WHO TF ? - Freedom
Artwork - WHO TF?
Admittedly, I had a very large ego in my early 20s. I had moved from Nashville to Chicago on the strength of “I’m gonna rap and produce” and that led me into a rabbit hole. I never had a lot of confidence growing up, nor did I have people encouraging me to pursue what I wanted, so I was always doubting myself. I don’t know where the switch flipped where I stopped caring about what people thought, but it came at a time when I was young and naive and it led to me losing a lot of friends and relationships along the way. It is what it is, I call the card how I see ‘em.
“Who the fuck told you n*ggas you the shit dawg, ay, who the fuck told you n*ggas you was lit dawg, ay…”
This is the year of Freedom, Freedom Johan that is. I don’t know what it is about North Carolina, but so many solid Hip-Hop sound comes from that state, and Freedom is making his case for being the hottest thing out of NC since a little know star named Jermaine Cole debuted with The Come Up in 2007. If that was the genesis of Cole, we’re already in the genesis of Freedom. I initially covered his song “Running Playz” in late November, and just yesterday, he premiered the video for his first single of 2023, “WHO TF ?,” another haymaker from the East Coast beast.
This song in particular has such a robust amount of honesty and vulnerability, combined with the energy of a “fuck you” anthem. It’s polarizing, like the video’s composition. Starting in black and white, enclosed in a room, to moving on to full-color shots in North Carolina nature. Beautifully composed, put together, and creatively executed, this is a real moment for Free. Losing family/friends/faith/hope, all to a world that sometimes feels like it’s sucking the air out of your lungs, but as soon as Free comes in, he shows just how big a punch he packs; you can hear it in his tone. A framework for the world that was shaped by insanity, and still, he tames it. Effortlessly. Every time. I was sold off the first Freedom Joint, but now, I’m in the church.
Another thing I’ve learned in life is that there were a lot of decisions I made when I was young, had no idea what I wanted or who I wanted to be, and thru all the fuck ups and decisions I’ve made, I ended up where I needed to be. I was always scared of starting over, but the greatest thing are on the other side of fear, and this chapter of my life is one I’m looking forward to…aka…
WHO THE FUCK TOLD YOU YOU WAS HIM DOG?
Watch the video for “Who TF ?” by Freedom
FOLLOW FREEDOM - SPOTIFY APPLE MUSIC SOUNDCLOUD YOUTUBE INSTAGRAM TWITTERFOLLOW HALV - INSTAGRAMLink to Freedom - “Running Playz” on Boolah Radio