Today we’d like to introduce you to Frankie Red.
Frankie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Whenever I get a question like this, my immediate response is “Where do I start?” And truth is, where do I start? There’s so many beginnings. But if I can backdate to a date of significance, it would be back in 2004. I was ten years old in the 5th grade and had written a poem for D.A.R.E. Drug-Free Week, and I really wanted to share it. So I shared it with my teacher and classmates and everyone loved it so much. Somehow, the Principal had gotten word of the Poem, and I somehow made it on the morning announcements, to read it on the LIVE broadcast. Oh My God, I have never had a moment like this, so I was totally stoked and nervous. But through the nerves, I got a thrill. That day, I knew…I knew – tv was my calling.
Throughout my childhood and teens, I was always very involved in extracurricular activities. I participated in all sorts of academic, social, theater, and sports clubs and teams. So public speaking always came natural to me and I loved it. I had also always been a dancer. No formal professional training, but I grew up dancing in my household and my Godfather, who played a big role in my creative aspirations, was a professional Salsa instructor. So it was a hobby I always partook in. I had been dancing in the school dance team since 5th grade. Every year I found out there were tryouts, there I was. Unlike my mother, cheerleading wasn’t really my thing. I loved musical coordination mixed with style and flair. And because music is what drove us and I grew up in a very party-like environment, dancing was always a part of my life. It is paramount to our culture. You literally learn to dance Bachata and Merengue in diapers.
So fast forward, ten years later – I’m teaching workshops at colleges, training at dance studios, receiving professional lessons and sessions. One particular studio became my dance-home and family, and that place is called House of Drums hosted at Muse Center For The Arts Studio in Fort Lauderdale. I had always visited various studios and trained with dancers from all over the world, but DRUMS was different. It’s a place where you can let go and just BE. BE good, BE wack, BE the best, BE the worst, TRY something NEW, FAIL and try AGAIN. I mean, it’s literally an underground dance world where ALL are welcomed. It was “homie”, to say the least.
This is where my taste to performing before the public became a reality. I had always danced and performed in school and throughout college, but this was new. This was having the guts to challenge the center of the cypher. But something else about this dance community caught my eye, and that was the inspirational hour- where members of the DRUMS community will perform and the visionary behind the project will provide a brief inspirational speech after performances. It was so amazing to see that unfold. The music goes down as we all sit Indian-style awaiting to see the talents of our peers and relish in the words of hope from our dear friend.
It was here where I shared my first public spoken word after college. This was the epitome of spitting poetry organically. In a room full of creatives. A judgment-free zone, where we can all just BE. From that very first performance, I had them. It was the very dancers of the community, who began booking me for shows and providing me opportunities to perform at various functions. It was a snowball effect. Through networking and building relationships, one thing opened a door or an opportunity for another. Dance led me to poetry, poetry led me to hosting LIVE shows and Hosting Live shows led me to Host and producing my own TalkRadio show.
Has it been a smooth road?
Hell No! It’s never a smooth road, you HAVE TO overcome challenges. In fact, it’s been a super, duper, journey. Mistakes hurtles, and all. People will doubt you, people will mock you, attempt to deface your name, attempt to strip you of your identity, label you…ultimately, people who are not ultimately happy and satisfied with their lives, will try and throw a wrench in your happiness and your curve your positivity by passing negative judgment. You have to have tough skin, or you’ll never make it. You have to learn to keep going if your heart tells you.
I remember when I was 17, close to graduation, I told Papi I want to be a Journalist, it’s what I had loved to do. At first, my dad was very disappointed in my direction because I had always dreamed and strived to become a Doctor. In fact, a surgeon. And truth be told, he was really looking forward to that, he was always so prideful of his kids. But the reality was, I was always horrible at math and when I met Dr. Kerbal, 10th-grade Chemistry my Sophomore year of high school, we didn’t have much chemistry. I was horrible at that class! I mean, can you imagine? Growing up loving science, winning 1st place at science fairs, flying through Bio with straight A’s my freshman year of high school. Now I’m closer to the finish line and I’m FAILING this? They put Math in SCIENCE??? (My ultimate doom!) No way! I realized THEN, science and math was just NOT my thing and that becoming a doctor was going to be impossible.
But the love to write, speak, and the arts always always lived in me. I was totally nailing English, Speech, Theater, History. I loved the ability to always seek further and keep an open mind to perspective. I knew I’d have the constant support from my parents to do anything that I was artistically drawn to, even if it meant going through short-term disappointment with my father. Well, that short term, lasted about three years and he finally got over it. Today, he shares my posts on social media and tells all his friends what an amazing radio host and poet, his daughter is. I knew he’d come around.
Ultimately, till this day – my ability to overcome obstacles, reflects throughout my transitional, yet versatile development. The ability to live carefree and always strive to excel. I grew up with the mentality to stay encouraged and figure it out, and I always did. Papi was tough, but Mami was sweet – so I learned to both read and embody that Ying-Yang perspective on the world around me. Its what keeps me going.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Redvolution Media story. Tell us more about the business.
Redvolution ENT. & Media is a multi-creative platform for all creative things RED….me! The brand itself embodies the creative arts that add to overall quality of life. From Music to Art (Including body-art), to Dance, to Poetry, to Fashion, to Blogging to Vlogging, to the Art of Conversation. The Redvolution is the ultimate hub for a lifestyle brand that lives and stands by the arts all while paying tribute to the pop culture that surrounds us. Whether that be hosting Talk radio shows and podcasts, spitting poems about social justice and equality, or writing blogs and sparking conversations on social media on a variety of topics, there is always a way to express creatively.
When people hear “The Arts”, they automatically associate it with some form of academy, formal training or higher education. When in reality the arts is all about how it’s carried out- the passion that lies behind the creativity. My very mission with The Redvolution is to spread Love, Positivity, and Laughs as I travel across the country and perform, model, or teach. Whether it be a dance number, dance lesson, spitting a verse, entertaining live or through the wire, nude body-art modeling, creativity and the love for art lies at the core of all of my projects and that in itself is the message.
During my high school days, I began to explore Broadcast journalism as I directed and anchored the morning announcements. I also joined the debate team who was ran by the same teacher and began to fall in love with the art of storytelling and conversation. So much so, that I joined my college paper and quickly moved up the ranks from being a contributing writer to the Editor-in-Chief of the paper within a few months. So writing was always something I actually enjoyed to do. I would look forward to essays and conducting research. Once those subjects became people, I never wanted to stop. I always wanted to learn MORE, talk MORE, listen MORE.
After graduating college, I worked as a District Executive Secretary to a Florida House State Representative. My life was dedicated a day in and day out to the Rep’s schedule, public appearances, and image. Always ensuring people understood his message, working long days and nights on legislation, it was a dream job, like a scene right out of House of Cards. But the reality was, though I had a passion for politics, it wasn’t the same love and passion I shared for entertaining.
When of my proudest moments was last year, in January of 2018, when I ventured out on my own, took a leap of faith and tackled my business head on. I began to network with various local and indie producers, musicians, record labels, production studios and began offering my branding and creative consulting services. Within my first two weeks of branching out, I was booked for events surrounding Grammy weekend in New York. This was a good sign, I was moving in the right direction. Within a few months, my brand began to boom and everyone was getting word of all the projects I was a part of. The beauty of it all is these are things I am truly passionate about. I am passionate about dancing, I am passionate about performing, I am passionate about my radio show, I am passionate about writing, and I am passionate about entertaining. With every new endeavor, I feel like I am THAT much closer to my dreams.
Because I am so family-oriented and attribute a lot of my success to my parent’s constant push, I decided to name go with RED as the official branding for REDvolution. Encompassing the various “Redvoltionary” Project Branches- Red Wordz- Poetry and, Red Dance- Tropical Fusion Dance Workshops, RedL!ghTv- A candid Radio talkshow that unveils “Taboo Topix”, and #aFrankieTale- Blog and YouTube Vlog about my everyday misadventures. “So why Red?” We are Dominican, and descended from Italian grandparents. So to pay homage to those who came before me that paved the way, I simply named my brand after my family, translated in English. My actual last name is Rosso, which means “Red” in Italian. Thus, Red…errythang!
Tell us about your childhood, what were you like growing up?
I grew up in a five-person household with my parents, big brother, little brother and lots of dogs. We moved around a lot, so adapting to new people and places was a concept I learned at a very young age. In our home, music is what drove our days. My parents were both performers and loved to entertain. My mother was your typical girl next door- beautiful, long black hair down to her hips, twiggy-shaped and short, and always with red lipstick. Growing up, she was a cheerleader, every high school heartthrob’s “dream-girl.” My father was your everyday ladies man. Always well dressed in a suit, blinged out, and shiny dress shoes. But see, he was a traveling percussionist. So his life was always on the go, on to the next club. They met in the 80’s in Miami (my hometown), both of Dominican descent, and my mother raised in Jersey (so she has a thick accent), it was always very lively and very loud in my house. So I am literally a walking representation of that….of them! Ha! Very lively, loud, and full of radiant energy. Our house was always like the block party house. We always brought the party and invited everyone!
Music blaring through the speakers to clean the house in the mornings and speaking at high volumes to talk over the music was everyday normal for us. Even during car rides, my father BLASTED his speakers to the absolute MAX every single ride! So fast forward, 15 years later I get my first car, guess who drives with her music at MAX volume? …Right, so naturally, the love for music and the creative and fine arts always came natural to me. My parents were walking examples of that.
My parents always supported my dreams and aspirations and continuously encouraged me as I matriculated through various artistic endeavors. Including my brothers, Ez now 30 and Gino now 18. Anything we wanted to do creatively or artistically, they were there to back us. From Art Club in elementary, Gospel Rapping in my younger years, to following my older brother’s footsteps by playing trumpet, to actually playing for a Jazz Ensemble in my teens throughout middle school, to Acting, Theater, and sports throughout high school, to Directing Stageplays in my young adult life, to teaching Dance, to performing Spoken Word, to Singing, and more recently, my work in radio today. They have literally always supported myself and my brothers. We all had different dreams and aspirations, and as long as we were doing something positive and productive, my parents were there to cheer us on!
With all that being said, I think it’s fair to say it all started at birth, during my early childhood. I was gifted with the blessing of multiple talents and was given to parents who encouraged me every step of the way. So everything I wanted to try, I embraced it. Each creative outlet with their own unique pathway and end goal.
Contact Info:
- Address: Mondays 9pm-11pm: Bacha-Hop Workshop Dancer’s Element Dance Studio 4731 N University Dr, Lauderhill, FL 33351
- Website: www.Redvolution.Red
- Phone: 754-800-4RED (4733)
- Email: rossofrankie@gmail.com
- Instagram: @Frankier_Than_You
- Facebook: @Red Wordz
- Other: @Lachezka on SnapChat
Image Credit:
Rod Deal, Master Q, Ace Photography, Dub Lab Productions, Dare2BDFrnt Photos, Carl Stoveland Photography
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