THE TAP IN FT. Galaxy Francis

If you're tapped into Chicago's music scene, you've most likely already heard the work of Galaxy Francis in some shape or form. There's nothing he doesn't do musically. He raps, sings, produces, and more. This time around, he's flexing his genre-bending, otherworldly talent on his newest release iNNERGALACTiC:SiDE A, which boasts features from Manasseh, Jay Wood, Chan000, + Icy Ls. Step into the mind of Galaxy Francis below AND press play on iNNERGALACTiC:SiDE A while you're at it!

Who is Galaxy Francis?

Hmmm that’s a pretty deep first question. Who are any of us when you really think about it? A combination of thoughts and actions I suppose, innit?

Where are you from? What side of the city?

You wanna know a secret? I’m not from this Earth. I never had a birth. But I do not, however, keep a Glock in my purse.

What’s 1 goal you have for your career?

I’m very ambitious so there’s a lot of goals but if I had to choose one to guarantee it to happen, it’s to take care of my family and provide resources for my community. However that takes shape, I’m open to it.

Describe your upcoming projects in 2 words.

🤔🤔🤔. Cinematic & Introductory.\

3 influences?

Spoken word/battle rap. Language arts. Good taste

If you had to pick one song of yours for people to listen to 1st, what song would you pick? Why?

The Shining is probably the most inviting song I have that showcases all of my primary skills, songwriting, production, harmony, and engineering

How does where you’re from influence your sound and style as an artist?

Tbh the older I’ve gotten I don’t think it played as much of a factor as the internet did. My family introduced me to a lot of music. My dad listened to a lot of R&B and West Coast rap in the 90s. My grandmother played a lot of Luther Vandross, Motown, Lou Rawls. That type of music.

The internet took me from there, I found out about so many regions of music through YouTube and this pirating site called Limewire. I’m talking all the East Coast and Southern Rap was all my own research and love for music. My grandmother’s ear gave me a huge love for soul music through the years.

You produce, engineer, and even do background vocals. How does your expertise in these different areas make you better as a solo artist?

I think of it like I get to practice all my skills at all times. I can walk in any session and provide value. People trust my ear enough to try my crazy ideas. It takes a lot of pressure off of what I feel like I have to do as my own brand. Imagine I’m a basketball player and I play for several different teams but when I come back to my home team I can play my game, my offense, and I’m dropping Jokic numbers all because of the experiences I’ve had playing roles within other systems.

How does this make your creative process different from an artist who doesn’t do all these things?

My creative process might be different in that I hear all parts of the process at once. As I’m recording the verse, I hear arrangement changes, I know what effects I want on my voice. I have more tasks and things I consider while I’m creating so my bag is deeper. I just might pull more things out than someone else at any given time but I like to think all of us creatives pull from the same energy source. We are all searching for that Eureka feeling. I’m still always a student though. All of that is cool but if it don’t feel right or you lose the “head bounce” as I call it, then all of those tools are just vanity, and ego. I’m always looking to learn, try something new, or surprise myself.

With this new project otw, what kind of tone do you want to set in this new era as Galaxy Francis? What should listeners expect from a Galaxy Francis project?

This first EP, you’ll meet my character Andromeda for sure. Andromeda is who you hear on SOURFACES/Skip 2 My Lou. Andromeda likes noticeable voice alteration, clever one-liners, and a good bass line. I’m good at building worlds. In the Galaxy universe.

This first EP is a short stop on Earth for a smoke and car ride before we meet Sir Francis. Andromeda is a more braggadocio-style presentation. He raps about his vices, weed, clothes, and random life discoveries. Francis tho? He’s the singer, the lover, the more vulnerable one. He’s the more emotional of the two. There’s glimpses of Sir Francis on Side A in a couple of spots but May 24th (iNNERGALACTiC:SiDE A) is Andromeda’s turn.

You’ve worked with everyone from Jay Wood to Manasseh to Tri Nohbi and so many more. Describe what it’s like to have such a strong presence in Chicago’s music scene. Does seeing all these talented people work inspire/influence your approach to your own music?

Out of all of them, Manasseh is probably the most influential. We were roommates and we still work together a lot. He’s taught me the most about how to use my voice and be confident in it just by watching him, asking for his input on things. I’m a quick learner and the bare bones of my vocal production have been solid for a while but when I met him, I elevated to another level in vocal production. All of the Chicago artists really inspire me to be better. Knowing that these are my peers makes a lot of things feel possible.

Again with the basketball references, imagine being on the court with the best players and you not only hold your own, but you stand out. You not only earn the respect of players and fans alike, but you also earn the confidence that you can step in any arena and perform at a high level. Honestly, I feel like LeBron in the studio, I can do it all but I’m also an on-floor coach. I’m looking to get looks for my teammates, I know the game, and I make those around me better. I can’t win alone, I know that, but I can also play on any team and get that trophy. That’s the Francis way.

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GET IN TUNE WITH GALAXY FRANCIS ON INSTAGRAM & SPOTIFY