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Frank Lopes, 22, better known in music circles as Hobo Johnson. Through his series of lovably low-budget clips, he's emerged as one of the hottest and perhaps most unlikely stars of local hip-hop.

A hardened street soldier of hip-hop Hobo Johnson is not. But the rapper - whose 1994 Toyota Corolla once doubled as his home, thus the name "Hobo Johnson" - is finding success just by being true to his slightly neurotic self.

Broke, and grappling with cramped legs from sleeping in his car, Lopes embraced a new persona: "Hobo Johnson." This rapper would celebrate the scrappy and keep his subject matter sincere, even to the point of awkwardness. Hip-hop would remain his platform, but his style would show the influence of folk-punk bands such as the Front Bottoms and other groups that celebrated the confessional and self-conscious, all in a low-fi atmosphere.

REVIEW: "I mean I'll give credit to Hobo Johnson for trying something... different."