Born in the slums of Jackson, MS, in one of the city’s most notorious hoods, Virden Addition, rapper Franchize has made a wave like no other. His love for the rap game started as just a hobby of fun and games with his brother Cool Jazz and his dad in a 1996 drop top Camaro cruising through the city. As the years went on, he was always ready and willing to to drop in on friendly freestyle sessions or even an actual feature on songs with his friends, but never took the time out to make it a consistent thing. Nothing peaked his interest in the least bit more than his first ever love, basketball. His accolades in the sport during his years at Bailey Magnet High School not only made him more popular, but also built the confidence for an audience that he didn’t even know awaited him. Still putting off the music, he continuously pursued his basketball dream through college where the teammates along with other students would constantly advise him to take the music seriously. Paying them no mind, what was destined continued to unfold right before his eyes. As he slowly but surely began to covert, Franchize did more features for friends, but what stood out the most was his wordplay in a bar for bar Instagram battle with another local artist from around the way. The feedback he’d received baffled him. So much that he thought about making this an actual thing. It took a while for him to fully commit after the death of the city’s next best thing “Lil Lonnie” who was also from Virden Addition. He later changed his views and used the passing of Lonnie as motivation, leading him to release his first single and video to a freestyle cover, as a test to see if the love would remain consistent if he did the same with the music. He hasn’t looked back since. Not only is he one of the top trending artists in Jackson, but now he, his older brother Cool Jazz, and younger cousin Drako have united as a collective to form the Cool Crue. Drop after drop the craft has been nothing less of impressive along with the relentless work ethic they’ve displayed. It’s safe to say that the journey of Franchize is one for the books. He hopes to make a big enough mark in the industry where there’s no question about who he is, or what he brings to the table, but that won’t be a problem as long as he stays focused and continues to grow.