Kentucky-based artist and rapper Joe Plata redefines the margins of genre and truth with his single “How Free”

This is the type of beat that feels so surreal, and as soon as it starts, you immediately feel a sense of connection with it; like it was purely meant for you. Well, as soon as Joe Plata starts floating on it with his envisionable rhymes and vivid lyrics, you immediately gather that they were meant for each other—his graphic expression and this exceptional production. While the beat offers an unmistakable amount of evidence to suggest it could be classified as a hip-hop beat, there is enough about it to wander through the realms of R&B and soul…talk about Joe Plata’s innate capacity to filter through genre-bended territories and find his own way.

This performance is the mark of someone searching for the truth, and his vivid lyrics do not tiptoe around the subject issue. His lyrics capture the whole illusion of freedom as has often been sold to we, the African-Americans and women, conveying deeply how the scope of our freedom has been limited and we have been made to believe otherwise…much like untethering an animal in a fenced territory!

His opening lyrics, “Money don’t make me, I’m Joe Boy, sipping on my alcohol like Joeboy, laughing to the bank and back watching Jo Koy…” immediately showcase a lyric poet with an unmatched knack for rhymes and wordplay, albeit backed with deep meaning and not just word-scheming for the sake of it.

Another intriguing element to “How Free” is the haunting background vocals accompanying the song throughout. They float like ethereal whispers behind the track, feeling both ghostly, almost otherworldly, working like an emotional undercurrent and amplifying the weight of the track’s lyrics and the overall mood of the song. I’d describe them as some sonic shadowing, giving this jam a dark, atmospheric ambiance.

There you have it folks; “How Free” is an introspective rap jam with extensive appeal, and at the end of it all, the underlying question still remains; ‘How free is a man without his own choice?’

Check this masterpiece out and let it elevate your playlist.

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