Hobo Johnson

Frank Lopes Jr. (born December 22, 1994), known professionally as Hobo Johnson, is an American vocalist and frontman of the band Hobo Johnson & the LoveMakers. Hobo Johnson also delivers lyrics in the form of rap and spoken word to create his raw, often self-released music.

Early life

Lopes is a Mexican/Portuguese American from California. When he was 19, he was kicked out of his house by his father and subsequently lived in his car. For a stretch of time, Lopes worked at a pizza restaurant in Sacramento, but he soon quit to pursue his passion for music. He is a fan of the Sacramento Kings and has referenced them in the lyrics to his song "Sacramento Kings Anthem (We're Not That Bad)", written about the struggles the Kings have in the NBA.

Music career

Early work and The Rise of Hobo Johnson (2015–2017)

At age 15, Lopes began performing music and hip-hop. He came up with his stage name "Homeless Johnson" but soon made it "Hobo Johnson" while living in his car, a 1994 Toyota Corolla, and named his 2015 debut album in honor of his car. Starting in December 2016, he released a series of live recordings on YouTube subtitled "Live from Oak Park". In 2018, Lopes drew criticism from the Sacramento chapter of Black Lives Matter, who accused him of using Oak Park's name without consent and of cultural appropriation. On May 12, they staged a small protest that delayed the beginning of his sold-out show at Sacramento's Ace of Spades nightclub.

In 2016, he released the album The Rise of Hobo Johnson independently, but later created a new version of the album in 2017 which had changes to the production and a different tracklist. After the release of the second version of The Rise of Hobo Johnson, Lopes signed to Reprise Records. That year, he won four Sacramento Area Music Awards: Artist of the Year, Best Hip-Hop/Rap, Best Emcee and Best New Artist.

Tiny Desk Concert, "Peach Scone", and The Fall of Hobo Johnson (2018–2019)

Hobo Johnson and the LoveMakers released a music video on Facebook as part of NPR's Tiny Desk Contest on March 7, 2018. The song "Peach Scone" collected millions of views in just a few weeks. Following the attention of the "Peach Scone" video, their album The Rise of Hobo Johnson charted at #11 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart for the week ending March 31, 2018.

While not winning the Tiny Desk Contest, Hobo Johnson & the LoveMakers appeared on Tiny Desk on an episode released on September 12, 2018.

In 2018, the band toured North America and Europe and appeared at Australia's Falls Music & Arts Festival. In 2019, the band appeared at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee.

In 2019 he released the singles "Typical Story" and "UglyKid" from the album The Fall of Hobo Johnson, which was released by Warner Records on September 13, 2019. That same day, EA Sports released the video game NHL 20, which featured the single "Typical Story" on its soundtrack.

The Revenge of Hobo Johnson, Hobo Johnson Alienates His Fanbase, and hiatus (2021–2024)

Lopes released the single "I Want to See the World" in June, 2021. He announced that the album The Revenge of Hobo Johnson would follow later that month. The Revenge of Hobo Johnson was subsequently released on June 23, 2021. On August 1, 2021 he released the album Hobo Johnson Alienates His Fanbase.

In 2022, Lopes canceled several upcoming tours and broke up the LoveMakers band, citing a focus on school over music.

In 2023, Lopes began performing shows again and released a new song on Instagram and YouTube, titled Sacramento 12 Step.

Hobo Johnson Drinks, Untitled Hobo Johnson Project (2024)

In March of 2024, Hobo Johnson released a double single titled 'Hobo Johnson Drinks', featuring the songs Dad's Bed and Metaverse (stylized in all caps). The title may well be that of his upcoming LP, as it doesn't correlate to either song on the release. The album hasn't been formally announced, but the band has since released another two songs simultaneously on the 3rd of May titled 'Flood The Earth Again' and 'Jansports'. The cover art matches the one seen on the first two tracks and also includes them in the release, which usually means that they will appear on the same project down the line. The release date is as of yet unknown, but can be expected as some point during the summer. Hobo Johnson has announced an extensive US tour, which is the primary evidence for the imminent release (aside from conjecture based upon the history of LP releases in general). The tour begins in June and ends in August, which indicates an album release slotting in sometime before (or during) these months.

The sound of the new songs hues a bit closer to the band's second studio LP 'The Fall of Hobo Johnson' compared to the acoustic and satiric detours of his 2021 releases. The songs feature more emotionally affecting and less abstract/unserious lyrics than 'Hobo Johnson Alienates his Fanbase', but the satirical and often humorous edge of Lopes remains an important part of the atmosphere. The audience response has not been significant enough to define a consensus on the quality of the new material, though certain critics have spoken of it favorably compared to his output in the last three years.

Hobo Johnson & the LoveMakers

Current members

• Frank Lopes Jr. – lead vocals, guitar, keyboards, production
• Derek Lynch – guitar
• Jordan Moore – guitar, keyboards
• David Baez-Lopez – bass guitar
• Ben Lerch – drums
• Jmsey – keyboard, guitar

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Music videos

As a featured artist

References

External links

• Official website

1. The Fall of Hobo Johnson
2. Holly Johnson
3. Hobo
4. Jason Evigan
5. List of emo rap artists
6. Hobo (disambiguation)
7. 2019 in American music
8. Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival
9. Grandson (musician)
10. Mom Jeans
11. Ryan Lewis
12. List of hip hop musicians
13. Oliver Tree
14. Sacramento, California
15. List of Lollapalooza lineups by year
16. Patrick Wimberly
17. Loomis, California
18. List of Tiny Desk Concerts
19. Oak Park, Sacramento, California
20. List of 2021 albums (January–June)