For the last decade, Owensboro native and country rap artist Franklin Embry has dedicated himself to creating his own sound and making meaningful music to represent his life. Later this year he’s planning to release his third album, saying it could be his best project yet.
It’s been a long journey for Embry, who grew up on a farm in West Louisville.
In 8th grade, a friend got Embry — whose real name is John Franklin Hayden, Jr. — into performing rap music. After high school they made some music together in a makeshift studio.
Embry said he started getting into trouble, so he decided to move away and pursue his passion for music.
“I was in and out of jail from probably 18 to 21,” he said. “I decided right around there I needed to do something different.”
After graduating from Full Sail University in 2005, Embry moved to Nashville and got an internship with OmniSound Studios as an assistant engineer.
“I was only making like $300 a week, and I was working like 90 hours a week,” he said. “I had no social life. I was not being creative. There was nothing that sparked my interest or the whole reason I got into music.”
Embry returned to Owensboro in 2006 and created Basshead Entertainment. He was using a two-car garage as a recording studio for about five years while he created mixtapes, but he eventually decided to start a solo career to make his own music.
Once country rap started taking off around 2010 with the likes of Colt Ford, Embry started to find his footing.
“Basically, I was helping other artists. I was figuring out along the way that they didn’t have the drive that I had to go where I wanted to go,” he said. “Growing up in West Louisville, Kentucky, I was always behind the scenes. I always liked to rap, but I was being more behind the scenes because I didn’t fit the mold.”
Embry released his first album solo mixtape in 2010. His first album title “Bourbon Broads and Beats” dropped in 2014.
“To be an artist you have to have a lot of confidence,” Embry said. “You have to believe in yourself. The world is cruel, man. You put your art out there and they can rip it to shreds.”
After touring with Bowling Green artist Twang and Round — first as a DJ then as an opener — Embry’s second album “Bourbon for Breakfast” came out in 2016. It includes his most popular song “Fifty,” which has nearly two million plays on Spotify.
In 2017 Embry began to expand his act, adding a hype man who goes by the stage name Drunky. That’s when the brand started to gain more traction.
The two worked on their on-stage performances, and they started creating more social media content in addition to working on music and touring. They also produce almost all the music videos Embry puts out.
After they added a few more members to begin rounding out the band, the act became known as Franklin Embry and Dem Bourbon Boyz.
Though the coronavirus pandemic put a big damper on their 2020 plans, Embry said they are staying positive and are excited for the upcoming release of a new album.
“Bourbon Blues: The Final Chapter” will be the end to the “bourbon trilogy” of albums.
Embry said he’s been a whiskey drinker for 20 years, and it’s played a big role in his life — even if it hasn’t always been a good one. So, it’s always been incorporated into his music, which also focuses on paying tribute to the other battles he’s faced in life.
Embry’s sister died when he was 6 years old, and he said he’s fought depression ever since. Creating music helped him cope with everything, and he’s spent the last few years finding a way to convey that to his audience.
“This is the music that I create that actually touches people,” Embry said. “This album I’m really trying to focus more on tugging on people’s heartstrings and digging deep on a lot of the battles I had like depression and anxiety and drinking and breakups.”
Embry said he doesn’t expect to become a top-selling artist, but he’s hoping he can do well enough to make it a full-time career. While he’s got sights set on making a name for himself across the country, he also is paying homage to Owensboro.
“Even though I grew up on a farm out in West Louisville, I don’t look at myself as redneck country. But I wanted to make a style of music that was true to Kentucky, true to how we all grew up — high school bonfire parties, drinking, mudding, all the stuff we did as kids,” he said. “I want to make a style of music that embodies that.”
