Oliver Francis

Alex Kelly performs as Oliver Francis, a Missouri-based rapper and producer whose Columbia roots anchor a body of work that built an online audience through commanding verses and immersive production in the closing years of the 2010s. Early material leaned toward combative imagery, yet the tone evolved toward introspection across projects highlighted by the 2017 album Chlorine.

As a teenager he took up guitar, leading to band involvement and initial forays into rap during high school. Releases under assorted aliases had appeared since 2007, but regular video uploads beginning in 2012 marked the point at which wider attention followed. The tracks “AAYEAHH” and “wwaavvyy,” both issued in 2016, rank among his best-known recordings. The year 2017 brought the albums Chlorine and A Million Miles an Hour plus the EP Essentials; Infinity Boy arrived the next year and Crown of Death followed in 2019.