DLG348 Educator/artist/music biz veteran Franklin Rossman lives the joy of giving back.

I don't get the chance to meet people like Franklin Rossman often enough. Someone who had found a big part of his life of sharing his art to improve young people's lives who are too often overlooked by public education. Franklin shares a fascinating story of growing up and the role music played in his life which led him to the role of Regional Director, New York for Guitars Over Guns. Check out Franklin's music HERE @franklinrossman @guitarsoverguns Franklin Rossman Bio: Growing up, Franklin Rossman always knew one thing—he was going to make his mark in Hip-Hop! As a kid, the Brooklyn, New York native soaked up all of the culture and sounds around him. JAY-Z, the Notorious B.I.G. and Nas helped to inspire Franklin’s musical tastes and aspirations. With that, Franklin began creating, and his first works were a series of mixtapes under the stage name, The Incomparable Shakespeare. Franklin established himself as a talented lyricist early on with appearances on Sirius XM’s Sway In The Morning, Showoff Radio with Statik Selektah, and MTV. He’s performed alongside Hip-Hop luminaries including Slick Rick, The Lox, and has collaborated with the likes of Kool G. Rap, Sean P, and others. In addition to music, Franklin is intimately involved in education. He developed and piloted a Hip-Hop ELA curriculum. His work explores literacy through Hip-Hop, bringing a socially and culturally relevant approach to learning across schools and community organizations. For multiple summers, in partnership with Harlem Children’s Zone, he helped coordinate literacy-based programming at Columbia University. With over a decade of experience in the classroom and the entertainment industry, Franklin remains committed to youth development. Guitars over Guns Mission Statement: Kids are awesome. They’re creative. They’re fearless. They’re bursting with energy and hungry for knowledge. They know how to make the most of every opportunity. But kids from our most vulnerable communities don’t always have the chance to discover just how awesome they can be. These kids are filled with promise. They have big dreams and bold stories to tell. And yet, due to circumstances and systems beyond their control, they don’t always know that they have the freedom to choose a path of their own. At Guitars Over Guns, we’re changing that through music, because we believe that music, combined with strong, consistent mentorship, can reshape the trajectory of a student’s life.