Don’t call it a comeback for rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer Fresco Kane.
The East St. Louis one-man band is mixing early 2000s swag with his latest hits, Coke Bottle featuring Nelly and On My Bull….] in which he samples “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop” by Young Gunz. His resume doesn’t stop there, he produced and is featured on Chingy’s latest project Chinglish which is set to drop at the top of 2023.
“I’m a chameleon, I know how to adapt to the culture of music today, and I think that’s why I have the success that I have today,” said Fresco Kane.
The artist says that he records his own songs, mixes the sound, and makes his own beat.
Music has been a part of the rapper’s life since he was a child. It started at Calvary Baptist Church. His grandma Bae Bae made sure he had a relationship with God, Kane told The American.
He would walk to church by himself, and he also went to Sunday School and Summer Vacation Bible School .
“I love church, and I love music,” said Kane.
Calvary Baptist Church is where the rap artist got his first taste of the spotlight. It was during Summer Vacation Bible School when it was announced that the drummer for the choir couldn’t attend Sunday service and someone was needed to fill in. Twelve-year-old Fresco Kane raised his hand saying that he could play the drums, however, there was a little fib attached to his volunteering for the job. Fresco had never played the drums before.
“I had never played the drums before in my life, but when I got on the drum set I could play. That had to be God because at that moment I had no idea what I was doing,” said the rapper.
Not only is Fresco Kane a talented rapper, producer, songwriter, and singer, but he also plays five instruments and really is a one-man band. Since fourth grade, he’s played in the school band. His instrumental skills range from the clarinet, bass clarinet and saxophone to drums and piano.
In the eight grade, his older cousin taught him how to write rap lyrics. They were hanging out making up songs to a variety of beats and when it came time to record the songs, the local rapper says he laid the track in one take. Instead of using the lyrics they had written, once Fresco Kane heard the beat, the lyrics flowed from him like second nature.
“From that point on I was a rapper, I started selling my tapes and CDs at school,” said Fresco Kane.
The then middle schooler became an instant hit. He says by his senior year at Cahokia High School he was small town famous.
His major hit was in 2006 debut, when he dropped Dope Boy Fresh as an independent artist. Hhis then rap name was Gena and he was just a youngster in the game of rap. He was so used to creating music out of his mother’s basement that made working in a professional studio seemed like a whole new world for the young artist.
His first hit song came about when he was playing around with a beat drum. He started coming up with some lyrics that flowed with the beat and he added that he remembers going from the engineering table to the studio to rap his lyrics. And before he knew it, he had a hit song. Local artists Chingy and Kyuan and Murphy Lee of the St. Lunatics liked the young rapper’s song so much they asked if they could be featured on the hit sounding song.
Local DJ Cuddy Montana from 100.3 The Beat dropped the song on the radio. Dope Boy Fresh topped the charts, playing on all the local R&B/rap stations here. It was a song everyone was dancing the chicken head to, everybody wanted to be dope boy fresh.
Fresco Kane described his feelings when he heard his song on the radio, “I was like wow, that’s really me. But if you ask anyone from the east side they would say, Gena been doing this. So my song playing on the radio station was gratification for them, it was for my people.”
He says people are still getting hip, a lot of people don’t know he writes, and produces all of his songs.
His hit song and talents have given him the opportunities to work with living legends like Jermain Dupri, CEO of So So Def record label. Fresco Kane signed to Dupri’s record label in 2012 right before he changed his stage name from Gena to Fresco Kane. He says he got the name from one of his favorite movies, Menace II Society. However, his new name didn’t sit so well with L.A. Reid and for two months L.A. Reid’s team tried to come up with a more catchy name for the artist, but nothing worked. They couldn’t agree on a name.
“I told L.A. Reid I’m sticking with my name and he was like, alright,” said Fresco Kane.
Being connected to music greats like Jermaine Dupri and L.A. Reid has allowed the local rap star to work with living legends like Mariah Carey. He wrote “With You” from her 15th album Caution in 2018.
“I love Mariah,” said Fresco Kane. He remembers their studio session like it was yesterday, they were just chilling out in the studio and his nerves were all over the place, he brought a bottle of Remy to calm his jitters.
He would sneak a sip here and there while they were creating lyrics for the song. He says Carey was drinking some wine, and she asked him what he was drinking whether she could taste his drink.
Well of course he shared his Remy with one of the most incredible singers above ground. He says from then on his nervousness went away and the song ‘With You” was created from them just chilling in the studio like they had known each other for some time.
Fresco Kane hopes to work with more musical greats like Pharrell Williams who has produced music for Jay-Z, Kanye West, Robin Thicke, Snoop Dogg, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, as well as top charting rap artists Future and Lil Baby.
“At this point in my career and life, everything is ordained,” said Fresco Kane.
Ashley Winters is The St. Louis American Report for America reporter
