a new alleged reference track for Ratchet Happy Birthday from the same album also leaked. This track was allegedly performed by Drake's OVO sound signee PartyNextDoor. Party was also credited as a writer on the officially released track.

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Apart from the recent leaks, a plethora of other alleged Drake reference tracks have leaked in the past. This included reference tracks for Jumbotron S**t Poppin, Greece, Company, Legend, Used To, R.I.C.O, and Know Yourself.