Black History Today 2024: De’Antre “Frenchy” Frazier, Jr., whose garden continues to grow

Black History Today, created by Marcus Harden in honor of Black History Month, pays tribute to the living legacy of Black history in our community and beyond and recognizes the people among us who are boldly shaping the future.

“In a game full of liars it turns out that I’m the truth. Some say that rap’s alive. It turns out that I’m the proof.”

— J. Cole

By Marcus Harden

One of the greatest honors in life is to truly watch another person grow. Oftentimes in life we celebrate time passing, people chronologically aging, yet growing – growth itself – is such a beautiful thing, because for all of us it can happen multiple times in our life span. And hopefully, if done right, our growth can inspire others’ growth.

I had the privilege and pleasure of watching De’Antre “Frenchy” Frazier grow since before he took his first breath in the world. In the Black community, we know we have family by blood or by bond. Tre (as I know him) was family by bond, but I’m not sure blood could have made us closer. His family has been my family for all of my working memory.

Born in Seattle, raised in the Bayou, Tre grew, yet never lost the common touch – and he never lost touch with who he was or aspired to be. His energy is truly infectious, and he had the gift of transforming spaces. Like an alchemist wherever he’s at, his laugh will force you to laugh, his heart will help open yours, his voice will help you find your own.

Watching Tre grow from an energetic young child, with his raspy voice and a mischievous-but-knowing smile on his face, into the man he became, is truly one of the greatest joys of my life. Many knew him as “Frenchy” because of his formative years in Louisiana, a place that culturally helped cultivate his charm and his open heart, his willingness to be in space with, teach with and learn from anyone. The notion of giving somebody the shirt off your back is the way that Tre always chose to live.

As he grew into a young man, he found one of his many loves – music. Always an alchemist, his music would jump off the page when combined with his charisma and lyrical genius. This passion, blended with his love for fast cars, mirrors the way Tre lived life. Music and cars, though, could never outpace the greatest loves in Tre’s life – his family. His mother, his “Nami,” his older sister, his brother, and his children, the loves of his life. Tre’s artistic talents and zeal for life pale in comparison to the love he exuded as a father.

One of the greatest gifts one can ever possess is the ability to transform space, for your presence to truly be the gift that others need (even when they don’t know it). Tre’s growth is akin to the beautiful garden of the soul. Greater than any suffering is always the great joy he brings.

His garden, the ecosystem he created, continues to grow. And much like a garden, the seeds he’s planted will live and grow forever – in his friends, in his families and in all the lives he’s continued to touch.

The Bible says, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” While absent from the body, Tre’s impact, his growth in all of our lives, will never cease. For his growth, for his music, for his spirit and for his passion, Tre is and always will be, Black History Today!