Oliver Francis

Alexander Francis Kelly (born June 12, 1992), known professionally as Oliver Francis or just Oliver is an independent rapper/producer from Columbia, MO.
Oliver is known for being "DIY," making almost all of his own beats, and recording and directing the majority of his music videos with the help of his entourage.
Born in Ashland, Missouri, Oliver first performed in local bands, Treebeard and Glory Days, while also making solo music and remixing songs under aliases Alex Kelly and Oliver Kites.
His earliest known job before focusing solely on music was being a janitor at a hospital, which Oliver mentions in multiple interviews.
In 2015, Oliver and his band Glory Days released one final project called Nail In My Coffin before he switched exclusively to rap. This change came after his girlfriend heard a rap single he made named Purp and convinced him to pursue rap. He went on to release mixtapes such as Gold Vol. 1, If You Need a Friend, Club Swoosh, and $pla$h Hou$e 3, also releasing his first music video for a song called LWTGG.
The following year, Oliver released what some fans regard as some of his best work: Bape Music, Things Aren't That Simple, and Burnout. This is when Oli quit his job as a janitor and decided to pursue music full-time.
In 2017, Oliver started to approach music differently. He stopped distorting his voice and dropped references to heavy drugs and firearms. He wanted to create more genuine music and capture how he was really feeling. This is where "Chlorine," his debut album, came to life. Regarded by some fans as his most cohesive work, "Chlorine" features a more natural voice and more authentic topics. He also released A Million Miles An Hour, featuring many hit tracks such as "Gene Simmons," "AEOU," "The Mud," "TRU$T," and "Headphones." After his YouTube channel reached 100,000 subscribers, he released a single called 100k.
In 2018, Oliver proved he would not conform to any specific genre by continuing to release diverse music such as Infinity Boy and the infamous unreleased boom-bap album Overdrive. In the fall of 2018, he embarked on the Overdrive Tour, performing all around the US and Europe.
Although Overdrive was fully completed in 2019 and had commissioned cover art, Oliver still decided to scrap the album for personal reasons.
The same year, Oliver released The Adventures Of Oliver Francis with features from "Global Dan," GBC's "Cold Hart," and longtime collaborator "Big Baby Scumbag." Oli also released singles such as "BERSERK" and "Tangerine Summer." He also dropped "SEPHIROTH," a single from the EP "CROWN OF DEATH," which was released shortly after.
In 2020, Oliver took a brief hiatus to focus on his personal life. He also used this time to work on his album "VIOLENCE." The lead single and title track "VIOLENCE" was released in September, showcasing the mellow, sci-fi, more thought-out style Oli had in mind for the album.
In 2021, Oliver announced he would be creating and signing to "Wild Halo Records" under "Hopeless Records" after releasing the second single from the album, "TOXIC PARADISE," in March. He signed with "Hopeless" to help with the album rollout (although it wouldn't be released until 2024). Two more notable releases from this era were "Oli FM" and "Memory_Lo55." "Oli FM" was a chill, lo-fi, radio station-inspired EP, while "Memory_Lo55" was a more raw, rock-inspired EP.
In 2022, Oliver released two more "VIOLENCE" singles: "Freaks" and "Bark At The Moon." Along with these, he announced he would be parting ways with "Hopeless Records." Oliver released one single before dropping the fully Boom-Bap EP "Pond Scum" in October. He also released an album called "Hijinks" in September, which received overall good reviews.
In 2023, Oliver released "Pond Scum B-Sides" and multiple singles along with the highly anticipated "Bloom." He then went ahead and dropped "OLIVER'S REVENGE," an album of more urban-sounding hip-hop songs. In July, he announced his new hardcore band LOCKED SHUT.
In 2024, Oliver released many long-awaited singles such as "Blue Skyline," "ANGELS BLOOD," and "GODS." The latter two were singles from the "VIOLENCE" album. Finally, on August 30, 2024, the long-awaited album "VIOLENCE" was released. The album had 8 tracks, with none of the previously released singles included due to the label owning them.
It is unclear what we can expect next from Oliver, but his career is extensive and his discography is fulfilling. Currently, Oliver is working on "LOCKED SHUT," which released "THE NEW CHAOS" on August 23, 2024.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Category:1992 births
Category:Rappers
Category:American people
Category:Producers