We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful FK MENACE. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Frank below.
FK MENACE, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
Most Definitely! Its been two years now that Ive been earning full time income in all genres of my artistry that im involved in.
I would say in the past two years Ive learned a lot not only about myself but more so time management. It wasn’t easy though, trying to maintain my job as a carpet cleaner with possibility of being on call was super stressful. I really had to be careful with booking extra gigs that didn’t fall on my weekend of work. It didn’t last long tho, I developed an attitude at the job like i always do, never lasted more than 1 year at a job accept for two of them. Typically stemmed from boredom and not able to have more time to create. I would just think about the beats i could make, or better yet the places i could live during carpet cleaning.
As I started maneuvering out of a full work week to a day or two, I managed to gain a residency at a local bar a friend had just opened called The Mocking Bird Lounge. With Djing being half the lead, driving for Uber was the other half and boy was it interesting. I was still learning how to DJ with my “hanging by a thread” of a controller on Virtual DJ. I was also promoting my gigs and the bar while driving Uber. It really went hand in hand at this point, plus the bar was amazing overall. Great view, great food, dog friendly and in the neighborhood. Solid vibe.
Fast forward a year later i stepped back into the 9-5 life. No biggie, I ran out of money and lost the residency and was presented a job offer while out drinking one night. Now how do i balance myself with being creative and having a full time job again? Man! That job stressed me out, I couldn’t do it, I was selling a product I genuinely never cared about, sound selfish considering i was helping people secure their homes with new systems, but truthfully I was always itching to create and just push myself and put myself out there.
I think being a tad bit smarter with my money the first time around Is something I wish I knew how to do. While I can sit here and talk smack about the security job, It taught me how to be my own salesman, definitely harder to do when you’re cold calling. Plus they were gracious enough to leave with a little exit money when i left the job. My final thought and true advice even though its cliche. Please Trust the process.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
FK MENACE / Artist / Activist/ DJ / Photographer / Videographer and Editor / Designer
Lets start with the mask.
I come from a family of lucahdores (wrestlers) that have been wrestling since the late 60’s. Though I didn’t step into the ring myself, i carry the tradition by wearing the mask every time I DJ, run an event or support an event. I come the Lemus Familia, and right now my Dad Lemus Dos and cousin Lemus Jr. are still active from my hometown in San Antonio Tx to Tamaulipas, Mexico
I was originally born in Oakland, CA, raised in San Anto, and now im based here in Kansas City, MO. I First came to Kansas City on a scholarship from the Kansas City Art Institute in 2012. After a short lived run I dropped out a decided to work. I worked many jobs till my time in 2017, which we already covered. Fast forward to 2019-2020 I started exploring my history leading to my comfortability in wearing the mask. I was already producing under the same name, but as time went on I started to understand the importance of branding and why it was important to represent yourself in what you do. Crazy enough I had the opportunity to play some songs I had produced for Illmind’s “Pass the Aux” session, normally a secret location studio type of thing but this was in fact the first and only ever zoom call session. While in my opinion my beats were subpar, the lesson I learned was to brand myself more and embrace where i come from, more importantly the challenge of wearing the mask in public without any fear despite setting.
During the same year I had a little struggle in how to maintain my way of living. I discovered the depths of Photography and Videography. I would film and edit all FK MENACE content but on the other hand, I would reach out to local businesses, offering marketing material for their small businesses. Thus creating the brand Shots by Musquiz. In that time I released 3 producer projects that year as well as new merchandise and even launched my website. On top of that i was in the heat of George Floyd protests, running around as a beginner just looking to practice. One thing I leaned from photography and any art form really, is that all the same rules apply by the time we fully adapt. We’re artists, it’s just how we work.
By the end of 2021 I had a couple more projects out, a few clients to hold me down, especially the carpet cleaners I used to work for. I now run their social media as well as two other companies but thats just the tip of the iceberg.
Lets rewind a bit. The FK MENACE content and to be on point, I wanted to find a way to really merge the wrestling culture with what i do as well as who I am. Lets start with the projects ive made. Theres a little series called “The Switch ups” which you can find on all streaming platforms. The Switch Ups represents an audible call my dad would commit to in the ring. The match would be considered a mask vs hair or mask vs mask. Loser shaves their head or lose the mask and reveal their identity. Pretty common in the Lucha Libre scene. See my dad wasn’t about to do that, he would purposely wear another mask underneath and when the opponent would make the attempt, the whole crowd was shocked to learn it was not gonna happen, some were genuinely mad at the turn out, it was crazy. The Switch Up baby! To me this translated to The Remixes in Dj terms. Perfect concept to start me off right. Each was a sampled beat with an acapella of some sort. Anything from Mac Dre, Mobb Deep, Jay-Z to Three Six Mafia. The cover was an image i took of my roommate pulling the mask off my head and vol.2 was a my dad getting his masked ripped off, not in action tho. He had a mask from 2005 he put back on and i sprayed water to imulate sweat while my step brother faked an attempt to rip it off his head. Thats the first concept.
The Second concept and a continuous concept was The Matches Series. Right now Im on the second match. This is a series that pertains to different aspects of not only my life but again the Lucha Libre scene and the stories from that. The Second Match is my most recent project. Its filled with interviews from my family members, old cumbia tracks I grew up with at the shows, plus the crowd shouting obscenities in Spanish. I really wanted to capture the entire vibe of the show and really represent my family. To make it even better a handful of tracks that were samples in tape were actual songs that my uncle recorded with his band “Nico y Su Raza”. Nico is my uncle which is also Lemus Primero the first Lemus to inherit the mask from Sangre Chicana when they were touring together around Mexico for various matches. Primero used to cover songs from another band by the name of “Los Angeles Negros”. Some say my uncle sounded exactly like the main singer. Blew. MY. Mind. During the making of the second match my pops found all of the original 45 inch vinyls my uncle recorded on, I was extremely grateful to say the least. I mean just the fact i had clearance from the family within to sample and flip into flavorful hip-hop beats.
Now once I had a hold on both brands, during 2021 I was able to start making consistent income between Kansas City and San Antonio. In July of 2021, a group of friends and I created a DJ crew from SA by the name of “Night Shift” or “The Night Shift Kru”. In one year we were able to pick up solid gigs around San Antonio and even a few gigs in the KC Area, I was grateful to create some leverage to bring them to KC, which is a goal i forsure wanted to reach. During that year in KC, a new journey had started up. Offering my Marketing services to many businesses, I was fortunate to work with Carlos of Poi-O Mexican BBQ. Carlos and I had the idea of offering a small show of producers to highlight every Sunday. From there it developed into a showcase and Market which the became “Sabados”, a show/market that would take place every second Saturday. This market would bring the community together while creating a solid platform for producers and performers in the City. Safe to say I was starting to envision and live my purpose. During the final months of 2021, I was blessed to receive a spot at The Ship, a local venue located in the historic West bottoms, only to receive a full-time residency by 2022.
Fast forward to 2022, I’ve taken on many gigs around the Kansas City area and in my hometown in San Antonio. I’ve played my full residency at The Ship, Nighthawk, and other various places. Opening up for artists such as Los Tigres Del Norte and Vel Nine. I’ve done many video editorial projects from Hip Hop shows to Podcasts. I’ve been hosting Sabados for about a year now, booking various music acts to showcase, and even had the opportunity to partner with AmeriKana Fest, Hosted by Making Movies, a global band. Lastly, I’ve been given the title of an Activist by the Latino Education Collaborative, which I am extremely proud of.
Now reaching the end of 2022 and the start of 2023, my mission is to bring more awareness to all the artists in the city, but also merge artists between KC and San Antonio. I feel like both cities are on the rise and have a lot of talent to offer. Both have a chance to reach success with strong efforts and collaborations. I like to think the mask separates me automatically but with that I strive to do my best in all that i do and strongly represent my fam to the fullest every step of the way. I Like to put it this way. You were born an artist, be that to the fullest extent, know that you have the ability to explore all genres of art, you just havent gotten there yet. With that Im always pleased to edit content for myself or for others, wether its a recap video, photo shoot, or a flyer design. Ill make it work by any means.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
What a good question!
Lets talk about the struggle of the macho man, and im not talking about the wrestler. I know Im close to the wrestling world but not that close.
The toxic macho man in my eyes is typical in almost every Mexican house hold, the same way the wife would have dinner ready when the husband returns home. Traditional. I mean luchadores are just macho and trying to prove a point of who’s better and who’s stronger. Thats the culture.
Lets jump back and get a little personal right quick. I grew up in a separated house hold, my pops was on his own thing and my mom raised us 4 along with my step dad. Now my pops wasn’t completely out of the picture, we still would kick it with him every week, but it definitely took a toll on us forsure. See my pops wasn’t macho kind of guy he was just firm and cool with everyone and most of all passionate about his craft as well. My step dad on the other hand was a Mexican national who was chill but a macho alcoholic drunk. We didn’t come from that so In the end instead of the mom traditionally taking care of everything, we had to pick up the slack. Chores, cooking cleaning, you name it. We weren’t used to all that. Now i know you’re confused.
Side Note – Arent you Mexican? Im Texan fool or Chicano no mas. I grew up around Spanish speakers and never fully learned the language, Im not a fool though I can get around.
My step dad caused alot of drama, he also didn’t know his way around certain things and in the end he was keeping alot of information from us. Over the years I was in the middle of alot of drama and arguments between both my mom and step dad. Alot of self defense took place and decisions I had no business making. From aggression to pettiness and the typical drink binge, it was all there. That was on both sides though, my mother was forsure the jealous and aggressive type, we really didn’t have the best relationship. I just never agreed on her decisions. They were sometimes in favor of herself.
Fast forward to my first couple of years in KC between the years of 2012-2015. My first adventures of a free man consisted of multiple parties, no care for anything and very much involved with school, i really just wanted a ticket out of my hometown and away form the drama. Yes I was in school but i felt like a macho man doing whatever I wanted. I met my first girlfriend at the start of 2013 and we were together for about 4 years. In that time i was very abusive towards her, mentally and physically. I was petty, and I was not willing to anything at all. What can I say I was insecure and filled with so much anger. To this day i think about the person I was and how far Ive come. Really took me awhile to realize how much damage I was causing to myself, friends and the relationship.
The break up was rough no doubt, It lead to my depression, but it really allowed me to reflect and re group. I was struggling with myself, but i was still contributing to the craft, pushing all the anger into these beats and working out. I learned to unlearn all that toxic machismo attitude that was causing me to crash. I opened my mind to new possibilities and never let up on creating. I climbed out of that whole I was in and don’t plan on returning to. Im grateful for that relationship though, she really held me down all those years and i really don’t regret anything ive ever done. I just learned from it.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I would say the most rewarding aspect would be the process. The process is everything. from the first initial thought to the multiple drafts, then the approval from your closest people. I love it!!
Dont get me wrong, the outcome is amazing too. However its a 50/50 outcome wether it comes out the way you wanted or a complete disaster. Either way im down to learn from it all and ll always trust in what i do.
My most recent reward in my life is running my current community event called “Sabados”. Like how did I fall into this? Its just something that happened. Im helping people sell their products and mainly giving local music producers a chance to showcase and connect with other local talents. Just amazing!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fkmenace.squarespace.com/
- Instagram: @Fk_menace
- Facebook: FK MENACE
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=fk+menace
Image Credits
Gabriel Valadez Lewsr Amber Trevino