Kel Francisco
Chicago, Illinois, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2014
Music
Press
Kel Francisco has been busy lately finishing up his tape, putting the final touches on his music video, and doing interviews that you can check here. This track here isn’t on his new tape, but it’s just something Kel decided to put out for his fans. The song, titled “Track 6″ showcases Kel’s ability to cruise effortlessly over a chill, laid-back beat. Kel’s flow complements the 90′s-influenced production perfectly as his focus on lyricism becomes immediately apparent.
This is the type of track you play riding carelessly through your city on a warm summer day and it’s definitely a fresh sound coming out of Chicago. And plus, if this didn’t make the cut for the tape, imagine what did.
Show some love and follow him here and check more of his music on his SoundCloud here. - ClubMavens.com
Chicago has always had a wide range of different styles when it comes to hip-hop, artists like Kanye West, Common, Paypa, Twista, Chief Keef, Lupe Fiasco and Chance The Rapper to name a few. In a city with so much culture, the broads waves of sounds coming from Chicago have an influence in today’s music culture heavily, which opens to door for us all to experience the new generation of music surfacing throughout the city. Echoing throughout the city, KelFrancisco gives reassurance that the variety of great music coming from Chicago is something to be remembered and closely watched.
Name: Kemett Hayes (KelFrancisco)
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Influences: All underground Chicago rappers and producers like MF Doom, Nujabes, Dilla, and Bugseed
Latest Release: Too Much featuring Young Blunt & Beau Vallis
Must-Listen Track: Too Much featuring Young Blunt & Beau Vallis - TheComeUpShow.com
Chicago is the mecca of hip-hop right now. No city is producing as many quality, diverse artists at the relentless rate that Chicago and it doesn’t look like the city is slowing down anytime soon. The latest artist to get on the scene is Kel Francisco. Although drill music has risen to define Chicago’s new wave, there still are rappers who can really spit and one of those is definitely Kel.
Lyrically, Kel is crazy. Just peep his RapGenius page here. His music has a chill, east coast vibe, but also a distinctly Chi swagger. But I think what defines him and his talent the most is his ridiculous, old school flow. Check it out for yourself here and lookout for the music video later this week. I’m excited to be able to do an interview with him and learn a little bit more about what makes him tick?
CM: So to begin, can you talk a little about your background in music and when you first began rapping?
KF: Aw man it really first started when I was at my aunts house helping her move in to her new spot. I was about 9 years old at the time. She had some stuff of my cousins who was away at the time and asked me if I wanted any of it. It was mostly CDs so that’s all I took. One CD in particular was Eazy-E Impact of a Legend. That was the first ever rap that I really listened to because my mom listens to 70′s 80′s r&b. That CD changed my life! I really started getting into more Eazy-E albums ,Ruthless Records and everything that had to deal with the Gangsta rap era of hip hop. I started writing my own songs with some friends in like the 4th grade. In our heads we thought we were NWA (laugh). It really all started from that though. I started to listen to more music outside of gangsta rap and started appreciating the music that my mother listens to (laugh).
CM: That’s real cool, so music has obviously changed a lot since then and you’re style of music has taken a different direction, who are you current influences?
KF: I’m influenced by alot of people but mainly the people from Chicago that’s on the rise right now like Saba, Noname Gypsy, Martin $ky, SaveMoney, Mick Jenkins, Jean Deaux, and the list goes on. It’s good to see the directions Chicago is taking the music game.
CM: Chicago is easily one of the, if not the hottest music spot in the country right now. However, the rise of a lot of artists has been overshadowed by the violence and drill movement. What’s your feeling on that movement and that being the face of Chicago rap?
KF: I like drill music. Everybody likes drill music. That’s what put the city back on the map. I dont feel like the drill scene is overshadowing anyone because of the hunger in Chicago right now. Everybody is pushing and making good music. Everybody will prosper greatly.
CM: So this is a little more blunt, but why do you personally make music?
KF: I make music because I’m a good writer. I just like being able to sit back and brainstorm a concept and put it all down somewhere. I enjoy writing the most out of the whole process of making a track. If you check out my RapGenius account you could see how I really like breaking down the stuff I write because of how much thought I put into that line.
CM: Yeah, I’ve spent some time on your Rap Genius and am definitely impressed by your wordplay. Do you have any dream collaborations? Any artists you’d love to collaborate with?
KF: A track with me and Ye would be crazy! A Kanye produced track with me and him on it would be hard. That would be amazing to do.
CM: Now, you’re obviously talented enough to go to the next level. How difficult, though, is it for an artist to navigate through the music industry and what challenges are you encountering?
KF: Really when I started off I was getting kind of distraught because nobody would listen to me. i feel like that’s the most challenging thing is to get people to listen at first. I feel like all aspiring artist should know how to market themselves to people and how to present something to somebody that’s gonna help them out in a formal manner. Because it’s so many artists in the city, you gotta have something about you that’s standing out from the crowd.
CM: So it’s very easy to tell that you don’t lack ambition, where do you see yourself in 5 years.
KF: 5 years from now I’ll be working on 4th album getting ready for the Grammys. Nominated for one hopefully.
CM: Now we like to close by asking what 3 words describe you the best?
KF: I would describe myself as determined, motivated, and lyrical. - ClubMavens.com
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Hailing from the West Side of Chicago is 20 year-old Kel Francisco who has found his place amongst the many talented emcees coming out of the Windy City as of late. A listen to any of his music and it evokes the memories of his influences, heavy of the 90's golden Era and boom-bap feel from the 20-year-loop. Francisco uses simple, bass heavy, instrumentals as the canvas on which he brushes his crisp, lyrical content and unique flow which sets him in a league of his own.
Francisco was introduced to Hip Hop at the ripe age of 9 when he inherited a collection of music from a family member. Amongst the collection was Eazy E's Impact of a Legend, which prompted his desire to write music. Francisco found himself inspired by many East Coast rappers such as Bone Thugs N Harmony, Tupac, Biggie, Big L and Method Man to name a few. Believing that, "You cannot become a master of the present if you do not know any history," Francisco enjoys exploring many natures of entertainment and art world from Picasso to Ric Flair. His methods make every song an extension of his hobbies and experiences.
His project Good Raps, set to be released late July, is the first installment to drive Francisco's movement in continuing to revive the nostalgic 90's sound. He fills a void for new listeners of Hip Hop to look up to and enjoy as well as reminding the established culture that lyrical content is not dead, nor does it have to be drowned in catchy hooks and cookie-cutter beats to be considered listenable. With the industry continuing to drown in commercial talent flooding the air waves and social media, Kel Francisco promises to deliver authentic, versatile, lyrical content that will keep afloat a more revering sound of Hip Hop.
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