Rodolfo Antonio Franklin II (September 28, 1966 – October 24, 2024), known professionally as DJ Clark Kent, was an American hip hop DJ and record producer. His crew of DJs was called "The Supermen", and his DJ moniker was derived from the name of Superman's alter ego.
Early life and education
Franklin was born in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York, on September 28, 1966, but would often say he was born in Panama as a way to pay tribute to his family's ancestry.[1] Franklin was raised by his mother and grandmother.[1] He attended Brooklyn Technical High School and the Hoosac School.[1] He also attended Emerson College but did not receive a degree.[1] Franklin's use of the name "Clark Kent" derived from the glasses he began wearing when he was a child.[1]
Music career
In the late 1980s, Clark Kent was rapper Dana Dane's DJ.[2] Around this time, 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."
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.[4] 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 match between DJ Noize and DJ 8-Ball, with a victory for DJ Noize.[5]
Damon Dash, one time manager of The Future Sound and Original Flavor, has credited DJ Clark Kent with introducing him to Jay-Z.[8] Original Flavor featured the then little known rapper on their single "Can I Get Open" in 1993.[9] This would lead to the 1994 start of Roc-A-Fella Records, and further collaborations between Clark and Jay-Z, who met when they were teenagers, as Clark would go on to produce three tracks on Jay-Z's 1996 critically acclaimed debut album, Reasonable Doubt.[10] The tracks were: "Brooklyn's Finest", which features The Notorious B.I.G.,[11]"Coming of Age", which features Memphis Bleek,[12] and "Cashmere Thoughts", which contains a conversation between Clark and Jay-Z.[13] Clark stated that he introduced B.I.G. and Jay-Z at the studio session for their collaboration.[14][1] During this time, Clark would also introduce his cousin Foxy Brown to Jay-Z, and the two would team up on the hit single "Ain't No Nigga".[15] On 2003's The Black Album, billed as his "retirement" project, Jay-Z alludes to Clark's role in helping him break into the industry, on the album's last song (titled "My 1st Song"). He states: "Clark Kent, that was good lookin' out, nigga."[16]
Clark discovered rapper Shyne, whom he accidentally overheard rhyming in a barbershop, in 1998. Noting the young MC's vocal similarity to The Notorious B.I.G., Clark steered him towards Bad Boy Records and Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs signed him.[17]
Other ventures
Aside from his work in music, Clark was a sneaker enthusiast who once claimed to own 3,500 pairs of footwear.[18] In 2010, Nike commissioned him to design and unveil a "Nike Five Boroughs AF1 Low" pack of special limited edition Nike Air Force 1 shoes.[19] He also collaborated with other popular brands, such as Adidas and New Balance.[20]
Personal life and death
In 1998, Franklin began dating Kesha Vernon, whom he married in 2000, and together they had a son.[1] Franklin died from colon cancer at his home in Green Brook Township, New Jersey, on October 24, 2024, at the age of 58.[1][21]
