FRANCOIS FRANCOIS
“Bacon, but crispy. It’s gotta be real crunchy. No, I usually don’t eat pork, but it’s Whataburger. Bacon has to be included. I walked 2 miles in that big snow storm we had last week to get one,” Francois Francois, the Houston rapper, proudly proclaims as we’re settling into our FaceTime chat discussing so many topics it’ll make one’s head spin but somehow (and for good reason) always making it back to music, his first love.
“Yo, you know the first time we met, we locked in over some DJ Screw shit. You was tapped in, and it really made me realize just how powerfully a city’s culture can really spread. You’re from nowhere near Houston,” explained the musician. He goes on to further comment that, “it’s crazy how much appreciation that shit gets now. I grew up on it. People not even from Houston are putting out Chopped & Screwed versions of their work. Dope work speaks for itself and spreads organically.”
“Don’t get me wrong, Southern Hip Hop will always be in my blood, but the over saturation in Houston during my childhood made me want to explore other genres.”
Francois says it got to the point that he was almost sick of the sound growing up. “When you only hear one style of music over and over, it drives you insane. Don’t get me wrong, Southern Hip Hop will always be in my blood, but the over saturation in Houston during my childhood made me want to explore other genres. My sister Francis and I are exceptionally close, and her musical taste has always inspired mine. In the mid/late 2000’s when she got heavy into Fallout Boy, Gym Class Heros, and Lily Allen, I was all about it.” This kicked off the departure Francois took from Hip Hop and into the uncharted but appealing waters of pop and rock. “Yeah man, my musical style really is a combination of hip hop, pop, and rock. You can hear all of those elements in my music for sure, especially in the guitar and drums on “Baby Mama,” which I released last year but will be included on my upcoming EP “My Humble Opinion” in April.”
“The 6 years years I spent living in Los Angeles really humbled me beyond measure, in a beneficial way. Now that I’m back in Houston, I been blending my reflection of my time in the city with my Houston roots. I been channeling it all into my new music. Hence the name of my next project,” he said. He goes on to discuss the extreme highs and lows and intense nature of LA. While in the city, Francois was making fateful connections with musicians and collaborators who he still works with to this day, all while experiencing bouts of homelessness bouncing from shelter to shelter. “It was tough, man. Here I am working with incredibly talented individuals, having really profound and euphoric experiences, but periodically staying at Hotel Cecil and developing a gnarly ego. I learned a lot from that, man. Relocating to such a big city far from home at such a young age coupled with being exposed to so many individuals; it changed my worldview and helped me expand so much musically and personally. At the same time, I was looking around and realizing just how important self-validation really was. I feel that that played into my ballooning ego both positively and negatively. I began to champion my creative originality even more, but realized I could be doing a much better job when it came to self-accountability.”
Things really changed for Francois when he serendipitously met Wes Period in the studio one night. Once a friendship developed, he quickly zeroed in on Wes’s admirable ability to quickly execute and deliver quality creative content. “Back then, I could see that he embodied so many things I was missing and needed to and have since incorporated into my work style,” explained Francois.
“Exposure expands expectations,” Francois said. “As I was being exposed to more, I was expecting more. I can always tell I’m off track and operating too much from my ego when I’m too wrapped up in the worldly things — clothes, shoes, honestly even relationships that aren’t bettering me. It’s tough though because I got to balance my internal world with how I present myself, especially as an entertainer. For example, I been trippin’ over these Vivienne Westwood Asics. I really been focusing on financially budgeting, and just my overall value system…”, Francois trails off and hops out of his swivel seat and into his closet to retrieve his latest pick-ups. “I got a white and black pair. I usually try and not spend too much, but I had to. You not gonna find these at the thrift. I love to thrift, but these ain’t gonna be at no thrift. Funny enough though, my materialism only gets activated on very specific things. I wouldn’t go crazy for things poppin’ in America. These Asics going crazy in Japan. I get hip over weird things. Also shout out Megayacht, man. See this shirt?” asks the rapper. It has “Somebody at Chanel loves me” screen printed across the chest in a shiny material. Francois, enthusiastically pointing at himself, “This the type of shit I’m into. Weird shit that nobody else be having.”
Sitting quietly for a moment and really relishing in his stance, he breaks into a completely out of left field, but deeply important topic exclaiming, “You know what? I’m over this red and blue shit man. I think it’s a divisive mechanism. Yo, having just experienced that wild winter storm this past week, this political shit is too much. Personally, I don’t fuck with Trump or Biden. To be honest, I voted for Kanye because it was the rare thing to do. I told you, I’m only into the shit nobody else be doing. Politically, I don’t take either side seriously. Though I agree, Trump had to get out of office, I really don’t like Biden. To be honest, I don’t know what either party is even talking about. Like I said, we just had this storm down here, and we had no heat, no help, and all either party wants to do is talk and make our suffering political talking points. No action taken. To take it a step further, if we’re talking about people of color, I definitely don’t think either party are for us. I’m to the point where all I’m focused on is humans caring about humans. Red and blue is so outdated. Two wings of the same bird. Do we even need a president anymore? If there are people more powerful than that position, why do we need a centralized puppet? We need structure but a president?”
“The cause of the problem is always smaller than the reaction to the problem. We’re too focused on issues to even tune in with ourselves. This disconnection from self makes it nearly impossible to actually connect with one another.”
Needing a president may be a debatable topic, but what’s never up for discussion is Francois’s deep love for pushing his creative envelope while remaining true to his authentic expression. “I live what I be making,” he lays out. In addition to finishing up “In My Humble Opinion,” he’s slowly constructing his most conceptual and personal body of work that’ll release in 2022. Francois knows that “the more vulnerable I become with my music, the more I know I’ll connect with the people I’m supposed to. It’s a process. I think it’s so important to not only be intimate in the music but transparent with the youth in all aspects. For example, a lot of black kids look up to entertainers, especially ones that grow up without father figures like I did. There’s a lot of cap out here. Most entertainers ain’t being real with their fans. There is no end game to trapping, pimping…you name it. There’s no real plan within any of that. It’s not smart to be moving without a plan, especially as a man needing to provide. I think this further plays into why our youth are so confused, man. Our entire society needs to focus more on solutions, individually and collectively. So many things can change if we invest our individual time into finding solutions for things we can control. Each of us need to stop intellectualizing our problems. The cause of the problem is always smaller than the reaction to the problem. We’re too focused on issues to even tune in with ourselves. This disconnection from self makes it nearly impossible to actually connect with one another.” — S 02/26/21
last minute gems
what words of wisdom do you live by?
the getting is giving
what memory instantly makes you smile?
walking places with my mom
what’s the most useful business-related book you’ve ever read?
“rich dad poor dad” by robert kiyosaki
what’s your favorite non-business book?
anything dr. seuss
if money were not an issue, what would you be doing right now?
making music
what words of advice would you give your younger self?
people are weird, life is weird, & everything will feel like it’s too soon. love you
what’s your super power?
being resilient
what do you regularly take for granted?
life
how do you recharge?
by completely disconnecting
what aspects of your work are you most passionate about?
i’d say equally the production part and the performing part
what’s something that overwhelms you?
people
what is the most memorable lesson you learned from your parents?
my mom always says, “let someone need you before you need them”
what was the most impactful class you took in school?
audio & video production
what’s something you wish you had done years earlier?
value information more
what lesson have you recently learned that you know you’ll never forget?
to watch what people tell you just to make you feel good & to benefit them
what concept do you fully grasp that you wish the rest of the world deeply understood?
that peace of mind is everything & what don’t pour into you is pulling from you
how have your priorities changed over the past 2 years?
yeah definitely. i care about myself so much. it’s beautiful
would you rather fight one horse-sized duck, or 100 duck-sized horses?
either or. i live in texas so…😉
what new skill are you in the midst of learning?
being alone & i’ve moved into a new space in music production
what is something that you’re embarrassed you’re talented at?
really ANY WWE game
when was the last time you really pushed yourself to your physical limits?
the last time I went to the gym about a week ago 😢