GTA Online Interview: Franklin Clinton Voice Actor Shawn Fonteno Talks His Return, Dr. Dre, & More

Earlier today, Rockstar Games officially launched GTA Online: The Contract. This new update plans to be the biggest one yet, as it not only sees the return of Franklin Clinton to GTA V but also the debut of legendary rapper Dr. Dre into the GTA universe.

As a means of celebrating this new update, Rockstar was nice enough to let us talk to the swagger responsible for voicing Franklin Clinton, actor and rapper Shawn Fonteno. In our discussion below, we talked about the update, his excitement to work with Dr. Dre, and much more.

Andrew: As a rapper yourself, what was your first reaction when you heard that Dr. Dre was going to be in The Contract?

Shawn: It was crazy, man. I would never have thought that Dre would step out and do any more music with the position that he is in. The fact that he did was a plus. It was a weird feeling. A strange feeling. A good feeling.

I couldn’t believe it at first but it’s true, man! We in here!

Andrew: How has Franklin and the group changed since we’ve last seen them? Most importantly, how is my boy Chop doing?

Shawn: First off, Chop is cool, just a little older. He’s good, you’ll see. He’s around, still my boy.

Me and Lamar are doing our thing. I’m glad they brought us back together. I couldn’t do it without that dude and he couldn’t do it without me. The chemistry is crazy. You’ve got the hard-head (Lamar) and the level-head (Franklin).

Now I’m super level-head, with money and a business, and he’s still a knucklehead. I know everyone is going to love to see us back together.

Andrew: How many times can we expect him to make fun of your haircut throughout The Contract?

Shawn: (Laughs) You know, bro, I can’t tell you that. You’ve got to download it and wait to see.

Andrew: How does The Contract stand out from other GTA Online stories and expansions?

Shawn: While I don’t know all the technical stuff that went into it, I definitely got a feeling from the work that we worked and seeing previous online work from Rockstar that they are all up there. I still think that this one is going to blow the socks off and that it’ll be a grand slam.

I mean, you’ve got Dr. Dre. Who else has Dr. Dre and Franklin at the same time in their video game?

Andrew: Are you actively playing GTA Online yourself? Or is The Contract a reason for you to return to the game as well?

Shawn: I’m going to be playing but it’s a return for me too alongside Franklin. I’m getting ready to get cracking because I’m excited to see some of the performances, including my own.

I’m in the same shoes everyone else is in. I want to see all the new shit. I want to see what is new, what is old. I’m curious as to how it is all going to go? We can’t do nothing but hop in when it comes out!

Andrew: What does the future hold for Franklin after The Contract? Can we expect a continued presence in GTA Online going forward?

Shawn: I’m honestly as curious as you are. I can tell you there is no NDA or nothing, I simply don’t know. But that is what I like. I want to be surprised with what the future holds for this character and my role in it. It is almost here, though, so you’ll get to see soon enough.

Andrew: Is there anything you’d like to say before we close things out?

Shawn: I did want to say that I’ve got a book coming out that GTA fans should get ready for. It is coming really soon and is called Game Changer.

This book is my life story. It talks about Grand Theft Auto, Rockstar, what I’ve been through as a nine-year-old kid who never knew his father to a mother that was on drugs. I had to fend for myself since I was like 12. I had a ninth-grade education and got caught up in gang-banging.

I’ve also been shot several times and have been caught up in the drug and illegal world, and I talk about it in Game Changer. I even talk about the Ice Cube incident I had back in the day.

It is my legacy, man. It is my journey from the streets to video game consoles, so it’s a great book. I also have an audio version coming. People can hear me translate the book and I translate the book in a great way. Not just like the book; I take it further.

Anyone interested in buying Game Changer can do so on the official website. You can also purchase a comic version of the tale on the same site, and it is titled Game Changer The Graphic Experience: Volume #1-Digital Version.

For more information on GTA Online: The Contract, be sure to check out the official news release we posted earlier today. We’ve also got plenty of other features and news related to the game below that you’ll want to check out.