Jackson Free Press

TEDxJackson, an annual event featuring talks from local business professionals, scientists, activists and other influential individuals, is coming to the Jackson Convention Complex (105 E. Pascagoula St.) Thursday, Nov. 12. Among the speakers at this year's event is musician and activist Brad "Kamikaze" Franklin.

A lifelong Jackson resident, Franklin is dedicating his TEDx Talk to community building and the importance of the city's hip-hop scene in building up Jackson.

"When building a city like Jackson, it's critical that you bring hip-hop culture to the table," Franklin said. "It's become the voice of this generation, and it's affected everything from up-and-coming business people to politicians. To build up Jackson, you need to bring these people to the table, the deejays, the graffiti artists, people who are immersed in the culture and grew up in it."

Franklin went to Jackson State University from 1988 to 1992 and graduated with a bachelor's degree in mass communications with a focus on broadcast journalism. After graduation, he got a job with the Jackson Advocate, doing a little bit of everything for a time before working his way up to becoming a managing editor at age 24 in 1995.

Three years later, Franklin teamed up with fellow musician and activist David Banner to form the hip-hop duo Crooked Lettaz. Though the two went their separate ways in 2002, they both went on to have successful solo careers. Franklin released five albums through his own company, OurGlass Media Group, a full-service public relations, marketing, entertainment and consulting firm. OurGlass has its own record label, management and film-production companies, and also handles concert-promotion and property-management arms.

Currently, Franklin is the marketing specialist for Jackson's Department of Human and Cultural Services, in which he is responsible for booking and promoting events at Thalia Mara Hall, the Russell C. Davis Planetarium and the Arts Center of Mississippi.

"I promote all the good things going on in Jackson—the cool stuff," Franklin said. "Mayor Tony Yarber tasked me with creating new events and festivals, like the recent We Are Jackson Weekend in October and the upcoming Jackson Indie Music Week in January. We're looking to brand Jackson as the entertainment capital of Mississippi."

In addition to his music career and social advocacy, Franklin has also been working as a freelance journalist since graduating from college, going from writing for the Jackson Advocate to the Associated Press and even writing columns for the Jackson Free Press starting in 2008. All his work in promoting Jackson also earned Franklin the honor of Best Urban Warrior in the JFP's Best of Jackson Awards three consecutive years, from 2011 (then called "Best Community Activist") to 2013. Before that, his music career had gotten him named Best Hip-Hop Artist four times, including in 2007 and 2008, before Franklin asked the JFP Editor in Chief Donna Ladd not to put his name in the category any more "to give other people a chance to shine."

"To be honest, I didn't even canvass for votes that first year I won Best Urban Warrior and was surprised to see that people saw and acknowledged what I was doing," Franklin said. "But being recognized that way meant a lot to me because it showed that people saw me outside the box of being 'just' a hip-hop artist. Being involved in promoting the Fondren neighborhood and the city means a lot to me, as does being involved in area schools and using my platform as a writer to talk about issues affecting Jackson and the black man in Mississippi. I'm vocal in talking about race in Jackson, bringing new ideas to the table and giving black people in the city their fair share of the pie. I consider myself a warrior for Jackson and want to bring all its talented people together."

Franklin and his wife of six years, fellow JFP column writer and activist Funmi "Queen" Franklin, have three children—daughter Brandi, 21, son Julian, 18, and daughter, Bralynn, 5.

TEDxJackson is Thursday, Nov. 12, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information, visit tedxjackson.com or check out JFP's event listings.