Rap legends join the Future Proof Festival lineup

At last year's Future Proof Festival, a dirty south rap legend and resident ATLien helped thousands of advisors get "so fresh and so clean."

But at Future Proof 2023, two chart topping emcees from New York and New Jersey with a passion for botany will see exactly "How High" a California crowd can get.

Advisor Circle and Ritholtz Wealth Management announced Wednesday that Method Man & Redman will hit the stage during the event slated to take over Huntington Beach, California, for four days this September. The iconic Wu-Tang and Def Squad representatives are among several Future Proof performers not typically on the guest list of a gathering geared toward financial professionals.  

While the pair may be known among non-hip-hop heads as the stars of the 2001 stoner comedy flick "How High," they've been collaborating on tracks since 1994. Two years before their cult classic movie was released, Method Man & Redman's first collaboration album "Blackout!" debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard charts before going on to move 1.5 million copies.

Also performing at Future Proof this year is reggae collective Easy Star All-Stars. Organizers say additional musical acts and speakers will be announced in the coming months.

Along with the news of Red and Meth rocking the stage is an announcement that the second Future Proof festival is on track to bring in more than 3,000 attendees, more than 150 sponsor companies and more than 100 expert speakers.

The goal is to have 2,000 financial advisors at the event. 

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The inaugural Future Proof event attracted more than 2,200 people to Surf City. Future Proof 2023 will return to the beach Sept. 10-13.

"Last year, we set out to create something truly unique — and we succeeded," Matt Middleton, CEO of Advisor Circle, said in a statement. "By prioritizing a sense of community, the event experience, and challenging the status quo, we assembled some of the most influential figures in our space in a way that has never been done before. Our 2023 lineup dials things up considerably with out-of-the-box thinkers who are defining the future of investing and advice. We are going to blow last year out of the water."

In addition to wealth-focused content, Future Proof planners say the event aims to foster a sense of community among attendees by offering shared cultural experiences in art, music and entertainment. 

"The world of wealth continues to evolve and has become part of the cultural zeitgeist. If you're not educating yourself as to the needs and desires of the next generation of investors, you will get left behind," said Josh Brown, CEO at Ritholtz Wealth. "I said it last year and I'll say it again. Future Proof Festival is the ultimate gathering for anyone working in wealth management. 

"With new innovations like AI chatbots and next generation custodians remaking the world, it has never been more important to stay engaged and learn how our peers are turning change into opportunity."

Future Proof 2023 will also present opportunities for attendees to connect with like-minded professionals in the financial services industry and beyond. Attendees will be able to take advantage of a new event-tech meetings platform called "Breakthru." The technology was designed to facilitate easy and efficient connections between attendees, allowing them to exchange ideas and build relationships.

Wealthtech was a main attraction of the inaugural gathering. In addition to an agenda filled with some of wealth management's most prominent tech voices, the inaugural Future Proof last year featured special attractions including a keynote from Google Head of Product Inclusion Annie Jean-Baptiste on how to develop more inclusive technology for advisors, and a FinTechX Demo Drop that saw 10 companies present their latest breakthroughs to a live crowd.

Officials said that like the first Future Proof, event speakers this year will be invited to participate or must apply to speak. A company statement stresses that there are no "pay-to-play'' speaking opportunities.