With more experience on his resume than James Franco himself, you might catch this Italian stallion around campus rocking a shirt that could feed a family of four for a week. Perhaps you’re a fan of his ~fire~ mixtape. Either way, you won’t find a guy who’s better dressed or throws a better pre, and still has a heart of gold. Meet rapper, globetrotter, chocolate aficionado, and this week’s Campus Cutie: Francesco Giorgio.
Name: Francesco Giorgio
Age: 21 next Thursday. Oh my God.
Major: MIT
Graduation year: 2016
Relationship Status: Taken
1. Where were you born, and at what age did you first move to Canada? How many countries have you lived in?
“I’ve lived in 5 countries. I was born in the south of Italy, and after four years I moved to a town in Ireland called Cork where I lived for 9 years. I came to Canada in Grade 8, stayed for 3 years, then I moved to Germany and finished High School there. My parents stayed in Germany when I first moved back here to study, but while I was here they decided to move to China.”
2. We have to know… What’s the food like in China? Favourite Chinese food?
“Oh man, the food in China is amazing. First off, there’s the street food – the lower end food – and then there’s a lot of higher end food and everything in between. All along the streets there’s tables of raw meat and fish on skewers you can choose from, and they BBQ it for you right there.
The higher end food would be the dumplings and dim sum – that’s straight Chinese food. Vegetables, pork, shrimp, deserts with raspberry sauce. The noodles were great, and there’s a lot of fish too.
My favourite restaurant would have to be Hansakken in Shanghai. It was rated #4 in the world. We had the duck caviar there and it was really good. So was the dim sum. Amazing.*”
* Brb, eating KD while I cry.
3. Who is your biggest style icon and why?
“Myself. Just kidding.* I get ideas from anything I personally like, and I pick up different ideas from random outfits I see all over. It could be any artist or actor – I may not like their suit, but if I like their shoes, I’ll take that and mix if with another look I like. I notice those details. I try to piece together different looks from different people and create my own style. I try not to copy other people.”
*Not kidding.
4. Describe yourself in 3 words:
“Energetic – In middle school, my teacher wrote in my yearbook that I was like Tigger from Winnie the Pooh because I’m always causing a ruckus. I’d also say I’m self-aware and adventurous.”
5. Right now you’re an Italian from Germany, living in China, at school in Canada. That’s a lot to take in. Can you enlighten us with your most surprising or favourite cultural experience and why? What’s been your biggest culture shock, and what place has been the most different from life in Canada?
“Probably in China. In a city of 8 million people, you’d expect to meet a few North Americans or Europeans but it’s not like that. People there seem wowed that I’m European. We wear different clothes and don’t speak the language. Everything there is different. People will take pictures of you, record you, kind of watch you – not in a bad way at all, but my culture is a shock for them as well.
Another huge shock was coming to Canada from Europe. I’d never been to North America, and that was a huge culture shock for me. It’s not like European lifestyle at all, in a sense that you don’t feel as free here in the way you dress or even go out to eat – the kinds of restaurants are so different. School is also a huge difference. In Europe, everyone was always in one class, and the teacher would just teach different subjects. Compared to that, school seems a lot more rigid here. Even the accent is a reminder of how different everything is.
Moving around Europe though, everything seems the same.”
6. You’ve lived all over the world and experienced more cultures than many people will in their lifetime. What made you decide to stay in Canada for school, and specifically choose Western and MIT?
“I came back to Canada primarily because it’s where I lived from ages 14 – 18. The prime teenage years – growth, puberty… I feel like I really grew up in Canada. Those teenage years really shaped who I am and how I think. Everything in Canada shaped me. I was 17 or 18 when my Dad told me we had to move to Germany and I was so mad. I wanted to continue where I left off and continue the growth because it was the most influential time in my life. I wouldn’t say it was my childhood but it was the most significant time.
I chose MIT because I’ve been doing media related stuff my whole life, and no other similar programs at any other schools in Canada were as good as what Western had to offer. My friends from before went here too, and I’ve met so many more since.”
7. We’re honoured to have a rap sensation among us. Tell us a little bit about Basement Hits, the rap duo that you (Fran Gogh) have with your brother Marco. What inspired you to start making music?
“My family is extremely musical. I grew up not listening to any pop. No Lady Gaga, nothing that was popular. Just the Beatles. Every night we would listen to the Beatles or watch Beatles documentaries. I also listened to the Blues Brothers and a lot of Italian music like Lucio Battisti, Liga Bue, Francesco De Gregori.
In fact, my dad played in a rock band in the south of Italy, and one day when he was on tour, he met my mom. She was in the crowd, they locked eyes, and the rest is sitting right here.*
From then on, me and my brother went to music school when we were younger. I played the piano, the drums… My brother is extremely talented and plays everything. He made his first beat when he was like 13, and looking back, it wasn’t even bad.
I got into rap from my cousins who showed me Eminem, 50 Cent, and I started thinking I could do that. I made my first rap when I was about 15 and I sound like a little child.
We started making beats and went through hundreds of songs. Marco has probably made over 400 beats, but for the album we narrowed it down to 5 songs.”
*Smooth.
8. What inspired the name Basement Hits? How would you describe your style?
“I was working at a media company in Frankfurt, and one day when I was leaving, I walked downstairs into the train station and it made me think how we were making all our beats “underground” – literally in the basement. We were also “underground” as in we were completely unknown, but I knew Marco had the potential to make hits, so I wanted to combine the two.
We also both make the beats and write.”
9. Your dad works for Ferrero, which definitely has its perks (we’ll take your endless supply of Nutella, Kinder surprises and Tic Tacs… Thanks). Can you tell us a cool Fererro fact that people might not know?
“Fererro owns a lot of brands that people might not think. Everyone knows Fererro Rocher, but a lot of people don’t know that Fererro is the parent company for Tic Tac, Nutella, Kinder.
Also, the chocolate cream inside of Fererro Rocher isn’t Nutella. I bet you thought it was*. It’s a common misconception.”
- I did. My life has been a lie.
10. Favourite Fererro product:
“Ouf… Renes, do you want to kill me? That’s the hardest question I’ve had to answer so far. All of them.”
Lightning Round
Favourite memory at Western?
“The month of September in First Year. Our room was known throughout campus as the room to go to for Parties. We overheard someone from Saugeen talking about parties in our room. Only in September though. Then we weren’t allowed to have parties anymore. But everyone knew about it and it was a great time.”
Dream job?
“International Photographer. That would be dope.”
Hidden talents?
“I’m a tech dork.”
How many languages can you speak?
“Two and a half – 1/4 Irish (yes, that is a language), 1/4 German, Italian and English.”
Song that best describes you?
“I hate being sober – Chief Keef.”
Favourite place to go downtown?
“It used to be cobra, but Im sad they moved to Toronto. I like a lot of places but that was my favourite.”
Favourite drink?
“Non alcoholic: A Fererro peach drink that you can only buy in Italy called Estathé.
Alcoholic: Aperol spritz*”
*Ask him to make you one. You won’t be disappointed.
Favourite Kardashian?
“I love Kim’s ass. I love it. Just like I love Nicki Minaj’s.”
Favourite Clothing Brand?
“Do you want to kill me? Comme Des Garçons, Versace… I love Ralph Lauren, Lacoste, even Zara and H&M. I love that stuff.”
Favourite drunk munchie:
“Anything i can get my hands on.”
Favourite sober munchie:
“I love fruit. Exotic fruits. Pineapple, guava, tropical juice.”
Movies: Horror or comedy? (We’ll accept rom com too):
“Comedy. I get scared. I like rom com’s too, but it depends who I’m watching it with.”
Nicest thing you’ve ever done for a girl:
“I brought my girlfriend to Europe for the summer, I thought that was pretty nice. But it also made my summer better having her there.”
Ideal date:
“Dinner at a really nice restaurant – food is super important – then maybe a walk through the city afterward. Preferably when it rains so when I drop her off at home I can kiss her in the rain and make it super romantic.”
Guilty pleasure?
“Watching new girl.”
Celebrity Crush?
“I love Selena Gomez. I used to be obsessed with the bassist from school of rock. I should look her up now.”
Favourite Rapper:
“Of all time: Eminem, Kanye West, Drizzy Drake, Jermaine Cole.
Right now: Future, Jerimeh, Tory Lanes, Mac Miller.”
Country you want to visit the most?
“Australia.”
Truth or Dare?
“Dare, because I’m adventurous.”