Every generation has musical icons. Legends like Ray Charles and BB King in the 50’s, Al Green and the Isley Brothers in the 60’s, Lionel Richie and Pattie LaBelle in the 70’s, just to name a few, all have stood the test of time. Standing out from the norm and possessing the “IT” factor, these artists were courageous enough to try and fail, reinvent themselves, and come back stronger with something different. Their musical brilliance played a major part in influencing all walks of people around the globe. Today’s generation looks up to a watered down, commercially saturated distortion of what music has become. Record executives and major corporations rely solely on image and perception, rather than the artist’s creativity and the quality of content. However, there is still hope for music lovers everywhere craving real music meaning something much more than the next fad. The link bridging the old school and the new school together is a Milwaukee native hip hop artist named Frankie Flowers.
Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Frankie always wanted to be in show business at an early age. His mother was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus after giving birth to him shortly after. She would eventually have to remain in the hospital for six to eight months at a time receiving chemotherapy up until Frankie was five years old. His great-grandmother decided to raise him and his older brother with the help of their step father until his mother’s health became better. His grandmother always knew it was something special about him, telling his mother that “he’s an old soul trapped in a kid’s body.” She bought a pair of cowboy boots for Frankie because he was always imitating his favorite county singer Billy Ray Cyrus’s “Achy Breaky Heart”. Sadly his grandmother passed away later that year from a heart attack before his musical aspirations took off.
When Frankie was in the fifth grade, his older brother introduced him to the sounds and lyricism of Keith Murry’s “Enigma” LP. Frankie was so captivated by what he heard he made up in his mind he wanted to become a rapper. He came home from school the next day and locked himself in his bedroom grabbing a notebook, a dictionary, a thesaurus, and a handful of pencils not knowing the challenges awaiting him. Well into the first hour of his new choice of career, he became frustrated at not being able to make his raps sound like Keith Murry’s. He gave up on rapping for the moment and returned to what most fifth graders loved doing, which was playing video games and watching cartoons. Frankie always loved reading and writing. It was in high school where his teachers would begin challenging his creativeness by teaching him there is no shame in intelligence. While an astute student, he seldom turned in his assignments fearing his peers would view him as a “nerd.” During his junior year, Frankie was trying out for the varsity basketball team when he passed out due to a rare heart condition. He was rushed to the hospital where doctors could not find anything wrong. They advised him not to play competitive sports anymore for his personal safety. At the same time of this event, his mother and stepfather were going through a horrendous divorce. Not knowing how much the break up would affect his mother, Frankie turned to gambling to take the financial pressures off of her.
After graduating from high school in 2004, Frankie moved to Houston, Texas with his high school sweetheart. He attended Texas Southern University majoring in Business Administration. Not long after he arrived to college, he and his girlfriend ended their relationship. While studying for his exams, he received a phone call from back home regarding the status of his mother’s health. Her Lupus was no longer in remission and became life threatening. Unable to remain focused on his studies, he decided to drop out that same week and tend to his mother. Upon returning home, the divorce between his parents became final adding more stress to his mother illness, resulting in Frankie’s resentment towards his stepfather.
In late 2006, Frankie lost a bet to his close friend and fellow Milwaukee MC Young Focus. Little did he know that would bring him back towards his childhood dream. Always an avid listener of hip hop, particularly focusing his attention on lyrics and storytelling, Frankie wrote his first song titled “Real Talk True Stories”, which talked about his struggles in the real world, coping with the breakup of his first love, and why he chose to drop out of college. He continued writing because it was his way of healing and letting go of emotions bottled up inside. He followed up with his second song titled “In the city where I’m from.” This was the first song that displayed Frankie’s social awareness and ability to show people not familiar with Milwaukee an insider’s point of how life is being from Milwaukee. His third song was his first collaboration with Young Focus titled “Lolly Pop.” The two decided to write a PG-13 like song, shying away from being sexually explicit, but making the imagery well known. After passing out the song to local high school and middle school students, Frankie decided to change his lyrical approach. No longer was he going to help be a part of the problem. He vowed to stay away from writing songs that glorified violence, bragged about selling drugs without acknowledging the ramifications if caught, objectifying and degrading women, and materialistic values. Instead he chose to write similar to the likes of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Tupac Shakur, and Public Enemy by conveying messages of empowerment, and reaching out to urban communities and today's youth. Realizing the impact his songs had on people throughout the city, Frankie decided to enter a competition a few months later called “Talent Showcase Live.” Airing on local news channel Fox 6 in April of 2007, Frankie won the event and began entering showcases all over the Milwaukee area and often traveled to Joliet and Chicago, Illinois as well. A Few months later Frankie received phone calls from indie labels and various A & R's out west urging him to consider relocating for more exposure. After discussing his options and making sure his mother’s health was stable, Frankie finally moved to Los Angeles in September of 2007.
Now pursuing his musical ambitions full time, Frankie completed his first album “The Storyteller” in June of 2008. With most of the production hailing from Kellen "Klassik" Abston in Milwaukee, WI, Frankie’s primary focus with this project is to show his love for the art form of storytelling. In tune with his “quality over quantity” approach, Frankie has the right mindset to connect with listeners that are hoping for a breath of fresh air in today’s hip hop. The only thing that matters to him outside of his family is getting his music in a position to reach the masses and help inspire a generation full of greatness.
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What up Frankie, thanks for the comment! Just added one of your songs to the playlist, I'll definitely check out the CD you gave me. I like the stuff you got on your Myspace, hopefully once I get some equipment I'll be able to do some shit like that. I'll definitely keep in touch!
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