Comethazine
{{Short description|American rapper}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Comethazine
| birth_name = Frank Childress
| image = Comethazine in 2020.jpg
| image_size = 225
| alt =
| caption = Comethazine in December 2020
| birth_date = {{birth date and age |1998|07|06}}
| birth_place = East St. Louis, Illinois, U.S.
| genre = {{hlist|Gangsta rap|Soundcloud rap|hip hop|trap|drill}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Rapper|songwriter|director}}
| years_active = 2015–present
| label = {{hlist|Hench Mafia|Alamo|Sony (current)|Interscope (former)}}{{cite web|url=https://www.revolt.tv/platform/amp/new-music/2020/10/7/21505801/comethazine-derek-jeter-video|title=Comethazine lives it up in "Derek Jeter" video|work=Revolt|last=Powell|first=Jon|date=October 7, 2020|accessdate=October 22, 2020|archive-date=October 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027064007/https://www.revolt.tv/platform/amp/new-music/2020/10/7/21505801/comethazine-derek-jeter-video}}
| website = https://www.bawskee.shop/
}}
Frank Jahmier Childress{{cite web |title=CHILDRESS FRANK – Songwriter/Composer|url=https://repertoire.bmi.com/Catalog.aspx?detail=writerid&page=1&fromrow=1&torow=25&keyid=550636658&subid=0 |website=repertoire.bmi.com |publisher=BMI |accessdate=4 July 2019}}{{cite news |last1=Berry |first1=Peter A. |title=Comethazine Plans to Explore the World of Melody on Next Project |url=https://www.xxlmag.com/news/2019/04/comethazine-next-project/ |accessdate=4 July 2019 |work=XXL Mag |language=en}} (born July 6, 1998), known professionally as Comethazine or Frank Kole, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for his platinum-selling single "Walk", which peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and "Bands". Both songs were included on his debut mixtape, Bawskee (2018).
Bawskee was followed up by four sequels; Bawskee 2, Bawskee 3.5, Bawskee 4, and Bawskee 5. His debut rap album, Pandemic, was released in early 2020 to mainly positive critical reception.{{cite web|url=https://uproxx.com/music/best-new-hip-hop-albums-this-week-july-26-2019/|title=All The Best New Hip-Hop Albums Coming Out This Week|last=Williams|first=Aaron|publisher=Uproxx|date=July 25, 2019|accessdate=August 11, 2019}} In 2019, he was an XXL Freshman and performed his cypher alongside rappers Roddy Ricch and Tierra Whack. His latest album, Bawskee 5, was released in November 2022.{{Cite web |author=Comethazine |url=https://twitter.com/comethazine/status/1592993302395379712 |title=BAWSKEE 5 - 11/18/22 |access-date=2022-11-18 |via=Twitter |language=en}}
Career
Childress began posting his music on audio distribution platform SoundCloud and video distribution platform Spotify as a teenager, allowing him to quit his job as a mechanic to focus on music full-time.{{cite web |url=https://www.xxlmag.com/news/2018/04/comethazine-interview-the-break/ |title=The Break Presents: Comethazine |last=Seabrook III |first=Robby |date=6 April 2018 |website=XXL |access-date=11 March 2019 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.vfiles.com/news/vfiles-premiere-comethazine-has-a-death-wish |title=VFILES Premiere: Comethazine Has a Death Wish |date=9 November 2017 |website=VFILES |access-date=11 March 2019 }}
In early 2018, a feature on SoundCloud that allows their original sound file to be switched was abused for an unofficial upload of rapper YBN Nahmir's song "Bounce Out with That", that was replaced with his song "Bands", causing it to acquire the chart data of "Bounce Out with That".{{cite news |last=Moore |first=Matthew |date=19 February 2018 |title=Fake the music and dance: pop song dodge boosts ratings |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/fake-the-music-and-dance-pop-song-dodge-boosts-ratings-x6cnc38xn |work=The Times |access-date=12 March 2019 }} It is unclear who perpetrated this, though the account associated with the switch has since been removed.{{cite web |url=https://www.vulture.com/2018/02/other-sites-have-fake-news-so-soundcloud-has-fake-music.html |title=Other Sites Have Fake News, So SoundCloud Has Fake Music |last=Guan |first=Frank |date=12 February 2018 |website=Vulture |access-date=11 March 2019 }} This incident helped increase the popularity of "Bands", which later appeared on his debut mixtape Bawskee. Another song on the mixtape, "Walk", became a viral hit and propelled Childress to further recognition. In 2019, he was selected to be a part of the 2019 XXL Freshmen Class.{{Cite web|url=https://www.xxlmag.com/comethazine/|title=Comethazine's 2019 XXL Freshman Interview and Freestyle|website=XXL Mag|date=June 20, 2019|accessdate=October 5, 2022}} Comethazine announced the creation of his own record label, Hench Mafia Records, in June 2019.
On March 27, 2020, Childress's debut studio album as Comethazine, Pandemic, was released.{{cite web|url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.55150/title.comethazine-shares-pandemic-album|title=Comethazine Shares 'Pandemic' Album|work=HipHopDX|author=Justin Ivey|date=March 27, 2020|accessdate=March 31, 2020}} His next project, Bawskee 4 followed on October 23, 2020, preceded by the music videos for "We Gone Win", "Air Max", and "Derek Jeter". Childress shot another music video for the song, "556", and released the entire album alongside it.
In late December 2020, Childress announced that his upcoming album would be titled Comethazine the Album.
On October 22, 2021, Comethazine the Album was released. It was promoted with the singles "Spinback" and "Six Flags".{{Cite web|date=2021-10-22|title=Comethazine Is Content With Being A Lone Wolf On "Comethazine The Album"|url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/comethazine-is-content-with-being-a-lone-wolf-on-comethazine-the-album-new-mixtape.122090.html|access-date=2021-10-23|website=HotNewHipHop|language=en}}
On November 17, 2022, Bawskee 5 was released. Childress previewed the tracklist in a tweet posted the day prior.
Following the release of Bawskee 5, Childress discontinued the Comethazine moniker and began creating alternative rock music under the name Frank Kole.{{Cite web |title=Frank Kole |url=https://genius.com/artists/Frank-kole |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=Genius |language=en}} In October 2024, he released his first single, Smokestack Lightning, intended as the introduction for his upcoming studio album, Electric Mazeland.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHtXcINwMTo |title=Frank Kole - SMOKESTACK LIGHTNING (INTRO) |date=2024-10-25 |last=Frank Kole |access-date=2025-02-15 |via=YouTube}}{{Citation |title=Frank Kole – SMOKESTACK LIGHTNING (INTRO) |url=https://genius.com/Frank-kole-smokestack-lightning-intro-lyrics |access-date=2025-02-15}}
Musical style and influences
Comethazine's music has been compared as a mixture of Playboi Carti, Smokepurpp and Tay-K, and has been referred to as anti-melody, a derivative form of trap that uses the bass as a source of melody instead of traditional instrumentation.{{cite web |url=https://fordhamram.com/66770/culture/comethazine-and-the-rise-of-anti-melody/ |title=Comethazine and the Rise of Anti-Melody |last=Press-Reynolds |first=Kieran |date=13 February 2019 |website=The Fordham Ram |access-date=11 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328005022/https://fordhamram.com/66770/culture/comethazine-and-the-rise-of-anti-melody/ |archive-date=28 March 2019 |url-status=dead }} He has cited rappers such as Big Mike, Pimp C, Chingy, Jadakiss, Special Ed, Chief Keef, Playboi Carti, Eminem, Waka Flocka Flame, 50 Cent, and Jim Jones as musical influences.
Discography
=Albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Details ! scope="col" colspan="1"| Peak chart positions |
| scope="col" style="width:3.5em;font-size:90%;" | US {{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/comethazine/chart-history/tlp/|title=Comethazine Chart History: Billboard 200|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=April 8, 2020}} |
|---|
| scope="row" | Pandemic
|
| 151 |
| scope="row" | Comethazine the Album
|
|
=Mixtapes=
=Singles=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| rowspan="2"| Title
! rowspan="2"| Year ! colspan="2" | Peak ! rowspan="2"| Certifications ! rowspan="2"| Album(s) |
|---|
| scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| US Bub. {{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/comethazine/chart-history/hbu/|title=Comethazine Chart History: Bubbling Under Hot 100|last=|first=|date=|magazine=Billboard|access-date=April 7, 2020}} ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| US |
| scope="row"| "Piped Up"
| 2017 |— |— | | rowspan="5"| Bawskee |
| scope="row"| "Bands" {{small|(solo or with Rich the Kid)}} | rowspan="6"| 2018 |— |— | |
| scope="row"| "Let It Eat" {{small|(featuring Ugly God)}} |— |— | |
| scope="row"| "Oowee"
|— |— | |
| scope="row"| "Walk" {{small|(solo or with A$AP Rocky)}} |20 |5 | |
| scope="row"| "Highriser"
|— |— | | {{n/a|Non-album single}} |
| scope="row"| "DeMar DeRozan"
|— |— | | rowspan="2"| Bawskee 2 |
| scope="row"| "Nonsense"
| rowspan="5"| 2019 |— |— | |
| scope="row"| "Just Saying"
|— |— | | rowspan="2"| Bawskee 3.5 |
| scope="row"| "Stand"
|— |— |
| scope="row"| "50 Bars"
|— |— | | {{n/a|Non-album single}} |
| scope="row"| "Glide"{{Cite web|url=https://open.spotify.com/album/4nwH1wGaP4YvqXw0pTphQ8|title=Glide by Comethazine|last=|first=|date=12 December 2019|website=Spotify|access-date=}}
|— |— | | rowspan="2"| Pandemic |
| scope="row"| "No Front"{{Cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/no-front-single/1502424210|title=No Front - Single by Comethazine on Apple Music|last=|first=|date=|website=|access-date=|archive-date=2020-03-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329012016/https://music.apple.com/us/album/no-front-single/1502424210|url-status=dead}}
| rowspan="4"| 2020 |— |— | |
| scope="row"| "Air Max"
|— |— | | rowspan="3"| Bawskee 4 |
| scope="row"| "We Gone Win"
|— |— | |
| scope="row"| "Derek Jeter"
|— |— | |
| scope="row"| "Malcolm in the Middle"
| rowspan="3"| 2021 |— |— | | {{n/a|Non-album single}} |
| scope="row"| "Spinback"
|— |— | | rowspan="2"| Comethazine the Album |
| scope="row"| "Six Flags"
|— |— | |
| scope="row"| "Like Dat"
| 2022 |— |— | | {{n/a|Non-album single}} |
| scope="row"| "Smokestack Lightning" (performed as Frank Kole) | 2024 |— |— | | |
| colspan="6" style="font-size:90%" | "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
=Other charted songs=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| rowspan="2"| Title
! rowspan="2"| Year ! colspan="1"| Peak ! rowspan="2"| Certifications ! rowspan="2"| Album |
|---|
| scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;"| NZ Hot |
| scope="row"| "Find Him!"
| rowspan="2"| 2019 | 33 | | rowspan="2"| Bawskee 3.5 |
| scope="row"| "Solved the Problem"
| 34 | |
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:21st-century African-American musicians
Category:21st-century American rappers
Category:African-American male rappers
Category:21st-century American male rappers
Category:American drill musicians
Category:Midwest hip-hop musicians
Category:People from East St. Louis, Illinois
Category:Rappers from Illinois
Category:Songwriters from Illinois