Rashad, 29, grew up in Oak Cliff, where he still spends time with family, “getting into shit” with friends. He always had a passion for music but didn’t pursue hip-hop until after graduating high school.
On his most recent album, The Process, he details his journey from the car accident to now. “Lost Days,” a downtempo track with Houston influences, sees Rashad “meditating and checking in” with himself after “too many days lost in the wind.” On the trippy, kickdrum-driven “The Wake Up,” he acknowledges that he’s not being truthful to himself or to others, rapping, “When you see me, I look good, but I barely get by.”
“I don't want to work for nobody on a 9-to-5 basis,” Rashad says. “If I’m gonna do this, I’ve got to really understand it [doesn’t happen] overnight. It’s a process. It’s me going through my ups and the downs.”
The album cover shows a car flipped over, the same car Rashad was driving. He was able to climb out of the car “only slightly wounded.” The day of the wreck was also the last day he worked his job at a major airline and the first day of his journey toward becoming a multifaceted entrepreneur. He may not be entirely where he wants to be just yet, but as he says, it’s a process.
“After the accident, I was like ‘Hell, no,’ if I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die doing something I want to do,” Rashad says. “At this point, I haven’t punched in for anyone else.”
Last year, Rashad and his brother launched a fashion line and lifestyle brand called Hood Hippie Culture. He celebrated their debut at a pop-up last month and plans to launch an online store this summer. Following suit of his business role models Nipsey Hussle and Master P, Rashad wants to see other Black entrepreneurs creating their own business ventures, regardless of any obstacles they face.
“After the accident, I was like ‘Hell, no,’ if I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die doing something I want to do ... At this point, I haven’t punched in for anyone else.” – Frank Rashad
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The launch of Hood Hippie Culture comes in tandem with “Dive,” a track on The Process in which Rashad acknowledges his “problems with liquor” and beginning his day "with a swisher,” and other habits keeping him from accomplishing his goals.
“We just had to let people know it's possible,” Rashad says. “Being a minority in the system, you can own things. It doesn’t have to be drugs or something negative. So that's what this is.”
With stylish streetwear, hats and other accessories, Rashad says Hood Hippie Culture is only the beginning of his conglomerate. This summer, he plans to launch a concert series called Southern Saturdays, in which he will “pay homage to Southern beats,” with an accompanying EP. He also plans to release a few more singles. As an entrepreneur and a rapper, Rashad hopes to inspire generations after him to pursue their dreams, no matter how long it takes to accomplish them.
“It’s become a movement, in a sense,” Rashad says. “It’s like we’re building something a little bit bigger and something for everyone as well.”