Efe Mike-Ifeta - 00:03 I was watching a video of yourself earlier. It was like a little documentary produced where you touch upon a few things. And it kind of got me thinking about who you are as a person and your philosophy and how that's crystallized to make you the artist that you are today. So having said that, I want touch upon. When did you frst get introduced to hip hop? Francis Arevalo - 00:35 That's a good question. I think my love for hip hop, for rap, it really started like early grade school, probably somewhere in elementary school. I mean, one of the frst times I remember thinking like, I remember. I remember seeing myself in the music specifcally was the Black Eyed Peas record Bebot came out, you know, and like Apple D App was rapping in Tagalog. And I'm like, on this album, like, okay, that's cool. I know, Like, I like, this sounds like my family. And I'm like, oh, this is interesting. Like, I've never felt a sense of like that kind of cultural connection inside the music and that. Like, oh, that just sounds like my cousin's talking, you know. Francis Arevalo - 01:35 So that's one of the frst places that I go to, I think as far as like, curiosity and like, maybe curiosity with participating in it, in the culture and in the music. As far as like really falling in love with the craft and like lyricism and what the culture was teaching me. I really go to high school and I was falling in love with like Jay Z Records, Lupe Fiasco, Common, Shad. Of course. And I, I feel like the, like that time between grade 9 and grade 10 for me was when like I was walking around the school in between classes or sometimes in class, like, you know, headphones in with the CD Walkman with like my bag of CDs and just trying to take notes and like, and learn and write my own stuff eventually. Francis Arevalo - 02:35 But yeah, I think like those are some of the examples of the artists and the projects that I listened to early on that made me be like, oh, I love this. I love, I love the wordplay. I love the use of language and music to convey and express. And I was hooked. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 02:57 Amazing. Okay, so this is so good. So you've touched upon so many things that I'm gonna come in and do follow up questions on. But so now I think what stuck out for me as well when in that stuff I watched about you was this conversation about Shad. Of course. I'm a, I'm a huge Shad fan. I've been a Shad fan forever. I'm sure you've seen that documentary on Netfix about the origins of hip hop, and it was solid work that was done there. Typically, hip hop, when you go back to the origin, is, you know, most people would argue that it pertains to a certain region, and it spoke to very relevant issues at the time, and it was kind of expression. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 03:43 So as you started to fall in love with hip hop, how did you fnd a way to make hip hop yours? How did you fnd a way to say, okay, even though this started out in, you know, little pockets in the US and black communities, how did you take that and say, okay, how did you ground yourself in that? Francis Arevalo - 04:02 That's a great question. I think in the, Yeah. I mean, even the concept of making it mine is an interesting thing to kind of unpack. Like, I feel like I, even to this day, I'm not sure it, I've made it mine. Like, I don't think it's mine. I think that's where I've landed is like, I've made parts of my contribution and, like, my participation mind and, like, there's like a, maybe a kind of understanding and, like, conviction in what I can offer uniquely as Francis Revolo. But I think early on in that stage, I was like, I, I didn't quite know how. I didn't know how to even be aware of the fact that, oh, this is like black culture. Like, oh, this is like, starting with, like, I didn't even know differences in regions. I just knew, like, these MCs are dope. Francis Arevalo - 04:58 Like, that's all I knew off the top, right? That's all I knew was like, I just love the music and what's being offered. I didn't know anything about differences in regions and differences in community and differences of perspective. I just thought, like, this is what I'm resonating with now. I think as I started to write my own stuff, I think there's always been this early on, I didn't think of, I didn't know to unpack what it meant to be a Filipino in hip hop. I didn't, that was like, I didn't know how to ask that question or even what would come of that question when I did ask it. Francis Arevalo - 05:42 I, I, I think and to this day, I'm still, like, on the journey of learning what that means, but I think it was really like, it, I, I fell in love frst with, like, wordplay and communicating stories and meaningful messages in music. That sounded amazing. And to this Day, like, that's still what I hold on to is, like, as a creator of the music as well, like, I want to make sure that love for it is what's at the core of it all the time. And as far as, like, learning about where different people are from and different perspectives and stories that are embedded in those verses from specifc artists, that's when it was like, okay, well, I've got to do my research. Like, I have to learn where this person's from. I learn where, like, what their infuences are. Francis Arevalo - 06:35 I gotta start to learn, like, what they're sampling. And I remember, actually, okay, there's one very specifc song, actually, that's coming to mind now, which is Lupe Fiasco's Kick Push. Yeah, yeah. Lupe's Fiasco's Kick Push samples of Filipino Valid. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 06:58 Really? Francis Arevalo - 06:58 It does. Yeah. And, like, that's the point. And like, in Kick Push part two, the. He has a. One of the lines in the verses was like, before we put it out, we had to pay the Filipinas. And I'm like, why is he referencing Filipinos in his verse? That doesn't make sense. So then that. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 07:14 That. Francis Arevalo - 07:15 So, like, these little, like, hints gave me threads to pull on and follow to just learn about where these stories and this music was coming from. I don't know if that answers the question, but that's kind of where my head went. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 07:27 No, no, no. Fantastic. It answers the question perfectly. But so, again, I'm so excited talking with you because I wouldn't consider myself. So I consider myself a fan of music, so not necessarily a hip hop head, but I do know hip hop to a certain extent. So when you tell me about Kick Push stuff and you know Lupe Fiasco, so it brings to mind that you've mentioned certain people that have infuenced you. So we talk about Jay Z, Lupe Fiasco, and I think if we're on that same wavelength of maybe similar type of rappers, we'll be talking about Mos Def and Talib Kweli and people like that. Of course, Shad comes in that. In that category as well. And again, Lupe Fiasco, I think where I was trying to go with that question is this inclusivity that hip hop gives, right? Efe Mike-Ifeta - 08:22 And that for Lupe going around with a skateboard at a time and being so wordsmithy, you know, it deviated from what you would normally see as mainstream rap at the time, which was hardcore and stuff like that. And you made a very important comment in that little bit of stuff I watched about you that at 14 or thereabouts, you started to kind of come to terms with that maybe jewelry and gangster type stuff. Isn't necessarily the. The version of the rap that you wanted to make. Tell me about that realization that rap could actually present itself in a different type of way and not be, you know, what many people would associate it with. Francis Arevalo - 09:09 Sure. I think the back to Lupe fasco. I think there's another song daydreaming with Jill Scott where, like, that, you know, and, like, he made a whole metaphor about his neighborhood talking about a robot. And I'm like, frst of all, I love robots. I love anime. Like, at the time, I was watching a lot of, like, I. I feel like I was consuming art and, like, media that, like, visually was represented in what Lupe was releasing at that time. So there was, like, a sense of, like, familiarity and, like, oh, that, like, looks and sounds like what I'm listening to in this very different space. And so I. I think. Yeah, I think. I think Lupe and. And Chad, I think as far as what they were rapping about, how they were not just presenting their music, but just, like, being as, like, people. Francis Arevalo - 10:03 There was a. There was a sense of, like, seeing myself kind of a bit in, like, what they were communicating and embedding in their music. I. You know, Shad's. What is it? The old prince still lives at home, and he's like, Like, I live at home, still not paying phone bills. I'm like, yeah, I'm. I'm. That's me right now. And, like, for a long time through my early adulthood, like, there was, like, I just. There were. There was parts of their lives that they were talking about that I was like, man, like, okay, maybe there's room for me to say something about my experience of those realities too. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 10:46 Oh, my God. First of all, let me just comment on your energy. Right? I love it. I. You. You seem very grounded, very intentional. And I know that you're working on a whole ton of projects and you've worked with a ton of artists and your producer, like, you wear a lot of hats. But I just wanted to comment on your energy. I love it. I. I'm vibing with it. I'm here for it. Francis Arevalo - 11:14 Appreciate it. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 11:16 So if were to leap forward and you started working, how did you get into that producer part of what you now do? Where. Where was that intersection between rap and production? Francis Arevalo - 11:30 Yeah, I think around 2016 is when I made a conscious decision, like, I want to rap and I want to put out music as a. As A rapper as an mc. And you know, honestly, like, I, I wanted beats that I couldn't fnd people to make. So I thought, okay, if, that if I have this specifc sound in my head, like, maybe I should learn how to produce. I should learn how to make my own beats. And so 2016 to 2019, I worked full time at my Tito's, like bottled water refll shop, which is a super random job, but it allowed me time and space to make beats and learn how to produce, learn Ableton, learn how to make the sounds that were in my head, come out into sound. And so over those years, I learned production chops. Francis Arevalo - 12:30 I learned how to make the beats that I wanted. And, and you know, fast forward seven years, like, here we are. And like, I'm putting out the music fnally. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 12:39 So can't wait. It's. It starts and I'm like, okay, I can hear like, it's that sample thing that you can hear that kind of like a Kanye west did in his early days, right? And like you can hear that, that fare of. Of a sample type beat type stuff which will come, which we'll come to. So, so we've got production in the bag and. Very interesting that you say that. I spoke to a duo, a female duo, Madison Violet, a little while back, but they also spoke about this concept of. They produced a most recent album, but they speak about this idea of being the ability to produce, taking you as close as possible to what you had envisioned. And that was the superpower of a producer in an artist. Right. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 13:33 And it's just been, you know, I think it's fascinating that you allude to the same sentiments. Francis Arevalo - 13:43 Yeah, I, early in my career, you know, I was grateful to have, you know, a few producers or engineers here and there, like, kind of take a chance on me and just be like, of course, like, let's come work and do work on some stuff. I think as an artist, what I came to learn was like I had like a producer bug or like producer ear in me that felt kind of powerless when I didn't know what was happening in the studio. And like, there's, as an artist, like, there's a certain vision that I have and if it's not sounding how I want it to, how I think it can sound, then, you know, I have to be able to communicate it at least. Right. Francis Arevalo - 14:20 If, if I learned these production skills and tool sets and stuff just so I can communicate it to someone who can do it better than I can, then that's like, a win in terms of, like, the. The investment that I put into myself, but in a pinch and when I really want to, like, I could make the full song if I needed to, but my. What you're talking about is, like, I want to take it as far as I can get it and then invite in collaborators or hand it off to another producer to, like, take it where I can't take it. That's my favorite form of collaboration. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 14:52 Beautiful. So now, in the last seven years of production and rapping, at what point did it start to dawn? Right. I understand that you had, of course, practiced your craft, understood the ins and outs of the game and how you get to be a wordsmith, but at what point did it get to hit you that you could possibly make this. You make something out of this. Like, you could possibly, you know, blossom into, like, a. Like a legit artist. Francis Arevalo - 15:23 I. You know, I think over. Over these seven years, like, I have been releasing things like here and there, like a little single or a little mixtape, a little ep, but it was all, like, it. As I look back on those seven years, I'm like, you know, I think I was still very raw. Like, I was still very. I was, like, on the way to becoming what I am now. And I think something about the last year or two, like, when I look back on some of these songs, like, I can't wait. Like, I started that in 2018, I think, but I think now I hear it. I'm like. That's what I hear in my head fnally. Like, what is outside in the world is what I heard in my head all this time. Now it's real. That's when I felt ready. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 16:05 Okay. Okay. So the two singles we want to talk about before we go, like, just drill down to those singles itself. Heat check. So if were to talk about a theme that Hitcheck is driving towards, what. What would be that overarching theme? Francis Arevalo - 16:25 Yeah. Are you from. Do you play basketball or, like, love basketball at all? Like, that's what that. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 16:30 Okay, so that means I don't love it enough not to know, right? Francis Arevalo - 16:34 No, it's. It's all. It's all good. I mean, yeah, he check is like. He checks the term where, like, you hit a few. You hit a few shots, and you start feeling yourself, and then you take another shot to see if you're still hot. Yeah, yeah. So that's where. That's where he check comes from is like. It's like, I'm gonna make. I'm gonna get these shots in and, like, Be on fre, basically. And I think the sound of. Or, like, why I chose that is kind of twofold for. For basketball. Like, it. Basketball has, like, offered me so many lessons in my life. Like, I was never, like, amazing at basketball. Like, I. But I, like, played throughout all my. My childhood, in my. My high school years and stuff. And it's become a constant core of, like, how I go about my. Francis Arevalo - 17:27 My life. Like, I'm shooting hoops somewhere, even just, like, as therapy sometimes, like, or whether or not I'm playing a game. It has given me a lot in my life. The reason I chose Heat Check is because all of the songs on this record kind of sound like you're on fre in a basketball game. Yeah, like that. That's. That's what I'm trying to scratch at. And when I. When I think about what. Why did I choose basketball as the core metaphor for this record? It's because in my head, it's. It's the same energy when I'm playing on a basketball. Basketball court as when I'm on stage and doing my thing as a rapper and as a producer, you know, and then there's also this element of the record is the sound of me in conversation with younger me while shooting hoops. Francis Arevalo - 18:30 So that's why, like, all the COVID art is like, young. Young Francis is because, like, there's like, a conversation with my inner child happening throughout the project. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 18:41 Oh, man. So many places to go with that, bro. How do I even begin? Okay, so I noticed the lyric video you put up. I was gonna ask you that because they were all hoops, right? Like, I'm like, okay, like, what's the connection? But you've just made that for me. So thank you very much. We're going to come to. Okay, tell me about. I Can't Wait. Tell me about that one single. And we're going to come to the other one where I think you feature Desiree. Yeah. Francis Arevalo - 19:15 Desiree Dawson. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 19:17 I had the pleasure of speaking with her, like, last year or the year before. Francis Arevalo - 19:21 Before. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 19:21 But it's also been a very interesting ride to have all of this. Insights into artists. But tell me about. I Can't wait and what. What essentially you're trying to say with that record. Francis Arevalo - 19:35 Yeah, so you mentioned that. That documentary that, like, about my story and stuff. And, you know, the. The quick of that is I went through it really difcult, like, mental health crisis period of my. Of my life. And it. It brought up a lot of questions about, like, mortality and purpose and what. What am I going to spend my Life doing that will actually want me to stay alive, like, day to day. And eventually I landed on music, and I didn't know what that actually meant back in 2016, like, to commit my life to music and the communities that are a part of it. But I can't wait is the sound of that conviction. I can't wait is the sound of like, I found direction and purpose that I, I got by facing hard questions. Francis Arevalo - 20:28 And this is the sound of that urgency that, like, fre that, like, that maybe a bit of like, triumph even over, like, a difcult time in my life. So that's what that feeling in me sounds like in musical form. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 20:45 Okay, if you don't mind me asking, at what period of your life, at what age does stuff happen to you? Because I want to make a point here. Francis Arevalo - 20:54 Sure, yeah. Like the, like, when does this crisis time happen? Efe Mike-Ifeta - 20:58 Yes. Francis Arevalo - 21:00 So the, that period is like Ch. January of 2015. I began like, the onset of a manic episode. And so through spring of 2015, I, I, I was like, psychotic and manic. And I ended up in a psychiatric ward for a month at the end of that, and then the following year after that. So about like 2015 into 2016 was like, recovery. So that's about that year and a half what that looked like. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 21:33 Gotcha. So I, I take it that you were. So now in this same piece of stuff I watched, I see that the inward turn had a lot to do, or rather had some to do with your father. And you kind of gave this kind of idea that, you know, it was time that you stopped idolizing people out there and make people who were close to you kind of like your heroes. Right? I. And that was so profound. That was so profound. But you were also young at the time. Like, I think I'm trying to drive towards your character now and how certain events have shaped you as opposed to taking you apart. Where would you say that ability to harness really difcult times and hard times? Where do you say that ability to harness it into something positive? What does it come from? Francis Arevalo - 22:36 Oh, I got chills with that question. Oh, my God. That's, you know, I think, you know, all throughout life, you know, individually and certainly with my family, my f. My. Both my parents immigrating here young with, like, their families from the Philippines, like, the. There, there's like this sense of like, I guess, resilience and like, perseverance that, you know, which has had been like a default for a while to kind of like, get through to the next day sometimes. And of course, like, I learned some skills through that, but I think. I think really it was that time between 2015 and 2016 where I. That time did take me apart. I. I won't, like, avoid that. Like, it did. It did. I did break. I. There was almost like a hard reset in my life. The. The. Francis Arevalo - 23:40 The creative, professional, academic paths that I was on at that time, like, they were no longer options because, like, I base. It felt like I messed my life up for like, a year and a half. And, you know, I. I realized somewhere among that time that, like, it's up to me to piece it back together. It's up to me at the end of the day to build the. The behaviors and the systems and the practices and the rituals to become the person that I know I want to be and may am. And I think there's like a. There's a fghting spirit that's, like, in my family, and I think that kind of, like, I. I defnitely drew on that. I. I drew on, like, on my. My family's ability to make things out of nothing sometimes. And. And I. Francis Arevalo - 24:36 Yeah, I mean, I was talking to a friend last night about this time, actually, and something that was refected back to me is, like, sometimes you don't know how strong you are until you need to. You need to apply it. And. Yeah, what went from a hard reset to kind of like, feel like starting over from scratch led to being really intentional with everything I say and do and, like, invite into my life and do that over and over for seven years. Like, you end up. I end up here. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 25:08 Yeah, man. Yeah, I think so. I think that's what I hear when I talk to you, right? Beyond the music, beyond the producer hat you wear. I. I hear. I hear that. I hear that. That. What's the word now? It's almost like you're seasoned, right, because of the stuff that has happened. Like, it has seasoned you. And I hear that. Francis Arevalo - 25:44 I appreciate that. I appreciate that. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 25:47 I hear that. I hear that. Okay, I'm sorry. Just give me a moment here, man. Francis Arevalo - 25:57 Yeah, no problem. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 26:03 So in the recent past, I've been talking to a few people who are able to be as vulnerable as yourself right now, and there's nothing I have appreciated more because I kind of have seen life through a very kind of unique and interesting journey as well. But I think it's all refreshing when. When people speak about this stuff openly and, you know, just show that even if we strive for immortality through our art, that we are also human as well. And That's. That's. I think both of them is the entirety of our story. So I'm. I'm appreciative of your ability to talk about that as honestly as you have. So thank you very much, sir. Francis Arevalo - 26:52 Thank you. I'm very grateful for that. Thank you for the space and the. The questions to explore that for sure. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 26:58 Awesome. Awesome. So the other single, again, I think this is something that I'm gonna have you back on this show to talk about. Heat Check when it eventually drops. But tell me about. Do you. Tell me. Just tell me about the process of making it. But I'm certainly gonna reach out to Carrie and when that album drops. Drops. I'd love to have a much in depth conversation about it with you. Picking apart the songs, just going through. I'm a huge fan of lyrics as well, but now we're just covering the surface. Right. So. But I'm going to talk to you much more when I get into the music and listen to your wordplay and all of that. So. But just tell me about. Do you, sir. Francis Arevalo - 27:45 Thank you. No, I appreciate that. Intention frst. I mean, do you know? Do you. Yeah, I mean, I guess. Do you? Is the sound of what happens after I realized I can't wait, right? I can't wait is like, okay, I'm alive still. I'm dedicate myself to. To this and this in my communities. Now what I mean, the answer is, like, do you, like, just be yourself fully? And the joy of that song is that the reason that I. I brought Desiree into that was not only is she, you know, an amazing artist and, you know, collaborator, but also she's a friend. And the fact that the idea of, like, the chorus dropping, then we're just saying, do you to each other, like, that's. That brings my heart so much joy, honestly. Francis Arevalo - 28:35 The fact that we get to just encourage each other to be ourselves together. And there's like a kind of. There's a kind of, like, magic when you and. And someone else or you and multiple people can all feel good about, like, stepping into yourselves fully as a. As a unit or, like, as a community or as a collective. And I'm. I'm just so grateful that song got to. Gets to be what it was because it's. It only gets to be real and impactful because of the communities that I'm a part of. Like, the. The opening lyrics of it is like, tell me you're cooking with magic. This is our living room. Home court advantage, right? Francis Arevalo - 29:20 As if, like our living room, like, the place where we hold each other and rest and go through life together is like the court on which we're a team and like it. Yeah. That song means so much to me, and I'm fnally glad that, like, I'm glad that it fnally has dropped. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 29:39 Sure, man. For sure. Again, congratulations on both. On both singles. Congratulations on the album. Like I said, I'm intentional about getting you here when I am fully immersed in the project and I can pick out parts and I can. Tell me, how did you. How did you arrive on that rhyme? And you know, what does this means? But, yeah, I'm so looking forward to that. We just want to say congratulations, bro. It's an honor to meet you for the frst time. It wouldn't be the last. I don't want to belabor all of your other achievements and working with artists and managing artists and all the things that you already doing. So for now, I'm just going to say congrats. Congratulations. We're gonna support you as best as we can here. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 30:31 We're gonna cut this up and put it up and try and just point people to the. To the incredible music that you're making. You rap so good. Francis Arevalo - 30:45 Thank you. Thank you. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 30:50 I just. I was working around the house and. And I had you on my headphones on. I was just bopping, man. I was just. Francis Arevalo - 30:57 Oh, man, thank you. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 30:59 The cadence, the. The rhythm, the fow in what you do, It's. It's. It's just. It's right there, man. You're in it, man. You're in it. You're in it. You're in it, man. And I want to say big ups, man, For. For. For. For learning the craft. Francis Arevalo - 31:21 Oh, man, that. That. That refection is such an afrmation to me, man. Like, thank you for, like, thank you for sitting with it and being with it and like, and tuning into that level of detail. Because, like, yeah, like, that's. That's why I did it. Right. That's why I do it, is to make sure that the craft stays sharp. And I just love. I just. Yeah, I'm gonna hold that with me for a long time. Thank you so much. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 31:46 Yeah, yeah. Okay. So being a producer, being a rapper, this is just like a question I usually just ask to round up stuff at the point you envisioned this stuff. I know different songs were written at different times and eventually before you got an album ready product, but when you look at the point where you started to think about this album and what you eventually have in your hand or. Or like a list on Spotify or wherever it is at. How would you, how close would you say you came to what you had envisioned? Francis Arevalo - 32:23 Oh, that's a good question. I think. Yeah. I think when I was envisioning this project, I think the form that it was going to take, I was always open to seeing where the creative and musical energies would lead to. Really what I, really, what I wanted was I wanted an album of music that I could play basketball and I, I think I got it. Like, I think I ended up with a body of work where I'm like, I could put that on or I could. We'll see. I'll have to ask my friends to see. Like, would you hoop to this music? But I, I, I think I got it. And I, I will say that, like, yeah. Track list. Francis Arevalo - 33:13 When the track list locked in, it was so satisfying because I'm one of those people where the track list is moving every single day for months and sometimes multiple times in the same day. But I feel good about. Efe Mike-Ifeta - 33:29 Awesome. Awesome. It's so good to hear that again. We're defnitely going to talk more, but for today, thank you for your time. Francis, it's been a blast. I have learned a lot. I'm gonna go listen back to this stuff, but yeah, we'll keep talking for sure. But thank you so much for your time, sir. I appreciate it. Francis Arevalo - 33:49 Much love. Thank you. I appreciate you so much.