Lite Coolroy

Some people wear their hearts on their sleeve; he prefers to wear his hanging from a chain around his neck. Los Angeles bred rapper Lite – born Dominik C. Franklin- is making a name for himself on the streets of LA and all over the west coast. Drawing the inspiration for his down to earth and at times humorous music, from his life experiences, love, and heart break, Lite brings a fresh voice to west coast hip hop. After dropping his first solo project So Soulful in 2006 with light-hearted, easy-going songs such as “cool like that” he now, at age 21, is embarking on a new chapter of his musical career with his latest project Out to Lunch having more serious undertones with songs like “Golden”. Putting out the last of 3 videos from the Out to Lunch project marks the beginning of another phase of creative endeavors for Lite He is currently in and out the studio working on the beginning stages of his next project.
Lite has always had an affinity for music. At a very early age, his older sister Desiree cultivated his interest in music through her love of R&B. His exposure to hip hop came a little later with some of his early influences being Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt and Tupac’s Me Against the World. When he was 11 years old he was encouraged to step out of the role of a fan of music into creator by his childhood best friend. He began writing and recorded his first song in 2002 at the age of 13. Between 2002 and 2005 he worked on multiple mix-tapes and in 2005 set up a small studio in his bedroom closet on Thurman ave. where he would begin recording his first solo project So Soulful that would be released in 2006. Shortly following this release, Lite performed his songs at various venues such as the Spliff in Los Angeles.
Lite used the time between his two projects writing for other artists and focusing on reinventing his style. He experimented with various genres and sounds, which led to the development of the sound of Out to Lunch, a sound that many have come to love and have found very relatable. This project has been the gateway to many opportunities to work with well-known local artist and producers. It has also opened a platform for him to establish himself as a performing artist outside of California at venues such as South by Southwest 2010 in Austin, Texas. Self-discovery is a constant motivation for Lite. He is always on the search for ways to better his craft. Lite never shies away from working with new people in all genres of music and draws influences from multiple types of music. He fully immerses himself into the creation process and it is evident in his lyrics.
Looking forward, Lite is working on a project entitled Charlie set to drop Fall 2010. He is also expanding his mediums to include filmmaking. Having co-directed all of his videos, he is looking forward to directing videos for other artists as well as his own. Lite will continue to write and produce for fellow artist as well. Nothing but greatness is to be expected from this young LA rapper. “I can’t shake the feeling”.