Blakk Soul inspires us to set ourselves « Free »

« I know you think my life is good ’cause my diamond piece
But my life been good since I started finding peace » Nas

Pushing forward through the storm, Blakk Soul is having an impressive year. Just recently, He and rapper Lute have been selected to appear on video game Madden NFL 21, with the song « Get it and go ». After collaborating with the likes of Anderson Paak, North Carolina’s finest Little Brother and the legendary Dr.Dre, he came out last May with his debut album called « Take Your Time ».

Released on independant label Mello Music Group, « Take Your Time » is a refined effort, a mosaic body soaked in colorful touches of Neo-soul, hip-hop and R&B. After releasing, « Help » (featuring Joell Ortiz ) and « Smoke N Chill » as singles, the singer-songwriter adds to the album storyline by offering a delightful visual to the song « Free ». Third track on the album, « Free » appears in a lineage of inspiring songs. From the start, Blakk Soul expresses his truth as he ponders :

«That kinda music I had no choice but to be inspired and I just ask God like, if when people, if when I sang it, when people heard it, Would it move men’s souls ? I decided to go with it »

The first few seconds of the song give clear indication, it will fulfill its purpose and brillantly at that. One of writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s famous quotes says that « Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away ». From Kuddie Fresh’s ethereal and soulful production to Blakk Soul’s vocal and lyrical performance, everything on ‘Free’ feels spontaneous, organic and yet precise and well-tought of at the same time.

Flowing between an intoxicating melody, a surgical drum pattern and a jazzy interlude, Soul occupies the space perfectly, soaring effortlessly into falsetto. As every word, every note seem to count, the Tacoma, Washington native makes it near impossible to not sing along with him, his heartfelt chorus could easily be adopted as a motto :

« Set your Mind free, set your heart free, set your love free »

Lyrically, Blakk Soul shows the ability to be introspective while speaking to the universal at the same time. In those hours marked by the struggle for justice and equality, freedom is the underlying running theme, overhanging and elusive like a deity. No matter the domain, from arts to sexual identity or relationships, freedom remains synonymous with the certainty of an uphill battle. The singer echoed that sentiment in his statement in regards to the song :

« Free’ for me was therapy. An expression in song form for the independent grinder. A gentle reminder that we don’t see the fruit the same day we plant the seed. »

On every level, Blakk Soul has fully embraced that philosophy. A self proclaimed studio rat and intense collaborator he has moved like a believer of Malcolm Gladwell’s 10 000 hours theory to now establish himself as a solo act, the only way to go is up.