Tijuana-born and San Diego-raised contemporary R&B artist Frankie J was raised on a steady diet of Latin music and American artists like Michael Jackson and Run-D.M.C. At the age of 15, he was involved with the Latin freestyle scene and released a series of singles on a Canadian dance label. A 1997 signing with Jellybean Benitez's Hola label never panned out, but he landed on his feet when he became a member of los Kumbia Kings. After a few years with the group, J went solo with 2003's What's a Man to Do?, a collection of ballad-dominated material that was released on Columbia.