In 2015, Oliver Francis was filming a simple music video in a parking lot through the rearview camera of his car. In 2018, his video concepts may be similar, but the changes in production value are immense.
Press play on his new video, “Anti-Grav,” and you’ll find Oliver rapping against a backdrop of an intense lightning storm. Oliver flows and vibes out in the storm as the lightning flashes and our view switches from one focused camera angle to the next. It’s fitting as he truly has weathered some storm clouds to arrive at his current position in the game.
Keep my Day 1s around me // Both these middle fingers up // Fuck anybody that doubt me
In just a few years, Oliver went from working dead end jobs to becoming an artist with millions of plays and an incredibly loyal fan base, and he did it all with an insane work ethic, alongside help from his friends. Oliver’s musical output has been non-stop for the past three or four years. Hundreds of bars, hundreds of beats, dozens of hooks, and dozens of music videos. His work ethic is largely unmatched, which is what truly set him apart from his peers and allowed him to transcend his original niche of cloud-trap SoundCloud star.
But he wasn’t without his fair share of haters. Detractors were quick to comment on his appearance and his older lyrical content that they believed wasn’t representative of himself. Storm clouds came but Oliver is still here.
Unfazed, Oliver kept his pace dropping project after project, refining his sound and growing into himself with each release. Over the course of his last several releases Oliver has grown as an artist and he’s never been more himself than right now.
As a promo single, “Anti-Grav” largely revolves around its hook and many of Oliver’s signature stylings make an appearance. Bathing Ape reference? Check. Slick, auto-tuned flows? Most definitely. Kingdom Hearts sample? Why not. Still, longtime fans will notice some subtle nods to his growth like how he’s ditched the Vitamin Water and is now “sippin’ Gatorade.”
I watch the lightning in the sky, yeah // Kick this shit in Overdrive // Do or die, yeah
Oliver’s continued growth and development will culminate in his to-be-released project, OVERDRIVE. It’s a short focused project that will find Oliver channeling his inner mixtape-Weezy as he ditches poppy hooks for a complete concentration on raps. He recently explained that it’s the first time he’s ever felt comfortable releasing a project like this, and it’s clear that his fans will be supporting him no matter what.
The past few months I have been obsessed with my next project being a commercial success. OVERDRIVE will probably be 4-5 songs. Very long winded and wordy. Pretty much just me rapping my ass off. No hit songs wit infectious hooks. And I finally decided to be okay with that. 🙂
— Oliver 🐯 (@oliverxfrancis) August 23, 2018
It wasn’t easy for Oli to reach this point. As an artist he’s grown exponentially since filming those early videos. He’s weathered the storm. He’s fought against the gravity to reach heights above his contemporaries. He’s put in the work and I’m sure someday soon he’ll be able to just smoke his dope and watch anime. For now we’ve just got to wait and see what other gems he can create as he shifts into overdrive. Make sure to catch Oliver Francis on The Overdrive Tour this fall and stay on the lookout for OVERDRIVE due later this year.
In the meantime, watch “Anti-Grav” down below.