I first stumbled upon Jose Franco over a year ago ago rapping under the moniker “TIME TKING DESTINO” and was hooked instantly to his genuine relatable rhymes, a rarity in this day and age where fake shit is all around us. His previous EP, Digital Drip, was about trying to stay sane while battling toxic relationships and habits, something I think we all struggle with on an everyday basis to some degree. Franco maintained a tranquil flow over wavy, minimalist production with Digital Drip which helped his lyrics stand out; however loosies like “Link” and “Middleman”, as well as a few Decent Militia features, showed us he was capable of hopping on bangers with ease and holding his own.
Fast forward to 2017 and we finally have an EP of straight heat from Jose Franco with high caliber production contributions from Linus, Brent Rambo, and Lord Fubu. As with most fun, high energy rap music you will find some traces of materialism and bravado (“VVS”), and disses for the haters (“Popped”) on this release. With the final song, “High Beam”, Jose takes the listener full circle giving a glimpse of his TIME TKNG DESTINO persona which at the end of the day isn’t a separate entity but the flip side of the same coin. In my opinion that is what Back From Across The Border accomplishes best, showcasing the duality in Franco’s music which will have you bumping it ignorantly in the whip with one track and reminiscing about your manipulative ex-girlfriend with the next. Stay Decent and stream Back From Across The Border below to experience the EP for yourself!
You can catch Jose Franco performing with the entire Decent Militia, as well as special guest Nina Tech, this Thursday at Reggies Rock Club on 2109 S State St. BiGBODYFiJi will be performing all the hits from Messico for the first time so this is a night you will definitely not want to miss.