A-F-R-O

James Gutierrez (born August 29, 1997), known professionally as A-F-R-O, All Flows Reach Out, or FRO Thizzle, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and songwriter. He first gained widespread recognition in 2014 after he attracted the attention of rapper R.A. the Rugged Man, who introduced him to a broader audience.

Known for his technical lyricism, multisyllabic rhyme schemes, and influences from the golden age of hip hop, A-F-R-O has collaborated with numerous established artists and producers throughout his career.

Following his early releases, A-F-R-O established himself as an independent recording artist, releasing solo and collaborative projects while also producing his own music. His work has featured collaborations with Marco Polo, Diamond D, Jon Connor, Blu, and MotionPlus, among others.

In addition to his music career, A-F-R-O has pursued work in film as an actor. His creative work spans music, film, and digital media, reflecting a multidisciplinary approach to storytelling and independent production.

Early life James Dean Santiago-Gutierrez was born in Gardena, California. He is Black and Mexican. After living in foster homes, Gutierrez was adopted at the age of 5. He attended middle and high school in Orange County, California.

Gutierrez vowed to become an emcee after discovering by Eric B. and Rakim at the age of 9.

Music career Gutierrez adopted the stage name A-F-R-O, an initialism for All Flows Reach Out, at age 13. When he turned 15, he bought his first set of musical equipment with the help of his mother and began to record his own music, mainly over YouTube instrumentals.

2014-2015: First project, meeting R.A. the Rugged Man, The Queen Latifah Show On June 12, 2014, A-F-R-O released his first EP titled , which was produced by Pulse Reaction. The EP has a sorrowful tone, but still contains the heavy lyricism that made A-F-R-O well known.

A-F-R-O was discovered by his hip-hop mentor, in 2014 at the age of 17 after entering his competition. After their first meeting, R.A. recorded two videos of A-F-R-O freestyling. Both gathered millions of views on YouTube. They soon collaborated on numerous occasions, and toured together across the world.

In October 2014, A-F-R-O made an appearance on ,

2016: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, A-F-R-O POLO In 2016, Honda released a special titled . It was a 2015-2017 digital video series produced by Honda in partnership with Woven Digital (Uproxx) for the Honda Stage platform. The series focused on documenting the journeys of emerging musicians and artists, targeting younger audiences through storytelling. A-F-R-O was one of the subjects, and his episode received a Clio Award for 2016 Gold Winner.

On June 16, 2016, A-F-R-O performed a live freestyle on .

A-F-R-O collaborated with EDM producer on two songs in 2016, one of which was titled . The accompanying music video, directed by , showcases the track being recorded straight to vinyl and backed with a live band.

July 2016 saw the release of the EP, a collaboration between A-F-R-O and producer , with contributions from and . The project was born after R.A. the Rugged Man brought A-F-R-O to the producer's studio and encouraged him to work with the rapper. The EP has close to 10,000,000 streams.

A-F-R-O recorded multiple songs with his favorite producer for a collaborative project in 2015, but it remains unreleased, as of 2026. However, they did work on two separate songs for A-F-R-O's character D-Rome in .

2017-2019: "Freedom Form Flowing" In 2017, reached out to R.A. to feature both him and A-F-R-O on a song called . A-F-R-O, being a big fan of Blackalicious, was more than ecstatic to collaborate with one of his favorite emcees.

The music video was released September 7, 2018, and has reached over 15,000,000 views on YouTube.

A-F-R-O was featured on s single "Young Monster" in 2019, which appeared on and BET's Stopwatch America.

In May 2019, A-F-R-O appeared on 's song , which also features .

2020-2022: All My Heroes are Dead, Overdrive appearance On April 17, 2020, A-F-R-O was featured on R.A. the Rugged Man'''s album . The song "Gotta Be Dope" was given rave reviews, and the music video has reached over 2 million views. On April 27, he appeared on Jon Connor's album, SOS.In 2021, Hi-Rez recruited A-F-R-O on the highly acclaimed song , which also features Twista, , , , & . He was later featured on Diamond D & 's single.

A-F-R-O made a guest appearance on 's song in 2022.

2023: Production career, 2nd EP AFRODEEZEAK Starting 2023, A-F-R-O focused on producing his own projects, and also for numerous artists including , 60 East, EKYM1536, Pulse Reaction, Elena Charis, MZ1, and Emsee Prospekt.

On August 28, 2023, A-F-R-O released his 2nd solo EP and the first entry to his self-produced trilogy.

2024: Multiple releases, Posse Part 3 A-F-R-O released his 3rd solo EP on January 26, 2024. The EP has a comical take on KFC and Colonel Sanders.

He later released his 4th solo EP on May 10, and his 5th solo EP on September 13.

On December 27, A-F-R-O arranged a song titled "Posse Part 3," which features 80 emcees on a single track. , Blu, Jon Connor, , and Reverie are among the large roster. The video was nominated for Best Music Video at IndieX Film Festival. '

2025: Trap Door compilation album A-F-R-O released his 6th solo EP Crimson Fury on June 13, 2025. This conceptual EP tells a story about a man named Archie, who gets sent to prison after killing the men who murdered his best friend.

On September 26, A-F-R-O released his 7th solo EP , closing out his first trilogy. The third single features . On December 12, he released his 8th solo EP No More Patience, which includes a single that was produced by , titled .

A-F-R-O released a self-produced compilation full-length album, , on December 26. Trap Door was in development for 11 years. The album features appearances from , , , , and actor/comedian .

2026: Multiple releases, Trap Door 2 On May 4, 2026, A-F-R-O released an EP titled A-F-R-O DILLA, with all proceeds going to the J Dilla / James Dewitt Yancey Foundation.

His 9th solo EP titled was released on May 22, 2026.

On June 1, 2026, A-F-R-O and MotionPlus announced a collaborative album titled Frequencies. The front cover and tracklist were revealed on their Instagram profiles on June 4th. On June 26, A-F-R-O and MotionPlus released Frequencies on all platforms, and Bandcamp for direct support.

On July 24, 2026, A-F-R-O revealed the front cover, track list, and release date for Trap Door 2. On July 25, 2026, the first single "Abandon Ship," was released. On August 7, A-F-R-O released the second single, "Play on Wordz," featuring Bishop Lamont, Wordsworth, and Terror Van Poo. A music video for "Play on Wordz" was later released on August 21st.

As of 2026, notable emcees who have appeared on A-F-R-O's production include Slug, , Bishop Lamont, Eligh, Wordsworth, Rock of Heltah Skeltah, Tek of Smif-N-Wessun, , , 4-IZE, and

Acting and television career

2016-2022: First role, The Breaks A-F-R-O appeared in a scene for the film , but it was ultimately left in the cutting room. After feeling discouraged, A-F-R-O landed his first acting gig in 2016 on , a VH1 television drama film about 90's hip-hop, and returned to play the same character in three episodes of the TV series spin-off. In 2022, A-F-R-O appeared as Moo in the horror-comedy film , which also includes the late Tony Todd.

Movie review career On March 4, 2022, A-F-R-O started a movie review channel and podcast on YouTube titled FRO Thizzle Reviews.

Critical reception

A-F-R-O POLO Of his collaboration with Marco Polo on the song Long Time Coming, Vibe magazine wrote "A -F-R-O sounds off with takes his intermediate rhyming skills to a whole new level over Polo's piano minor chords, distorted vocals, and hard drums."

Other The Current wrote "hip-hop has changed so vastly... the old school sound seems to have been completely snuffed out. That is, until the extremely talented 18-year-old rapper A-F-R-O (All Flows Reach Out) came onto the scene... this very talented individual has not only been given the opportunity to share his music, but also brought old school back".

Influences and style

Lyrical style A-F-R-O has named Sean Price, MF Doom, R.A. the Rugged Man, GZA, Pharoahe Monch, Rakim, Kool G Rap, Chip-Fu, and Twista as his lyrical influences on rhyme schemes, content, and speed.

Production style A-F-R-O names DJ Premier as his favorite producer of all time, and is majorly influenced by his works. He also holds Pete Rock, J Dilla, Madlib, Erick Sermon, and RZA in high regards. Released: May 10, 2024 Label: FRO Thizzle Productions Singles: "Next 2 Shine", "Wing Chun" Released: September 13, 2024 Label: FRO Thizzle Productions Singles: "Tarantino (feat. Jon Connor & inDJnous)" Released: May 30, 2025 (Direct support) / June 13, 2025 (Streaming platforms)'' Label: FRO Thizzle Productions Released: September 26, 2025 Label: FRO Thizzle Productions Singles: "OK", "King ov da Throne (feat. Slug)", Curious" Released: December 12, 2025 Label: FRO Thizzle Productions Singles: "U Ain't", "NBNA", "Who's Dat (feat. DJ City Rich)" Released: May 22, 2026 Label: FRO Thizzle Productions

Collab albums + with Stu Bangas

Released: October 31, 2024 Label: Brutal Music Singles: "Lost Souls", "From Dusk Til Dawn (feat. Lil' Dee)" with 60 East

Released: November 17, 2025 Label: Purty Ugly Singles: "The Program", "Feeding Frenzy", "Guilty Conscience", "Never Fall (feat. RHYMESTYLETROOP)" with Stu Bangas

Released: November 28, 2025 Label: Brutal Music Singles: "Mastermind (feat. Wordsworth)", "Glistening"Frequencies (A-F-R-O and MotionPlus album) Released: June 26, 2026 Label: FRO Thizzle Productions / SOLFEEDER Released: TBA Label: Brutal Music

Collab EPs + with Marco Polo

Released: July 18, 2024 Label: FRO Thizzle Productions/Deep Mindset Records Singles: "Contakt Rap", "Latin Lingo (feat. Ill Conscious & A-F-R-O)" (LP)

Released: January 31, 2025 Label: FRO Thizzle Productions Singles: "Lyrical Whatever (feat. A-F-R-O)", "S.O.S. (Souls for Sale)", "Time" (LP)

Released: February 11, 2025 Label: FRO Thizzle Productions Singles: "Smoke in the Air (feat. A-F-R-O)" (EP)

Released: March 21, 2025 Label: FRO Thizzle Productions (EP)

Released: May 16, 2025 Label: FRO Thizzle Productions (LP)

Released: July 2, 2025 Label: FRO Thizzle Productions (LP)

Released: October 3, 2025 Label: FRO Thizzle Productions Singles: "Cloud 9", "Severance", "The Thinker", "Samurai's Daughter", "The Hills" (LP)

Released: December 5, 2025 Label: FRO Thizzle Productions/SOLFEEDER Singles: "Ill Principals (feat. StrataG)", "Some Pictures Ain't Clear" (LP) Released: July 2026 Label: FRO Thizzle Productions/Deep Mindset Records (LP)

Released: TBA Label: FRO Thizzle Productions Singles: "On da Scene (feat. A-F-R-O)" (LP) Released: TBA Label: FRO Thizzle Productions (EP) Released: TBA Label: TBA (EP) Released: TBA Label: FRO Thizzle Productions Released: TBA Label: TBA Released: TBA Label: TBA

Instrumental projects + Released: December 1, 2023 Label: FRO Thizzle Productions Released: December 10, 2024 Label: FRO Thizzle Productions Released: August 17, 2025 Label: FRO Thizzle Productions Released: April 15, 2026 (Direct support) / April 16, 2026 (Streaming platforms) Label: FRO Thizzle Productions

Featured on Jedi Mind Tricks - The Thief and the Fallen (2015) NGHTMARE - Stronger (2016) Wax Tailor - By Any Beats Necessary (2016) Chinese Man - Shikantaza (2017) Gift of Gab - Rejoice! Rappers Are Rapping Again! (2018) Diamond D - The Diam Piece 2 (2019) Novel - "Young Monster" (2019) R.A. the Rugged Man - All My Heroes Are Dead (2020) L'Orange & Solemn Brigham - Marlowe 2 (2020) Jon Connor - SOS (2020) Diamond D & Talib Kweli - "Far Out, Bar Out" (2021) Hi-Rez - "Overdrive" (alongside Twista, Tech N9ne, Bizzy Bone, Joell Ortiz, & KRSNA) K.A.A.N. - KAIZEN (2021) Fortnite - "Lil’ Whip (Mmm!)" (2022) Freedom Fry - "Mr. Nobody" (2022) Artifacts & Buckwild - No Expiration Date (2022) Emsee Prospekt & Big Duke - "3 Kingz" (2025) 4-IZE - All Seeing IZE On Me (2025) Stu Bangas & Horror City - The Phantom of the Operap (2025) Blu & Myka 9 - God Takes Care of Babies & Fools (2025)

Full production list

+List of songs produced by A-F-R-O, with performing artists, showing year released and album name TitleYearPerformer(s)Album"IDK" 2021A-F-R-O, Tek, Voice WatkinsIDK - Single"Alphabetical Algorithm" (co-produced with SuperBrownBum) 2022A-F-R-OAlphabetical Algorithm - Single"FRO's In Demand" 2023A-F-R-O FRO's In Demand - Single"Talk ov da Town"AFRODEEZEAK (EP)"Night at da Rink""Journeymen"A-F-R-O & 60 EastAt the Sideshow (EP)"Funny How?""Americxn Ninjas""Czech""Cali Ozone" (feat. Ras Kass)"Colonel's Recipe (Intro)"2024A-F-R-ONew Colonel in Town (EP)"Back in da Game""Cholesterol None""The Drawing Board (Intro)"The Drawing Board (EP)"Next 2 Shine""Wing Chun""Gone 4 a Second""Behead the Beat""Old Tyme's Sake""Redemption""AFRODEEZEAK 2 (Intro)"AFRODEEZEAK 2 (EP)"Mack a Docious""Da Mayor""Worldwide!""Alley Oop!" (feat. 4-IZE)"Across the Universe" (feat. Blu, 60 East, & Elena Charis)"Tarantino" (feat. Jon Connor & inDJnous)"4 tha Culture" (feat. EKYM1536, SuperBrownBum, & DJ E-DuB)"King's Grace"MotionPlusKing's Grace - Single"INTRO"Emsee ProspektMIND OVER MATTER"P EXERTZ""1AM""LATIN LINGO" (feat. A-F-R-O & Ill Conscious)"CONTAKT RAP""RECUERDOZ!""FACES OF BOOM BAP" (feat. Big Ase)"MICROPHONE HEART""THE POET OR THE PSYCHO""REMAIN ALERT!" (feat. Ruste Juxx)"UNBROKEN DREAMZ"A LIFETIME IN PARADISE (R.I.P. BENJAMIN JR.)"WHAT LIFE IS (R.I.P. BENJAMIN SR.)""OUTRO""Intro"2025MotionPlusFOCUS"Wake Up""Time""Survival Guide""Heights""Beware of the Villains""Home Ain't a Home""Find" (feat. Tevo Jordan & Antonia Marquee)"Lyrical Whatever" (feat. A-F-R-O)"S.O.S. (Souls on Sale)""It's a Blessing""Ill Principals" (feat. StrataG)Antiquity"State of Dreamin'""Paralyzation""Eighties""Some Pictures Ain't Clear""Hearts & Homes" (feat. m1L)"Silver Lining""Check My Credentials""RazorBlades"MZ1Razor Blades"Smoke in the Air" (feat. A-F-R-O)"Roll Call""Greetings""Found the Body""Overton Window""Cypherzone""All Around Me""GUMALAW"Golden BuddhaBuddha Paymilia (EP)"MAD MASTERS" (feat. A-F-R-O & Emsee Prospekt)"TELEKINESIS""RONIN" (feat. A-F-R-O)"NUFF SAID" (feat. Jam Young)"MUGEN FRATELLI" (feat. Mugen Fratelli & HAGRID)"Business Man"D BlatBusiness Man - Single"Wolf King"FelconThinking (EP)"They Don't Understand""Japan Flip""End Is Nigh""Push You (Lactose Intolerant)""Questions Regarding Peace"Tylr C, $adflckoParadigm Shift"A Man Apart" (feat. A-F-R-O)"It Was I""ECP Intro"Elena CharisElena Charis"Samurai's Daughter""Severance""Kelly K""The Thinker""The Hills""Cloud 9 (A-F-R-O Jazzy Remix)""Underdog" (feat. A-F-R-O, META4US, Felcon, & MVTHA CVLA)"Down 4 Me""Betcha""Psalms 23:4 (Mummiez)""Astronaut Lady""Crimson Fury (Intro) / The Cell"A-F-R-OCrimson Fury (EP)"Brawl in Cell Block 99""AFRODEEZEAK 3 (Intro)"AFRODEEZEAK 3 (EP)"OK""King ov da Throne" (feat. Slug)"Curious" (feat. SuperBrownBum)"Mr. Fantastic" (feat. Napoleon da Legend)"Can't Seem 2 Understand""Not da Way 2 Do It" (feat. Young Hump)"Roll Bounce" (feat. EKYM1536, MotionPlus, & DJ E-DuB)"End of an Era""Things I Do" (feat. Dahliam)No More Patience (EP)"Trap Door Intro / Sayonara" (feat. Will Sasso, Reks, Seuss Mace, Emanyouill, iNTeLL, Manus Bell, & Status the Marlboro Man)Trap Door"Riddle 2 Dribble" (feat. Blu, MotionPlus, EKYM1536, & D Blat)"C U at da Top" (feat. EKYM1536, MotionPlus, Elena Charis, Tevo Jordan, & Dillon)"Da Buck Stops" (feat. Termanology)"Off da Hook" (feat. Jam Young, Pulse Reaction, H3ro, & Curt Sharp)"High Alert! / Skit" (feat. Super Star of Horror City & Sean the White Rapper)"Da Dungeon""Baby Fetus & Da Bum" (feat. Amiri Lavelle & SuperBrownBum)"Neck Broken / Skit" (feat. Wordsworth, John Jigg$, & Emsee Prospekt)"No Betta" (feat. Young Hump, 60 East, Tevo Jordan, Jam Young, & MotionPlus)"Ikiru / Dead Man's Door""Three Chamberz / Skit" (feat. DudeSirius, D Blat, & Blind Toxic)"Den of Thieves""Hiroyuki""Junkyard Dawgz" (feat. Jon Connor, EKYM1536, H3ro, & Ace of Chosen Kingz)"Carnage / Gimme a Break""My Nightz / On da Lookout!" (feat. DudeSirius & Rod)"BBQ Session (Posse Part 4)""Da Last Straw / Carnage Pt. 2""Stop Frontin'" (feat. MotionPlus, Elena Charis, Pulse Reaction, & SuperBrownBum)"BACK"2026A-F-R-OSingle"No H.E. Double Hockey Sticks"Blood Rain (EP)"No Talk""Burn It Up""Blood Rain""Trap Door 2 Intro" (feat. Amir J. Sadeghi)Trap Door 2"Tavern of Evil" (feat. Emsee Prospekt, EKYM1536, Eighty Spadez, Elena Charis, Truth0470, Flotrix, & MotionPlus)"Play on Wordz" (feat. Bishop Lamont, Wordsworth, Terror Van Poo, & MotionPlus)"Feel da Beat" (feat. K.I.D. Casper, Big Earth, Procyse, & m1L)"Mystic Men" (feat. Lone.Fractal, Lil' GHO$T, Meta4us, King Khazm, es-1, Mystic, Ojo Jones, Everaldo Zacarias Jr., & DJ E-DuB)"Armageddon" (feat. Alan Z, Sevin Soprano, Rumor the God, & Emsee Prospekt)"Vertigo" (feat. MotionPlus & MaceyOMaze)"Murder She Wrote" (feat. Eighty Spadez & K.I.D. Casper)"Manfredi / Sean the White Rapper" (feat. MZ1?nowledge, Abe the Freak, Sammy Warm Hands, Open Minded & Sean the White Rapper)"Abandon Ship" (feat. Greybeard, Status the Marlboro Man, Eighty Spadez, & Rash Reed)"Records & Tapes" (feat. m1L & SuperBrownBum)"Tony Hawk / Skit" (feat. K.I.D. Casper, Baller Brown, Eighty Spadez, & Felcon)"Now or Later / Wiseguy" (feat. Pulse Reaction, StrataG, Emsee Prospekt, & Trevor "Young Lord" Davison)"From da Heart" (feat. Souleye, Irakoski, WO6EPH, Erik Solo, AA, Kevin Mic Check, & Nick Name)"Captain Now / Skit" (feat. Jon Connor, Blu, MZ1, YaH-Ra, MC Wicks, Madd Illz, Eksale, Felcon, Rod & Kamari Leaha)"Smooth Operator" (feat. 60 East, H3RO, & Jam Young)"Supaman" (feat. Eddi Brocc, Big Chief Smash & DJ Ace the Cut Lieutenant)"Junkyard Dawgz 2 / Moovin" (feat. EKYM1536, iLLIODD, Elena Charis, Divine Flowz, H3RO, Ace of Chosen Kingz, & D Blat)"Barb Wire" (feat. Blaq Poet & Blind Toxic)"Against the World / Outro" (feat. Novel, Wordsworth, MotionPlus & George Paez)"Kali-4-Nia"Elena CharisSingle"Frequencies (Intro)"A-F-R-O & MotionPlusFrequencies"Sleepwalkin'""Da Family""Documented""Obstacle Course""Mad Scientists""Foundational" (feat. StrataG)"Get on Down""Biblical" (feat. Elena Charis)"Clutch of Death""Flowers" (feat. Alyssa Jane)"Kill Switch" (feat. EKYM1536 & Emsee Prospekt)"Mind Ovr Matter Part 2 Intro"Emsee ProspektMind Ovr Matter, Pt. 2"Red Dawn""Addicted Snowman""Trembling Handz""Talez of Rough Livin'" (feat. MotionPlus, 60 East, Felcon, & Cristopolis)"State of Emergency""3 AM""Mizery Loves Companie""Raw & Spectacular""Poet or the Psycho, Pt. 2""DANGEROUZ MINDZ" (feat. A-F-R-O, Reks, Seuss Mace, & Gifted Youngstaz)"Wh0 Am I?"

Awards and nominations

Clio Awards

One-Wheeler Short Film Competition

IndieX Film Fest