James Moyer Franks (born August 27, 1972), better known by his stage name Jimmy Pop (originally Jimmy Pop Ali), is an American rapper, singer, musician, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead vocalist,
rhythm guitarist
In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass gui ...
, primary songwriter, and one of the founding members of the rap rock band
Bloodhound Gang.
Early life and education
Pop was born in
Trappe, Pennsylvania
Trappe (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania German: ''Drapp'') is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,509 at the 2010 census. Augustus Lutheran Church, built in 1743, is ...
, the son of Alice Ann (born Moyer) and Richard Lee Franks. He is of German and
Native American heritage, with
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
ancestry. He was raised
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
, but ceased practicing as soon as his parents approved his request to do so.
He graduated from
Perkiomen Valley High School in 1990 and commenced studies in mass communication and history at
Temple University
Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then calle ...
in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, where he met future Bloodhound Gang bassist
"Evil" Jared Hasselhoff.
Music career
Bang Chamber 8
Pop (then still going by his given name) played in a
Depeche Mode cover band called Bang Chamber 8 with Mike Bowe (later known as
Daddy Long Legs). Pop played guitar, while Bowe played bass and sang. In 1990, Bang Chamber 8 released a cassette of four original songs: "Wouldn't It Be Nice", "Birthday Boy", "Ice Cubes" and "War Chimes". These songs had nothing in common, lyrically or musically, with the Bloodhound Gang. "War Chimes" was written about
Operation Desert Storm
Operation or Operations may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity
* Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory
* ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...
and featured a guitar solo from Pop at the end, who also provided the lead vocals. The synth line from "Birthday Boy" would be reused on a Bloodhound Gang track, "I'm the Least You Could Do", in 2005.
Bang Chamber 8 split in 1991. In 1992, Pop and Daddy started a hip hop group called the Bloodhound Gang which later became more of an alternative rock band. Daddy Long Legs left the Bloodhound Gang to start
Wolfpac in 1997.
Bloodhound Gang
Side projects
Pop collaborated with
Bam Margera
Brandon Cole "Bam" Margera ( ; born September 28, 1979) is an American former professional skateboarder, stunt performer, television personality, and filmmaker. He rose to prominence in the early 2000s as one of the stars of the MTV reality ...
,
Brandon DiCamillo
Brandon DiCamillo (born 1976) is an American former television personality, actor, stunt performer, filmmaker, and musician. He was a founding member of the CKY crew and rose to fame through appearances in the ''CKY'' video series and MTV's ' ...
, and
Jess Margera
Jesse Margera (born August 28, 1978) is an American musician. He is best known as the drummer of the rock band CKY, which he co-founded in 1997. Prior to CKY, Margera performed in the band Foreign Objects with former CKY vocalist and guitarist D ...
as The DiCamillo Sisters to record a Christmas single titled "But Why's It So Cold?" along with an accompanying video. Pop collaborated with dance artist
Tomcraft
Thomas Brückner (born 12 June 1975), known by his stage name Tomcraft, is a German DJ and producer. He specializes in progressive house and progressive trance music and is better known for having created the tracks "Loneliness" and "Prosac", w ...
for a song called "Broadsword Calling Danny Boy" in 2006. The song is featured on Tomcraft's official MySpace. In 2007, Pop collaborated with German group
Scooter for a song titled "The Shit That Killed Elvis", which was featured on their album ''
The Ultimate Aural Orgasm''. Bam Margera can also be heard in the song's intro. The song reached number 2 in the German Hip Hop chart and remained there for two weeks. In 2010, Pop collaborated with German group
Die Atzen
Vincente de Teba Költerhoff (born 18 October 1978), known professionally as Frauenarzt (German for "gynaecologist", literally "The Women's Doctor"), is a German rapper from Berlin, also known as "DJ Kologe", "MC Digital F", "Arzt", "Gynniko" or ...
for an English version of the song "Disco Pogo" which was featured on the ''
Jersey Shore'' soundtrack. In 2022, he collaborated with Russian
Hardbass
Hardbass or hard bass ( rus, хардбас(с), khardbas(s), xɐrdˈbas) is a subgenre of pumping house that originated in Saint Petersburg, Russia during the late 1990s, drawing inspiration from bouncy techno, hardstyle, as well as local R ...
group Russian Village Boys on their song “Daddy WTF?”, with its music video being released on February 22.
Acting career
Pop made an appearance in the ''
CKY CKY may refer to:
* CKY (band), American rock band, formerly "Camp Kill Yourself"
** ''CKY'' (video series), named after the band
**CKY crew, people involved in the video series and related projects
*CKY-DT, a television station in Winnipeg, Manito ...
'' series of films, during a shopping cart race scene and slap fight in ''CKY 4''. He also appeared in an episode of ''
Viva La Bam
''Viva La Bam'' is an American reality television series that stars Bam Margera and his friends and family. The show is a spin-off from MTV's '' Jackass'', in which Margera and most of the main cast appeared. Each episode had a specific theme, ...
'' titled "Limo vs Lambo", in which Pop borrowed
Bam Margera
Brandon Cole "Bam" Margera ( ; born September 28, 1979) is an American former professional skateboarder, stunt performer, television personality, and filmmaker. He rose to prominence in the early 2000s as one of the stars of the MTV reality ...
's
Lamborghini without telling him, causing Margera to accuse his close friends (specifically
Ryan Dunn
Ryan Matthew Dunn (June 11, 1977 – June 20, 2011) was an American stunt performer, television personality, actor and comedian. He was best known as one of the stars of the MTV reality stunt show ''Jackass (TV series), Jackass'' and its fi ...
) of doing the deed. He also appeared on the ''Viva La Bam'' episode "Rockstars", in which Don Vito and Phil Margera attempt to become rock stars, leading Jimmy Pop to
French kiss
A French kiss, also known as cataglottism or a tongue kiss, is an amorous kiss in which the participants' tongues extend to touch each other's lips or tongue. A kiss with the tongue stimulates the partner's lips, tongue and mouth, which are se ...
Don Vito onstage.
Pop has appeared on ''
The Dudesons
The Dudesons ( fi, Duudsonit) are a Finnish entertainment group. They are best known for their TV shows and live performances, which are a combination of stunts and comedy. Their early TV shows were similar to '' Jackass''. Starting their televi ...
'', being one of the people throwing darts during the human dart board stunt with
Jarppi Leppälä. Pop appeared with fellow Bloodhound Gang member Evil Jared Hasselhoff in the film ''
Minghags: The Movie'',
directed by Bam Margera. They are credited in the film as Jimmy Pop Ali and Evil Jared “Hollywood” Hasselhoff. Pop also appears in Bam Margera's movie called ''
Where the ♯$&% Is Santa?''. He appears in the music video for the
Oleander
''Nerium oleander'' ( ), most commonly known as oleander or nerium, is a shrub or small tree cultivated worldwide in temperate and subtropical areas as an ornamental and landscaping plant. It is the only species currently classified in the ge ...
’s cover of "Boys Don't Cry".
Filmography
Music videos
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pop, Jimmy
1972 births
Living people
American male guitarists
American male singers
American male rappers
American people of German descent
American people of Jewish descent
American people who self-identify as being of Native American descent
American rock singers
American punk rock guitarists
Bloodhound Gang members
Guitarists from Philadelphia
People from Trappe, Pennsylvania
Rap rock musicians
Rappers from Philadelphia
21st-century American rappers
American baritones