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Insight Music

 

CapRadio's multimedia showcase of in-studio performances and interviews keeping you in touch our regional scene, the music and its makers.

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Last Friday each month, 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.
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  • Eclectic
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Hobo Johnson: Born From A Corolla Into A Life Of Music

  •  Jonathan Ayestas 
Friday, June 30, 2017 | Sacramento, CA
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Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio
 

Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

It’s been a hot year for Hobo Johnson, and we’re not just talking about the heat.

The Sacramento-based rapper – real name Frank Lopes — has been in high demand since he released a series of videos titled “Hobo Johnson – Live From Oak Park.”

Now Lopes, 22, can add four SAMMIES to his list of accomplishments and he’ll be performing at Concerts in the Park June 30 with his band, the Lovemakers.

We talk with Lopes about his music, how he developed his unique delivery, which he refers to as "sadboi hip-hop" and where he draws his inspiration.

In recent years, he has been profiled by the Sacramento Bee's Chris Macias and Submerge Magazine's Josh Fernandez. Former Sacramento News & Review reporter Janelle Bitker also sampled one of his tracks during a Sound Advice segment on Insight.

He won SAMMIES for the following categories:

  • Best Hip-Hop Rap
  • Best Emcee
  • Best New Artist
  • Artist of the Year

Life before his rebirth into music

He attended John F. Kennedy High school. Without many friends and a self-proclaimed lack of social skills, he turned to video games to pass the time, which he says he found “very unuseful in life.”

This realization prompted him to sell his consoles and games to purchase music equipment. Here in his mid-teens was when he decided to make music, but the music of Hobo Johnson today was not an overnight process for him. It would be a few more years until he becomes the articulate, composed — yet carefree — young adult he is today.

He described his junior year in high school when he moved back to Loomis as a troubled year.

“I got into a group of friends and we would drink a lot ... Just got in with the wrong crowd. Drank too much all the time,” Lopes says. “Would go to school drunk or whatever — it was pretty bad. And then kept going and getting worse and worse and worse."

All the while, he was on Soundcloud making music that received little-to-no attention without much positive feedback.

After accumulating several DUIs, Lopes spent time in juvenile hall. It proved serendipitous for him because representatives from Auburn Hip Hop Congress came to talk to people serving time in juvie. He says he found the meeting inspiring enough to pursue a full-time career in music.

“No, I’m not going to get a job, I’m not going to try to go to school,” Lopes says. “I just want to be a musician.”

When Lopes left juvenile hall he returned to his father’s house, which was an experience that led him to feel like he had an unstable life. He says he became accustomed to the stability of juvie and being able to stay in a cell and be quiet all day.

The Legend of Hobo Johnson

Lopes started by going to open mics and performing all day in the street. Soon his music started resonating with people, much to his satisfaction, and the positive feedback gave him the confidence to realize that his dreams could come true.

One of the first songs he saw success with was with “Dear Labels,” a song about starving for career success. He was studying music composition at Sacramento City College at the time.

"I could feel that these were good. I could feel that like people are going to like these,” Lopes says. “Finally, after four years of no one ever liking it, I was like, 'Yo, I think this is my time. I could feel it in my soul. I was ready.' So I dropped out of college and quit my job that day."

He stopped working at a pizza place, dropped out of college and now makes his living selling albums.

His fear now is going back to a time when his music was not as appreciated as it is today.

“It's sad when you release a song and no one likes it,” Lopes says. “I'm afraid of it going back to that. I think that's what keeps me going: this fear.”

On Location: Capradio garden recordings

Lopes and members of his Lovemakers crew became one of the first artists to play in a series of out-of-studio recording sessions titled On Location. He joined us to film three music videos.

Romeo and Juliet

“A girl I loved moved away to a different part of the world,” Lopes says. “Life gives you more experience, more thoughts, and that will always help with music.”

He also talked about the car where he [Hobo Johnson] was “born,” which was a 1994 Corolla he would spend much of his days in. He recorded his first album as Hobo (not yet available online) in the car.

He said the origin of his name came on a whim, “out of a bag in my brain.”

“Hobo, Hobo Jones — no; someone else is Hobo Jones. Hobo Johnson,” Lopes says. “And I thought about it and I was like 'Yep, that's the one.' It was pretty instant, I think. I didn’t second-guess it.”

Sex in the City

You can see the progression of the night with each video, with “Sex in the City” being the final video recorded.

This has undoubtedly been the year of the Hobo. With co-band leader, Derek Lynch, the band is looking to release a new album and set of music videos. He refers to all of his band mates, saying he wouldn’t be where he is without them, and eagerly looks onward to continued success.

“Soon enough, once we get all this stuff done, my soul will be clear,” Lopes says.

    More about insight music

  • Insight Music

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  • John Poole / NPR

    Watch Sacramento’s Hobo Johnson On NPR’s ‘Tiny Desk Concert’ (Spoiler: There’s Scones)

    Wednesday, September 12, 2018
    The local musician’s video submission to NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest earlier this year propelled the band into the international indie rock spotlight. Hobo Johnson will play a gig Wednesday at Harlow’s.
  • Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

    Sacramento Rapper Hobo Johnson's Tiny Desk Contest Entry Goes Viral

    Tuesday, March 13, 2018
    The submission, which went live on March 7, is an outdoor performance of the song “Peach Scone” with backing band the Lovemakers.
  • SN&R Reporter Janelle Bitker Hosts Her Last Sound Advice

    Thursday, December 22, 2016
    Sacramento News & Review's Janelle Bitker returns on Insight for her last Sound Advice appearance before she leaves for Cambodia on Dec. 23. Music featured will include Hobo Johnson, Flourish and Jacob Golden.

 insight music

Jonathan Ayestas

Assistant Producer

Jonathan Ayestas is an assistant producer for Insight. He will be a senior at Sacramento State this fall.  Read Full Bio 

Next 

Hannah Mayree's 'Thoughts Of The Night' Roots Soulful Music Into Nature

Return to showPop Goes Sacramento: Conversations With Emerging Artists

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Show Archive

  • 2019   
    • January   
      • Sean Pawling Chases Retro Pop Horizons On 'Sunsinking'
      • Ross Hammond Flies With Family On 'Riding Dragons In Winter'
      • Hi, Mom! Gets Personal With 'Songs For Me'
  • 2018   
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      • Dog Party Leaves Dual Breakups In The Rear View Mirror On 'Hit & Run'
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      • Tel Cairo’s Ambitious 2018: Four Albums, One Remaster, And A Solo Project
    • November   
      • POOR Majesty On New Album, Artistic Identity As Sacramento MC
      • On Music And Marriage With Indie Duo Topograf
      • Getting To Know Lillian Frances, The Woman Behind The Synthesizer
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      • Animals In The Attic Go Wild On ‘Naked In Public Part 2’
      • Fashionista Boyfriend Travels Far With His ‘Atlas’ on ‘TONAL EP’
      • Topograf Chases Dreams Of Music And Marriage On ‘Colors EP’
      • Drop Dead Red Tells A ‘Cautionary Tale’ On ‘AirRaid’
      • POOR Majesty Speaks Out About Gentrification On ‘Broadway’
      • Sun Valley Gun Club Reflects On ‘Time’ And Loss
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    • June   
      • Hannah Jane Kile Wants 'To Be Loved (Again)'
      • Jessica Malone Takes The Long Way Home
      • 'The Philosophy Of Evil Seagull' Flies High
      • The Gold Souls Make It 'Good To Feel'
    • May   
      • SpaceWalker Soars To ‘Divinity & Beyond’ In A Ship Of Interstellar Beats
      • Ideateam Blows The Roof Off With ‘Kinetic’ New Record
      • Salt Wizard Explores Darker ‘Creature Sounds’
      • Misner & Smith Trace Their Influences Back To The ‘Headwaters’
    • April   
      • Lillian Frances Crafts Synth Pop Collages On 'Timeism' EP
      • Mino Yanci Explores Musical Freedom With A Jazz Fusion Streak
      • The Lique Releases A New Album For 'Times Like These'
      • Joe Kye Explores Musical And Cultural Roots On 'Migrants'
      • The Philharmonik Wants You To Have A 'Good Day'
      • Ani Maul Rocks The 'Anxiety' Out On Debut Record
      • Siblings Connor And Karlee Hormell Go 'Chasing Trails' Together As me&you
      • Pregnant Delivers Experimental Pop Held Together With 'Duct Tape'
    • February   
      • Pianist Lara Downes Honors Legacy Of Bernstein On 'For Lenny'
      • Jazz Saxophonist Mike McMullen Honors His Family And Mentors On 'Picture Book'
      • Element Brass Band Marches Along With 'Cali Got A Brass Band'
    • January   
      • LaTour Makes Boogie Down Soul Music A Family Affair
      • Death Party At The Beach Surfs On New Wave Influences In 'Absence E.P.'
      • Hey Listen's Nick Brunner Reviews Bru Lei's 'Selfie'
      • Life In 24 Frames Looks Back On Fatherhood In 'Ctrl + Z'
  • 2017   
    • December   
      • Vista Kicks Rock Out With 'Booty Shakers Ball'
      • Ross Hammond And Jon Bafus Explore 'Masonic Lawn' By Improvising Together
      • The Gold Souls Stop The Show For 'Nobody'
    • November   
      • PRVLGS 'Lift' Up Fellow Sacramento Musicians
      • Jolie Holland And Samantha Parton Reunite For 'Wildflower Blues'
      • Separate Spines Explore A Full Spectrum Of Emotion On 'Cut Up The Rainbow'
    • October   
      • Jessica Malone's "The Waiting Hours"
      • Andrew Castro's "Solo" EP
      • Blue Oaks' "To Be Kind Is Sin"
      • The Christian DeWild Band's "Little Devil"
    • September   
      • Petaluma Shares Secrets Of How To Grow A Band
      • The Inspiration For Write Or Die's Politically Conscious Music
      • Oakland Is The Muse For Christopher Fairman
      • Tycho On Their Sacramento Roots
    • August   
      • SUNMONKS Shine A Light On First Full-Length Album “Two Play”
      • House Of Mary Blends Diverse Influences Into New Take On Americana
      • Cities You Wish You Were From Find Home In Sacramento
      • "New Life" For Shawn Thwaites Rebel Quartet
    • July   
      • Citywater Challenges Listeners With New Take On Classical
      • Vox Musica Collaboration Blends Together Classical And Poetry
      • Pianist Romayne Wheeler Shares Stories From An Extraordinary Career
    • June   
      • So Much Light Teases August For New Album Release
      • Hannah Mayree's 'Thoughts Of The Night' Roots Soulful Music Into Nature
      • Hobo Johnson: Born From A Corolla Into A Life Of Music
    • May   
      • Insight Encore: Joy And Madness Blends Funk And Soul With A Positive Message
      • Insight Encore: Award-Winning Sounds From The American River College Vocal Jazz Ensemble
      • Fulton Street Jazz Band: A Sacramento Institution Famous For Its New Orleans Style Music
      • The Kortet: Young Foursome Shows Off Its Swinging Style

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