Franklin Tshimini Nsombolay, better known as Frank T, was born on 10 April 1973 in Kinshasa, when the current Democratic Republic of the Congo was still known as Zaire. He was the first of six brothers, and at the young age of two, he moved definitively to Spain with his entire family. He currently lives in Madrid and is a well-known reference in the musical panorama of that city.

Frank T´s relationship with hip-hop dates back to the 80s: in 1988, he recorded his first Spanish rap record, Madrid Hip Hop, with several groups from the capital. The rapper already stood out in Torrejón de Ardoz with his improvised rhymes. Together with a childhood friend, Emy Power, and a hip hop DJ, Manolo, he created a rap group known as Top Productions.

After working with this group and several years of experience and recordings, Frank T launched his solo career in 1996. After publishing his second record in 1998, Los pájaros no pueden vivir en el agua porque no son peces, he became the number one rap artist in Spain.

His background as a musician includes the publication of six solo records, several as a producer for artists such as Arianna Puello and La Excepción, and two records with his former group. He worked on the soundtrack of the documentary titled Bagdad Rap, he frequently appears on Radio 3, he has his own opinion column in the 20 minutos newspaper, and he has also been involved in directing and producing musicals.

In 2006, Fran T published Sonrían por favor, which is a display of daring productions resulting of his magnificent evolution as a producer.

Sources:

• The singer´s official website

• Frank T´s Myspace

Additional information:

• Frank T shows the keys to hip-hop and rhymes at Casa África