Joshua Frank walked into Espresso Roma cafe feeling nervous, knowing he was about to relive parts of his life for an interview. Not long ago, he lived on the street in the same neighborhood struggling with addiction and homelessness.
Frank lived homeless since he was 17 years old and recently became housed in September 2023 after a series of drug relapses and run-ins with the court system. Frank now goes by the stage name Yoda MC. He uses his story to inspire people who struggle with addiction and homelessness.
“I’ve always been into music and I’ve been writing since I was like 15, but it was just something to pass the time when you don’t know what you’re doing with your life,” Frank said.
Frank wore a beanie, a shirt with a logo for his business, Lion in the Lamb Entertainment, and a backpack. His mustache was in a state of regrowing into its signature walrus-handlebar style.
Frank spends most of his time working, writing lyrics and sometimes going to the University of Oregon to rap for students. Frank owns LITLE as a business and has a number of videos on his Instagram account.
When Frank was homeless in Salem, Oregon, he panhandled and saved money to hire a professional videographer to film a music video for his song, “Red Water.”
Frank grew up in Fontana, California. His mother was religious and did “anything” to get him “out of her hair.” When Frank was 16 years old, his father died and his mother sent him to a rehab facility in Utah.
“I drank a lot with my dad before he died, and I just kept drinking,” Frank said.
The first shot of whiskey Frank took was with his father and uncle at the age of 11. His uncle committed suicide after suffering heroin withdrawals and his father died shortly after.
“That was an important detail of what led me always running to f—g drugs and alcohol,” Frank said.
At the age of 23, Frank hitchhiked back and forth from California to Washington and Idaho. Frank said he had no hope or motivation during this time.
“I knew I was good at music, but I had no direction for it,” Frank said. “I would meditate on how I could contribute to bettering things, and I would go crazy because you can’t. Everywhere you go there’s a giant reminder of how f—ed everything is.”
Frank experienced multiple relapses and times when he would use drugs with the intention of taking his own life.
“I was to the point where I was hallucinating,” Frank said. “I would hear voices say ‘you have a gift that was given to you and you are murdering it.’”
Frank said the voices told him to pop his eardrums with his fingers.
“I was thinking, ‘oh my God, I’m going to be in hell forever because I am never going to be able to hear music,’” Frank said.
In 2023, Frank was accepted into the Oxford House program, a sober-living home.
Frank became overcome with emotion as he recalled the day he learned that he would finally have a home.
“One of the goals with my music and my business career is to create a program in which you can inspire homeless people with your story,” Frank said.
Some of the songs he wrote focused on the topic of inspiring others. One of his most recent releases, “Mr. Good Mourning,” is a message to one of his friends who told him his story of getting sober and housed inspired him to do the same.
These days, Frank often gets lunch at Qdoba on East 13th Avenue where the employees recognize him from the days he used to camp near UO. He says he’s on a low-carb diet, and when he walks up to order a bowl of meat and cheese the workers greet him as if they are long-time friends.
“I hope what we get out of this is more people wanting to go to an Oxford house, wanting to get sober and wanting to get off the streets,” Frank said.
On campus, the University Health Services provides free counseling for anyone and an After-Hours Support and Crisis Line at 541-346-3227.
