With his melodic flow and self-made beats, Missouri rapper Oliver Francis has cultivated a thriving DIY career. • Inspired by Green Day, Francis learned guitar in his teens and played in several bands. He switched to rap circa 2013, starting with remixes and later crafting original songs. • He launched his hip-hop career via Tumblr and Soundcloud. The artist has posted tracks from three different accounts, and one handle soon amassed 60,000 followers. • Francis recorded the 2016 mixtape things aren’t that simple during late-night sessions while working as a hospital janitor. His girlfriend would often be asleep in the same room. • His breakthrough 2016 track “wwaavvyy”—off the mixtape burnout—surpassed a million video views in four months. • Another 2016 track, “Aahhyeahh," has amassed more than 40 million streams across platforms. • The rapper’s third album, 2019's The Adventures of Oliver Francis, includes “Fu2,” a celebration of perseverance and success that’s racked up millions of streams.