In a Milwaukee music landscape that has become extremely competitive, Johnny Franchino has always stood out. He is an artist who has always thought outside the box and used his creativity to create music that is distinctly different from his peers’. I have been covering his music for a while here at Eastside Vibes, and I am always looking forward to what he does next. Johnny Franchino has multiple sides to his artistry. Not only has he fronted an Alt-Rock band called The New Grey, but he also has multiple series’ of music as a solo artist that are diverse from each other. Johnny Franchino is perhaps most well known for his AESTHETIX music series. AESTHETIX has a sound and style that is a lot different from most of the other Electronic and Rap music being released today. The music in AESTHETIX fuses 90s-influenced Electro-Pop with Hip Hop in a way that is very compelling. Johnny Franchino has been very prolific in the releases for AESTHETIX. He started releasing music for the series at the beginning of 2023 and has put out a ton of music for it since. In 2025 alone, there have been 10 AESTHETIX singles. Last year, Johnny Franchino started dropping music for a different music series called INTERMISSION, which had more of a traditional Hip Hop feeling to it. No matter what style of music Johnny Franchino puts out, it is always high-quality. With these two very different styles of music, he really proves how talented and diverse he is. Below, I wanted to talk about Johnny’s last four singles, 3 for AESTHETIX and one for INTERMISSION. Please let me know in the comments how you feel about these tracks from Johnny Franchino, and also comment the names of any other up-and-coming artists you think I should check out!

DIKEMBE

Johnny Franchino’s brand new track, ‘Dikembe,’ is his latest addition to the INTERMISSION series. As I mentioned in the intro, the INTERMISSION songs are nothing like the AESTHETIX tracks some may be more accustomed to hearing from Johnny. This is a smooth and sultry Hip Hop track. ‘Dikembe’ has a laid-back and sweet R&B Trap track that honestly reminds me a lot of some of Drake’s early music. The melody has a warm and fuzzy feeling, provided by a piano riff and complemented by a groovy bassline. The beat is bass-heavy and very deliberate, giving the track an all-encompassing feel. Johnny Franchino delivers a very dynamic vocal performance on this one as well. His rap flows are fresh and intricate, and his singing on the chorus adds the coziness of the track. If you are looking for a breezy and silky melodic Trap track for your playlist, ‘Dikembe’ is a track for you. 

UGLY (WITH JE’LOVE)

Johnny Franchino’s latest release, ‘Ugly,’ dropped a few weeks ago on Halloween. This track is another addition to the INTERMISSION series, once again taking on a very different vibe than the final two songs on this list. Instead of having a Dance music feeling to it, this one is completely Hip Hop. In fact, it has a gritty, in-your-face Trap feeling to it. The melody for this track is cold and murky, giving the song a daunting sound. This daunting sound is certainly added to by the beat, which is glitchy and intense. Johnny Franchino and Je’Love more than match the attitude of this instrumental. Both verses are great, with both artists rapping with dynamic flows and rapping in a braggadocious manner that will motivate anyone. I especially want to shout out Je’Love, as her tone and her flow just hit this beat so hard. ‘Ugly’ is a dope Trap track that just puts me in mode in the best way. 

GREEN LIGHT SPECIAL

‘Green Light Special’ is the latest single from the AESTHETIX series, having dropped back on September 26. I feel like this track is a really good embodiment of the magic that AESTHETIX contains. This song is a really cool combination between House music and Hip Hop that is just unlike anything I am hearing from anyone else right now. The melody for ‘Green Light Special’ is pretty super groovy and sweet, with some of the synths giving it an almost hypnotic feeling. The beat has that sort of Downtempo House feeling that makes me want to get out on the dance floor. Johnny Franchino’s vocals on this track are cool. The rapping fits the pacing of the beat very well, and the brief moment where he sings gives the song texture. ‘Green Light Special’ is a song for anyone looking for a new Downtempo House track for their playlist. 

WORLDWIDE

Johnny Franchino closed out the summer with the AESTHETIX single ‘Worldwide,’ having dropped this one back on August 29th. I have to say, this song has a slightly different vibe than a lot of the other AESTHETIX singles. It still fuses Dance music and Hip Hop similarly to the rest of the series, but the style of Electronic music this song contains is kind of unlike a lot of the others. ‘WorldWide’ has an Electro-Pop feeling that brings in elements of Techno and Trance music. At times, the melody feels psychedelic and Trance, and at others, it has a distorted Techno feel to it. The beat on this track is fast and pretty intense, giving the song a larger-than-life element. Johnny Franchino’s vocals on this one are cool and different as well. He sing-raps the verses with a very low tone, and sings the chorus with a high and full tone. If you are looking for a col Electro-Pop track with Hip Hop flair that honestly feels a lot like some of Kanye’s older music, ‘Worldwide’ is a track for you.