Ngāti Kahungunu rapper Tom Francis is on the verge of completing his next album featuring some of America’s biggest names. And, while doors have opened since his initial collaboration with Snoop Dogg back in 2019, he says it’s music from Aotearoa that keeps him grounded.
He’s dropped tracks with the likes of Snoop Dogg and Twista and now The Game. Francis says, with excitement ,“I’m really excited about it, it’s going to be cool, it’s crazy.”
Last month, The Game added his voice to Francis’ not-yet-released album. “He’s in the middle of working on his album, Documentary 3, he’s doing that right now, and then we did some music, and so I’ve got him locked into my album,” says Francis.
The track Francis created for The Game came when he was staying on a friend’s couch in Los Angeles.
“At the time we were driving around L.A. just getting inspiration and then, when we made that beat, I said we have to get The Game on this. But like not really thinking it was going to happen, you know? And then I played him (The Game), like I dunno five different beats and he chose that one.”
The artist is proud that he’s self-funded much of his work. He says his early inspiration came from Aotearoa artists such as Scribe, PMoney, and Savage. But since he collaborated with Snoop Dogg in 2019, he says work has blown up.
“You have such a big staple with Snoop Dogg and, especially in L.A. and across the world, it’s easier to open other doors. So then I connected with other people and then just (you) go through. It’s kinda like, when you open one door you open ten more, especially with Snoop you open like a hundred,” he says.
And that also means being the host to artists at his home, with American rapper YBN Nahmir the latest to stay just this week.
“It’s become the norm here. We’ve got the studio here in the house. We’ve got the whole setup. He’s over here doing a tour and so, yeh, he’s come out here for a few days,” Francis says.
Francis says The Game even wants to create the music video here in Aotearoa.
Francis says, “Basically, flood the streets. Do like one of the scenes in the video kinda like that and have the flags out and just go hard and really represent it on worldwide stage where people can see it.”
Francis hopes to add two more known artists before he drops the album next year.
