Questions by Eddie Young, Words by Joey.
As you can tell, here at Daily Chiefers we absolutely LOVE the Carolinas. With artists such as DaBaby, Fat Dave, Lil Mexico, 448Blitz, Hooligan Chase, NGeeYL, Slime Dollaz and many others making the area’s name ring loud, North Carolina rapper Frais is amongst the best of them when it comes to making music.
Frais, unlike most artists from the area, is in his own lane when it comes to his artistry. He’s been making high quality music for a few years now, and is finally starting to see the shine he most definitely deserves. His most recent project, Cursed, features an array of sounds that you just don’t hear from a young artist, and his collaboration with Germ and Lil Gnar “Lethal Weapon” is pure example of that notion, showcasing the versatility that Frais has.
As he preps his major 808 Mafia project, which is coming soon, our writer Eddie Young linked up with Frais to talk about his upbringing in the city, where he’s from, where he got his rap name and much more. Stay tuned for his upcoming project, and learn more about the buzzing North Carolina artist in the Q&A below.
Eddie Young: What’s your name and where are you from?
Frais: I’m Frais and I’m from Charlotte, North Carolina.
Eddie Young: When did you first start making music?
Frais: I honestly can’t remember lol but I feel like even before I could actually rap I wanted to make music.
Eddie Young: What’s it like coming out of Charlotte, Carolina and trying to make it as an artist?
Frais: Charlotte is tough, I’m from the south westside of the city so it’s definitely rough. You gotta stand on 10 toes be a man type shit. As an artist, you gotta make a lot of noise to get people to take you seriously. Not just on the internet, but with locals as well. I feel like I’ve maintained the balance of both.
Eddie Young: How do you think you’ve evolved as an artist in the past 5 years?
Frais: Looking at myself 5 years ago, Ima completely different person. I had to level everything up. From the music to my day to day activities. I used to write a song trying my best to be relatable so “anyone” could enjoy. But overtime, I realized just being myself is the most relatable to listeners. However i know there’s a lot of room for improvement still.
Eddie Young: Who were some of your influences in rap growing up?
Frais: Ever since I could remember I’ve been a fan of music & all its genres. From Lil Wayne to daft punk, and Kanye West to Pimp C. I love how certain artists can say a simple line and it speaks volumes to me because by I’ve been there myself. I try to use the same vibe when I create. I honestly get my inspiration from My family, the hood shit like that. Really absorbing what was going on around me.
Eddie Young: What do you think separates you from a lot of the artists who came before you?
Frais: It may sound crazy but honestly everything & at the same time nothing. We all go through trials and tribulations etc.
Eddie Young: If you could pick any artist to work with regardless of genre who would it be?
Frais: “I want to work with Wayne. Real life legend. Everything about Wayne is music. Even if we couldn’t make physical song I feel like I could learn a lot from him.”
Eddie Young: How did you come up with your rap name?
Frais: “I used to do graffiti, Frais was my tag. After my homie died that used to go paint with, I went on a mental roller coaster. And he would always tell me my freestyles were fire. So as an ode to him I went with Frais.”
Eddie Young: What single / video have you enjoyed making the most so far?
Frais: “Definitely lethal weapon. Cuz I made it with real life friends. My brothers.”
Eddie Young: What can we expect from Frais in 2020?
Frais: “2020 I’m locking down the underground. more music, more videos. It’s about to get hectic. I don’t wanna say too much but I’ll definitely be on the road hahaha.”
