Frank Vibes Drops Visuals for Single ‘Hazel Eyes’

Frank Vibes started making music in 2009, he’s been rapping since he was 10 years old though. He started out freestyling until he got to O.W. Huth Middle School and there he met two individuals, Jalen Bovia and Romero (SRT Shugg) Bounds. Through these two from their constant nudging and influence he started to record his freestyles on actual tracks. It started out with him spitting the verses over the phone and Romie holding it up to the microphone to record until he put Frank Vibes on notice onto cheap recording softwares he could download and start recording on his own. From there at the age of 13 he built his own makeshift studio in his parents basement in the fall of 2009. Frank Vibes would record mixtapes and burn them on blank CDs because he didn’t know anything about online platforms yet. The older he got the more developed he became and by his senior year of high-school going into college he dropped about 20 mixtapes on a now debunked website called mixconnect.

Frank Vibes describes his music as the voice of a normal man who’s seen the current scope of the world and has had enough. He’s not saying he’s a revolutionary or a second coming of anything but he hopes to use his music to leave a positive impact on the culture and world. Hopefully the impact is great enough to actually make some semblance of a change. He doesn’t seek to change anyone, he just hopes to talk to people and level with them on a very real and personal human experience. The genre Frank Vibes works in is Hip Hop but he incorporates many genres into his personal take of rap from Blues to Jazz, R&B, Funk, Soul, Folk, Rock, etc.

Frank Vibes is a very versatile artist, before he deleted most of his early tapes he always showcased he was never afraid to play with styles and blend genres. He says he has more of a hang of it now compared to back then, and if you don’t believe so you can see his discography. When it comes to his discography you can not only see the growth and the comfortability he’s developed stepping outside the box. After refurbishing and solidifying his musical catalog his portfolio begins with Black Coupe Blues (2020) a project that depicts a young mind searching for a semblance of functional happiness in a world that tells them to pursue everything but their dream and is not happy until they take matters into their own hands. Ebony Drive (January 2021) explores the true making of this culture we live in and contribute to from the injustice to the unfiltered power we possess. This project also began the relationship between him and Super Producer SHURIKYM 808 who produced tracks “Four Seasons” and “Hey Now” off the project. MoshPit! EP (April 2021) an EP that dwells more into the experience and injustice inflicted upon my community through the mixture of Metal and Trap. This EP was produced entirely by SHURIKYM 808. Frank Vibes & Wilderness Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 (Summer 2021) two freestyle tapes that he did with another Super Producer Vinnie (Wilderness) Murphy both tapes were produced entirely by him. Through these two projects they discovered a sound that both of them were very intrigued in and decided to explore more of together and till this day their relationship exists. J-Park (October 2021) this is the project where all the ideas of the previously listed projects come together. Mixing his own personal story and experiences with the experiences of many in his community and how we as a people were always meant for even greater heights, we just have to climb. The production was handled mostly by Wilderness and SHURIKYM while the mixing and mastering was handled by childhood friend and yet another Super Producer Shaun (Phyzical) Duncan who also produced the bonus track “Groovematic”.

When it comes to making the music Frank Vibes usually writes from experience or what he’s going through at the moment. He likes to give people real feelings and real time reasons why he called himself Frank Vibes. People think it has to do with his name Franklin Simpkins but that’s only like 5% right, the name has numerous meanings but there’s one dominant one. It translates to Genuine Feeling or Real Emotions and Frank means to be honest while Vibe comes out to feeling. With that being said he likes to just really speak from where his head is at when it comes to writing his verses. Now crafting the song he finds more fun and challenging cause this really sets the tone for everything and how the message comes across and how it is received. As mentioned earlier it’s all about a genuine vibe and when crafting the musical element of his tracks he leans more toward his jazz and blues influences to help create a piece that conveys those emotions in a way people can understand, internalize and dance to.

Frank Vibes was born in Chicago Heights, IL and raised in Richton Park, IL (J-Park) both South Suburban neighborhoods of the greater Chicagoland Area. He attended Cornerstone Christian Academy before transferring to district 162 the local public school system which he would start in 4th grade until his 8th grade graduation from OW Huth Middle School in 2010. It was at Huth where he started rapping and his freshman year at Southland College Prep is where he would get much needed validation from his English teacher Miss Nahm. She started an after school club for spoken word where he would begin to strengthen his pen game and overall lyricism. She was also a huge fan of Hip Hop, quizzing Frank Vibes on his knowledge and allowing him to turn mixtapes in for extra credit. After transferring to Marian Catholic his sophomore year he began uploading his projects online to mixconnect.com a now debunked mixtape site that was a hub for up and coming talent in the early 2010s. He started to develop a small but dedicated following and upon graduating in 2014 he had dropped a total of at least 20 mixtapes on the World Wide Web in the span of 3 years. When he started at the University of Wisconsin Parkside he saw even more success with his music from being invited into different studios to performing on different campuses to starting his first rap group with members Shawn (LSD) Allen, Eli (Big Smoove) Cook and Don aka (Little Bro). Throughout his Junior year in 2017 Frank Vibes became a member of The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. with his brothers Byron Brumfield, Tory Johnson and Lance Dorsey. Also started a radio show with his friend Jaleesa Campbell on his college radio station. After graduating college in 2018 he started working full time jobs trying to use his degree to the fullest while simultaneously pursuing a music career. Being a hard to juggle task at the time he ended up dedicating more time to his passion then his job and ended up getting fired. He spent 2019 sleeping on his fraternity brother/ and dear friend Jeremy Cook’s couch doing his best to still chase the dream but after a while his vision got jaded. The opportunities stopped coming and the music started to fall of deaf ears mainly because it was representing who he was at the time, which was a broken individual. After a very low and dark moment that almost cost him his life, Frank Vibes decided to pack it up and head home. At first it was rough not seeing eye to eye with his family on his path of life and feeling ultimately alone during the whole ordeal. It was around this time Covid broke out and while the world shut down he started trying to rebuild. Frank Vibes started seeing therapy for his depression and random episodes of self harm and started working out to alleviate his stress even more. He then moved in with fellow friends who were pursuing music at the time and they started working overtime during the worldwide standstill. Producing two collaborative projects and numerous singles before they all went their separate ways at the end of 2021. Now completely solo, Frank Vibes decided to start building his own team of individuals that can help him realize his team from his photographer and visual consultant Rashod “BroGod” Witaker, his creative director Chris (MISFIT Chris) Wilson and his manager Jaleel Owens. These are not only childhood best friends but men that have had Frank Vibes best interest since the very beginning and there’s no one else he would want in the trenches with him more then these guys. Now with his music starting to find its niche audience and everything from his songs to his music videos getting thousands of views it’s time to build upon the strong foundation that was already made.

His inspiration outside of life comes from his oldest brother Phillip Simpkins. He was the first person he personally knew who could rap and once he saw he had an interest he taught Frank Vibes everything he now knows. Another inspiration of his is also his older brother Phelan, his sister in law Kemorah and his parents Felix & Kathy. If it wasn’t for his big brother he wouldn’t have started rapping and if it wasn’t for his childhood friends Rashod, Jaleel, Branden, Jordan, Romie, Big Rob, and Jalen he would’ve never taken it seriously. Outside of his friends and family Frank Vibes also drew inspiration from artists like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Roy Ayers, Marvin Gaye, Kool and the Gang, Thee Sacred Souls, Solange, Janelle Monae, Nina Simone, Patty LaBelle, Whitney Houston, Big L, Tupac, Biggie, DMX, Jay Z, Nas, Wutang Clan, Tribe Called Quest, Leaders of the New, Grand Nubian, Lord Finesse, Run The Jewels, Tech 9, Eminem, Hopsin, J Cole, Kendrick Lamar, ASAP Rocky, Mac Miller, Tyler The Creator and many many more.

This past year Frank Vibes has accomplished a lot, he was able to start and launch his official Merch store. Along with that he released his latest tape The Black Urameshi which he dropped in February which is now sitting at over 100k streams.

https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/4QKANKErB3HjydpJA

This is his first project to gain these types of numbers and his first time achieving this many streams in one year. Last year he was able to get to 70k but he just knew that 100k would come very soon. Apart from the tape and the Merch Frank Vibes got his mental health back on track, some days are easier then others but self care is the best care and as long as you actively work on yourself you can flip the worst day into one of the best ones yet. He also started his own imprint and got himself registered under ASCAP so now he really owns all his masters and publishing. This year has been a very prosperous year for Frank Vibes and his team. They’ve been working hard to make these types of things happen and we are only halfway into the year!

Really the only goal for Frank Vibes at the moment is to continue making the music he likes while enjoying every minute of it. He doesn’t care for fame or money he just wants to make it to the point where he’s touring the world performing his music for a living, that’s it that’s all. Also if it’s in God’s plan for him to get a call from J Cole and LB to join Dreamville but if that never comes he still knows he’s going to make it no matter what.

Frank Vibes was born for this, it is all he’s ever wanted in life. He loves creating and making music as well as performing and moving crowds really providing great experiences through genuine moments and vibes. As for interviews and all of that hell yeah! He loves talking to people and expressing what’s really on his mind.

Regarding his merch, Frank Vibes continues to push and promote it when his album drops next year. He plans on dropping a new line inspired by it like he did with this current merch drop.

Right now Frank Vibes has recently released his brand new video for his song Hazel Eyes, a fan favorite track off the tape.

With barely a day of being out it is almost at 1k views. None of this would be possible without God, the fans and an amazing team based out in LA named Team Leballoo. They are an outstanding group of guys and are doing everything in their power to help Frank Vibes gain the attention and notoriety he deserves in these independent stages of his career. He also has a Merch store with a new collection of products inspired by his most recent release. They have something for everybody from babies to adults you can find along with his music and other articles written about him on his website https://frankvibes.onuniverse.com

Make sure you follow Frank on all his Social Media Platforms

IG: https://www.instagram.com/Frank.vibes

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FrankUrameshi

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About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.