Clark Kent (producer)

Rodolfo Franklin Sr. (born September 28, 1967), known professionally as Clark Kent or DJ Clark Kent, is an American hip hop DJ, record producer and music executive of Panamanian descent. His crew of DJs is called "The Supermen", and his DJ moniker is derived from the name of Superman's alter ego.

DJ Clark Kent
Born
Rodolfo Franklin

(1967-09-28) September 28, 1967
Panama
Occupation
Years active1988–present[1]
RelativesFoxy Brown (cousin)[2]
Musical career
Genres
Associated acts

Music career

In the late 1980s, DJ Clark Kent was rapper Dana Dane's DJ.[1] Around 1989, Kent would DJ at clubs such as one just around the block from Downtown Records on West 26th Street in Manhattan which was a short-lived hip-hop hotbed with other DJs also performing there such as Funkmaster Flex and Kid Capri.[3]

In 1989, he produced the remix for Troop's hit song "Spread My Wings." He also scored his first street hit with the Junior M.A.F.I.A. song "Player's Anthem" which featured The Notorious B.I.G. and was also the first record that Lil' Kim appeared on. The biggest hit he produced was "Loverboy" by Mariah Carey, which peaked at #2 in the US on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. He also produced tracks for artists such as Lil' Kim, The Notorious B.I.G.,[4] Mad Skillz, Estelle, Lil' Vicious, Mona Lisa, 50 Cent, Canibus, Slick Rick and Rakim as well as groups such as The Future Sound and Original Flavor, both of which were signed to East West Records and Atlantic Records respectively, both groups having been signed by Clark who was a director of A&R at Atlantic at the time.

Around the early 1990s, DJ Clark Kent took over the job of MC for the then-titled New Music Seminar, a battle between the best DJs in hip hop. Renaming it "Clark Kent's Superman Battle for World Supremacy", he would go on to host the event for a number of years. One of the most famous battles in this arena was the legendary 1994 match between DJ Noize and DJ 8-Ball, which resulted in a landslide victory for DJ Noize and DJ 8-Ball's subsequent humiliation. After the last set, he is heard telling the crowd "I don't need to even TELL you all who won!"

Original Flavor, on their single "Can I Get Open", featured a guest appearance by a then little known rapper named Jay-Z. This would lead to further collaborations between the two, as he would go on to produce three tracks on Jay-Z's critically acclaimed debut album, Reasonable Doubt. The tracks were: "Brooklyn's Finest", which featured The Notorious B.I.G. (his last appearance before his murder on March 9, 1997), "Coming of Age" and "Cashmere Thoughts." On his "retirement album" The Black Album, Jay-Z alludes to Clark's role in helping him break into the industry, in the last song on the album (titled "My 1st Song"). He states: "Clark Kent, that was good lookin' out, nigga."

Clark accidentally overheard the then unknown rapper Moses Michael Leviy (AKA Jamal Barrow AKA Shyne) rhyming in a barbershop, who, noting the young MC's vocal similarity to The Notorious B.I.G., steered him towards Combs and Bad Boy.

He is also the cousin of recording artist Foxy Brown.[2]

In 2010, Nike commissioned DJ Clark Kent to design a "Nike Five Boroughs AF1 Low" pack of special limited edition Nike Air Force 1 shoes and unveiled them at a fully catered block party in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood on Mercer Street outside the Nike ID store at 21 Mercer.

References
  1. Daniel Isenberg (2011-11-11). "DJ Clark Kent Tells All: The Stories Behind His Classic Records (Part 1)". Complex. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
  2. Roman Cooper (2013-08-15). "Foxy Brown Was "Shocked" To Hear Her Name On Jay Z's "Picasso Baby"". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
  3. Stretch Armstrong (2014-11-24). "Cassette Culture with Stretch Armstrong". Medium. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
  4. "DJ Clark Kent Names His Favorite Song By The Notorious B.I.G." hiphopdx.com. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
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