Today we’d like to introduce you to Frank Rodriguez
Hi Frank, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a young Cuban who since childhood always dreamed and visualized arriving in the United States, the country where dreaming and fulfilling your dreams is not impossible, not as much as in Cuba, living trapped in a dictatorship like the one Cuba has, with almost zero chances of escaping makes you very strong, the many obstacles you face and endure are cruel, my people were always manipulated, the Cuban government told us that the United States was an evil and dirty country, something I never believed and kept me calm to get to where I am today. Leaving Cuba is not easy at all, mainly the problem is the Cuban passport, we have it restricted in 90% of the countries and they always deny the visa, because, of course, Cuba is classified as a terrorist country, so a Cuban arrives in the United States, or waits for the family claim, with the sentence or invests more than 5000 dollars to go out to a third country and make a “cross” as we Cubans call it, the trip consists of arriving in Nicaragua, and from Nicaragua by land or sea to Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, once You arrive in Mexico, go to the border and surrender under the military border command of the United States, the road sounds simple, but many people have been murdered, kidnapped, raped, etc., on that trip from Nicaragua to the border of the United States. I have always liked art and sports since I was little, but in Cuba once again wanting to dream or meet your goals is impossible, you can’t stand out or leave the system because the government itself prevents you from doing it, even so I never gave up and continued fighting for my future and that of my family. My talent was never valued, my intelligence was always underestimated, I worked very hard to escape from that island and reach the land of freedom. Reaching the United States was undoubtedly what I always dreamed and imagined, even more so to be honest, when you vibrate and manifest about who you are or where you want to go without a doubt the universe listens to you, the opportunities in the art world at this moment came to me, I could not believe it with only a month of being in Miami and my first video clip was with an urban artist named Wisin, an exponent of the urban genre, after that, the work did not stop, I worked with countless artists, projects, events, until at the end of my first year, I get the Work that I had always expressed for a whole year, recording with Bad Bunny, being in charge, seeing how he works, what he is capable of has been an incredible awakening, I had the opportunity to work face to face with him, and what caught my attention the most was that personally it was he who chose me, all my friends, family were very happy because, I tell you again, I am a boy who lived trapped on an island under a dictatorship for 23 years since he was born, escaping and arriving in the United States and at the end of my first year Of recording with the number 1 artist in the world, makes it very clear that you will always get where you intend to go. I am currently 25 years old, and I am determined to succeed and show all those boys who sometimes give themselves for the dice or do not have the strength to continue, who continue, who continue, who move forward and never give up, life gives unexpected changes.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was not an easy path, I lived trapped in a dictatorship for 23 years since my birth, where there was no freedom of expression, where escaping from that island was almost impossible without resources, where there was almost no food, we did not have internet until 2018, wifi internet and from 2020 mobile internet. Where the only way of escape was for a family member to give you the parol or family claim, or collect money exactly more than $5,000, money that was impossible to gather by having a salary of less than $50 per month, to be able to escape through third countries, the “crossing” as we Cubans call it, a dangerous journey where being kidnapped, raped or dying were options that could happen to you if you were very unlucky, thank God I was able to arrive safely at the border of the United States
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a Cuban entrepreneur and artist who has always felt passion for business and the world of entertainment, nothing causes me more pleasure than doing or creating businesses as much as being in front of a camera, or on a catwalk or in a movie. I try to connect with social networks and show a little more of myself although I’m still not used to it, I’m very proud to get where I am, I never imagined working with great artists, knowing the places and people I’ve met, my greatest pride is myself, for not giving up, for not stopping fighting for what I love and want. And I’m going to become a big star
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Well, in my life I have taken 2 risks, the first was living in Cuba, I went out to protest for the freedom of Cubans, which the Cuban dictatorship did not take very well and took repercussions against the people and the second was to decide to leave my family in Cuba and escape from the island to achieve my dreams.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gregoryrfz
Image Credits
Bellaoficial
Gregoryrfz
Jbravo
