Alexander Francis Kelly (b. June 12, 1992), better known as Oliver Francis, is a rapper, producer, and songwriter from Columbia, Missouri.

Oliver is well-known for his fiercely-independent approach, with the majority of his musical output being self-produced, him filming and directing most of his own music videos with the help of his close circle of longtime friends, designing merch under his own Burnout brand, and featuring on very few tracks from other artists.

Brought up in the small town of Ashland, Missouri, his first stint into the music world was through pop-punk bands like Green Day (of which he cited as an inspiration according to his interview with Bringin' it Backwards), skateboarding, and the entirely alternative subculture within the conservative town. He’d perform in and lead many post-hardcore bands within the local scene, most notably Treebeard and Glory Days, while at the same time, releasing solo music of varying styles to his SoundCloud pages, Myspace, and YouTube channel under the names Alex Kelly, Oliver, and Oliver Kites.

In 2015, after a conversation with his girlfriend at the time, Oliver decided to cast aside his band aspirations and pursue rapping full time. Although he’d been rapping for quite some time, it had always taken a backseat to his other musical endeavors. That year, he released four mixtapes to Bandcamp, being Gold Vol. 1, Club Swoosh, if you need a friend, and $pla$h Hou$e 3. These early mixtapes acted as compilations of his SoundCloud catalog, and featured heavily-pitched distorted vocals from Oliver, with most of his lyrics centering around hard drugs, gun violence, and marijuana.

Throughout 2016, Oliver would continue to output music at a prolific rate, releasing three mixtapes, things aren’t that simple, burnout, and bape music – projects which are highly regarded by fans as being some of the best in his entire discography. Oliver opted for each of these mixtapes to have their own unique sound, as opposed to being mere compilations such as the ones he’d released the previous year. It was at this point that Oliver would quit his current job as a janitor and commit to his music career full time.

2017 would see Oliver’s approach to his music change drastically. At this point in his career, he’d begun feeling self-conscious about the authenticity of his music, as much of the lyrical content he engaged in wasn’t true to his actual lifestyle. His debut album, Chlorine, which released in April, is reflective of this change in attitude, with Oliver opting to embrace his natural voice over the heavy effects he’d used earlier on, as well as avoid any references to hard drugs, guns, and the objectification of women.

That year, Oliver would begin to see tremendous amounts of success, with his YouTube channel going from 20k subscribers to over 100k by August. He also performed his very first live show under the name Oliver Francis at Day N Night, and even headlined his own tour to promote the release of his sophomore album, A Million Miles An Hour, which maintained the mature and melodic nature of his debut.

Post-2017, Oliver has made a point of not committing himself to one style. 2018 saw the release of his Infinity Boy EP, and the creation of his infamously-unreleased Overdrive album, the latter of which incorporated lo-fi and boom bap in its sound, with an especially large focus on lyricism. That fall, he embarked on his second ever tour, the Overdrive Tour, with dates all over the United States and Europe.

2020 was one of Oliver’s slowest years yet output-wise, with him taking a step back from releasing music in order to focus on his personal life, and work on his then-unannounced album, Violence. In September, Oliver released the lead eponymous single from this project, which saw him welcome a more intricate, pop-rap, sci-fi-inspired sound – a huge departure from anything fans had heard from him sonically. In 2021, he signed with Hopeless Records in order to assist with the creation and rollout of Violence, though the project unfortunately remains unreleased.

Independent from Hopeless Records as of September 2022, Oliver has since released two more commercial albums, as well as two extended plays, each featuring their own unique styles. Additionally, in July 2023, he announced the formation of his new hardcore band, Locked Shut, with constant hints of new music to come on his social media.