Cold

History of "Cold" by Maroon 5 Featuring Future

"Cold" is a pop and hip-hop crossover single by Maroon 5 featuring Atlanta rapper Future, released on February 17, 2017. The collaboration came during a period in which Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine and the band's creative team were actively pursuing chart-oriented collaborations that paired their pop sound with hip-hop guest artists, a strategy that had proven commercially effective with previous releases. "Cold" continued that approach while exploring thematic territory somewhat darker than the band's more radio-friendly material.

Maroon 5, formed in Los Angeles in the late 1990s as Kara's Flowers before reconstituting as Maroon 5 in 2001, had by 2017 become one of the most commercially consistent acts in mainstream pop, with multiple chart-topping singles and albums spanning nearly two decades of recording. The band had undergone a stylistic evolution from its rock-oriented early work toward a more streamlined pop and R&B sound, and their willingness to embrace contemporary production trends and feature collaborations kept them commercially relevant across changing musical landscapes.

Future, born Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn, was at the peak of his commercial and critical momentum during the period when "Cold" was recorded. Having released a series of critically acclaimed mixtapes and studio albums in the preceding years, and coming off a remarkable run that included self-titled albums released in consecutive weeks in 2017 that each debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, Future brought significant hip-hop credibility and commercial cachet to the collaboration. His distinctive melodic rap style, characterized by processed vocal effects and a melancholic emotional register, complemented the darker mood of the track.

The song was written by Adam Levine, James Valentine, PJ Morton, Sam Martin, and Future, with production from No I.D., a highly regarded hip-hop producer whose work with artists including Jay-Z, Common, and Kanye West had established him as one of the most respected figures in the genre. No I.D.'s involvement brought a more substantial hip-hop production aesthetic to the track than Maroon 5's typical pop collaborations, resulting in a sound that occupied a distinct space between the band's pop sensibility and the atmospheric trap-influenced territory Future occupied.

"Cold" entered the Billboard Hot 100 on March 4, 2017, debuting at number 42, an unusually strong opening position that reflected the combined commercial weight of the two acts involved. The song climbed steadily over the following weeks, reaching its peak position of number 16 on April 1, 2017. It remained on the chart for 20 weeks in total, a solid commercial performance that confirmed the viability of the Maroon 5 and Future pairing. The track accumulated approximately 282 million YouTube views over the period following its release.

The music video for "Cold" featured a visual narrative that matched the song's themes of emotional detachment and relationship dissolution, presented with a production quality that was consistent with the high-budget visual approach Maroon 5 maintained throughout their later career. The video received substantial rotation on streaming video platforms and contributed to the song's digital performance metrics.

"Cold" was released as a single from Maroon 5's sixth studio album Red Pill Blues, which arrived in November 2017. The album marked a continued evolution in the band's sound toward a heavily pop and R&B influenced direction, and it featured additional collaborations with prominent hip-hop and R&B artists that extended the approach established with "Cold." The album's commercial performance reinforced that the band's strategy of embracing crossover collaborations was a viable long-term creative and commercial model rather than a one-time experiment.

The song's production, handled by No I.D., received specific attention from music journalists interested in the intersection of hip-hop production values and pop commercial architecture. No I.D.'s ability to create atmospheric, emotionally resonant productions that maintained the accessibility required for mainstream pop radio while incorporating the sonic characteristics of contemporary hip-hop was on clear display in "Cold." The track's arrangement, which builds gradually from sparse opening elements to a more fully realized final section, demonstrated a structural sophistication that distinguished it from more formulaic crossover attempts.

Critically, "Cold" received mixed to moderate reviews, with some commentators praising the atmospheric production and the effective contrast between Levine's pop vocal approach and Future's more textured rap delivery, while others found the combination somewhat calculated in its attempt to bridge pop and hip-hop audiences. Commercially, however, the song was undeniably effective, demonstrating once more that Maroon 5's formula of pairing accessible pop structures with hip-hop collaborators could consistently generate mainstream chart traction. The song became a staple of the band's later catalog and a frequently referenced example of the pop-rap crossover model that dominated commercial music during the 2015 to 2020 period.