FR33SOL

Today we’d like to introduce you to Fr33 Sol.

Hi Fr33, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I appreciate the opportunity to tell my story as it’s been a voyage in itself! I was born in Philadelphia September 10th, 1994, a Virgo just like mom, and I spent a good majority of my life in a small suburb 10 minutes outside of West Philadelphia called Upper Darby. One of my earliest introductions to being a musician started for me when I was eight years old in the 3rd grade. The music teacher at my school was hosting auditions for the band and intuitively tried out for a position as a drummer. During my audition it felt natural as if I had been an experienced drummer already. I like to think of it as a past life continuation with my musical gifts. A level of connection beyond just this current realm. From that day forward, I knew music was ultimately what I wanted to dedicate my life to mastering and the journey has evolved to where I am today: As an adolescent, I picked up other instruments and my father was a large influence in my musical development as well. He got me into learning the piano and bass guitar, sharpening my music theory knowledge and providing insight on the business. He is a world-renowned bass player who traveled all over the world gigging with bands such as The Stylistics and The Peoples Choice. I am continuing his mission of musical mastery and development and I am honored to do so. This led to my childhood friends and I starting a rock band of our own in my mom’s basement. This is where I got my groove in composing as well, helping to arrange our songs while being the drummer. We played in bars underaged, school talent shows, and backyard concerts. Building a bond and learning a sacred craft and I never take those experiences for granted. As well as the support system that was set in play by mother. I truly am grateful for the support I always received from her with my various music endeavors. She’d buy my instruments and equipment I needed and provide the space necessary for me to find myself musically even if it meant there was thunderous sounds of cymbals crashing and guitars thrashing in her basement turned rehearsal studio. My evolution from musician to producer was a monumental jump that became clear in my senior year of high school. I had been messing around here and there with making beats in my dad’s home studio, but it wasn’t until a friend of mine put me on to FL Studio in 2011 that I realized being a producer would become one of my strongest and most dedicated practices.

I dove headfirst into the world of music production at 17, amidst the budding trap music era. Songs like “BMF” by Rick Ross was the soundtrack to the vibration of the world at that point and I was very influenced by that new trap sound. I locked in on beats everyday until I felt like my beats were up to par with the best producers in the world. I even went as far as remaking popular beats and playing them for people school and they’d be shocked every time that their classmate could make something on par with popular industry hits of that time. After a few years of having aspirations of becoming an industry music producer, my excitement dwindled. I didn’t really enjoy the feeling of chasing artists around for placements, sending popular artists beats to no avail, and giving away some of my best beats in hopes that they’d turn into hit records from local artists. In 2015 I decided to pick up the pen and use my own voice instead of relying on others. This way of thinking has helped me truly evolve into an example of self-sufficiency and independence. I don’t like the feeling of being at the mercy of others with my creations so being a solo music artist that produces, records, mixes and masters my own music has been the most fulfilling part of my entire musical experience. I released my first song on SoundCloud in 2015 and immediately started building a local following and tearing up shows around the city. I was going as a different artist name at the time and I was building notoriety in Philly as a producer/artist, a rare combo when it’s executed at a high level. I met my beautiful fiancée Lavva in 2016 at one of my shows and my music career now had a new purpose. To grow and evolve with my partner, my best friend and co-create a legacy together. When we met, she was a poet and visual artist with tremendous star power and I wanted to hold space and build something monumental together. I was able to persuade her to jump on the mic in the studio and rap to a beat I made for her and it’s been up ever since. Our connection and devotion to being our greatest versions has lead to multiple spiritual awakenings together, traveling worldwide with our craft. Creating several projects together, getting engaged and having our son who is now two years old.

After a mass spiritual awakening in 2018, I decided to rebrand myself for 2019 and change my artist name to further fit my new sound and state of being. FR33SOL was officially born in 2019 and that’s when all types of upgrades began to open up. The energy shifted, opportunists came, doors opened and I finally started building a worldwide fanbase outside of my hometown. My debut album “Transmute” was released 9/14/2019 and became a classic in the world of conscious hip hop. I was able to bridge a gap between a modern trap/hip hop sound of today featuring hard hitting 808s, autotune driven Melodie’s, in depth storytelling and a story of spiritual growth and advancement. A first of its kind with a nontraditional approach to my spiritually driven hip hop where a lot of artists shy away from the task of making something “industry ready” with the mindset of being anti-industry. I found a perfect marriage in the pocket of modern sound from the perspective of a strong, self-aware black man who’s music isn’t geared around the destruction of my community but still has a sound that is very pleasing to the ear and progressive. That album lead to my first concert booking in LA where I flew out to perform and was blown away by the vibes and reception I was receiving out here in LA. Even more so than back home in Philly. This was my first time performing out of my city and having people know the words and going crazy at my show it was liberating and unlocked new possibility in my mind about where I wanted to call home. My fiancée and I have been traveling back and forth from Philly to LA since 2017 and we have been feeling that call that the west coast would eventually become home. The beautiful consistent 75 degrees and sunny weather, budding fanbase we had growing out here, opportunities to work with bigger artists and platforms, beautiful mountain and ocean views and great relationships we were building out here all planted the seeds for our relocation. In 2020 we released a joint album called “Source Gold” which again became a classic and a soundtrack for people that are prioritizing their healing, unpacking trauma, growing from toxic habits and are getting in tune with the divine magic that they possess in this realm. This led to more traveling shows finding ourselves in LA even more.

In 2021 we performed in LA at least 4-5 times and by our last trip, we had it made up in our minds that we would take the leap of faith and embark on a journey out west. Patience and divine timing was a key factor in the move from PA to CA and we were intimidated at first at the idea of paying 3x the price we were paying for rent back home in Philly, but where there is a will there is a way and that mentality has always been with me. We decided that we’d make a way alto attract all the finances, relationships and opportunities we would need to not only survive but thrive on the west coast and we did just that in 2021 and early 2022. Finally, after many steps in the journey to finding a spot here, we jumped off the porch and left home this April and found a beautiful place to call home in Long Beach. I had a few shows in long beach last year and loved the vibes being a bit more chill and slower-paced for me as opposed to the heart of LA. Sun consciously California has been calling for a while, one of my earliest releases in 2017 was a song called California where I was basically manifesting moving away from my hometown and building a new life on the west coast. This was before I even set foot here but intuitively, I knew where I was headed. Reflecting on these building blocks in my journey has been an experience that I didn’t even realize I needed to slow down and do. A lot of times, I am focused on building for the future and overlook the miracles of my past growth and the experiences that I went through to get here today. Lavva and I often to reflect on our growth but writing out like this for an article has been a very fulfilling piece and I’m grateful you guys reached out. From basement bands to festivals in LA, performing on a TV show in Germany, generating over 5 million streams worldwide and genuinely helping to heal and teach through my music, I am honored to be on this journey of self-mastery using music as my conduit. I am a life path 33 and for anyone that’s into numerology this signifies a master teacher. I have been aligning with that pre-written mission of being a leader in my community through my sonics and am ecstatic for the growth and expansion that is taking place in my life and everyday I wake up with gratitude and joy for the human experience I am cultivating here on earth. S/O to the love of my life Lavva, our son Waseer, my daughter Aaliyah, my parents and my tribe that uplifts me and reminds me of my purpose everyday. Ima create this generational wealth and mogul status for y’all.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Nothing worth having comes without its set of challenges and roadblocks. In my production career, I was having trouble landing placements although I was super talented. I came to realize that politics generally was a gatekeeper to making it into certain rooms and working with the artist’s I wanted to and I grew up very introverted so my social skills certainly didn’t woo anyone at that time. Anxiety and depression also was a recurring theme as a young adult just trying to find themselves in this world. My music sometimes became a device for disassociation and escapism from internal issues that I needed to face and overcome. I’d burrow into my laptop and make beats for hours on end to suppress those feelings and dope but real internally healing and growth takes place when you face those challenges head on. When I had my first child in 2015, I was in a difficult space in my life as well. Only 21 living with my ex-partner at my mom’s place with a baby on the way making no money off of my music career and having no idea of what I’d do. This was a very challenging time but ultimately, it fueled my decision to keep pushing forward and trust the process with my musical gifts instead of committing long term to a 9-5 job which felt like the easy way out. More recently, as I’ve been focused on self-mastery and growth for myself and my family, I have moved on from a. Lot of friendships and people I used to associate with in my hometown. This led to some feelings of loneliness with feelings of being an outsider on this journey because it was getting harder to resonate with people I grew up with, but I understand that this happens with a lot of great pioneers and moguls… You truly have to lock in on your vision and be open to receiving your blessings energetically. Too much density in your auric field caused by past due relationships and holding on to the past is a recipe for blocking your blessings and I embrace change and transformation in all forms now.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I embrace the duty of creating music that is expansive for growth and programs the listener with messages of healing, success, love and prosperity. Being free of boxes and constrictions put onto us by previous industry standards and creating a new world of being FR33. I am a pioneer musically in a world where a lot of artists feel they have to make a choice between making music to get popular and making music that truly resonates with their heart space and where they see themselves evolving to as a person. A lot of people refer to me and my partner Lavva as “The conscious Jay-Z and Beyoncé”. I’ve even heard people refer to me as a conscious Travis Scott or future. Normally when we listen to a lot of hip hop music that is pushed by major labels, the lyrics have energy signatures of destruction, disrespect and disassociation from reality with drugs but we love the beats, Melodies and song structures. I have found a perfect marriage between modern flows, beat selections and engineering but with lyrics that program a more balanced message in our subconscious minds. When I wake up and check my Instagram to see people all over the planet doing yoga, throwing healing retreats, dancing freely, being their most authentic self-loving version in every way to my music, it is very fulfilling. My music is becoming the soundtrack to the shift as I like to call it. No matter what corner of the world you are in if you are starting to prioritize your healing, divine wisdom and detaching from toxic patterns than my music is something that you will eventually cross paths with. My goal is to make this sound mainstream and truly break the limits of what people thought was currently possible while keeping the integrity of my lyrics in tact. This music comes from a pure place and karmically the universe has been blessing me everyday for this work I have been putting in and the sonic food that I have been feeding the collective. Some people even refer to it as the new gospel because of the uplifting effect it has on the spirit. Even elders and children of all backgrounds have been resonating and that’s how I know what I’m doing is truly special when the whole fam can jam to it and it doesn’t feel “corny” or rebellious to today’s music like a lot of conscious music offerings out there. I provide divine masculine balance and I’m grateful for that role. I am most proud of all my works but my latest project “When The Flowers Bloom…” took my career to new heights and I am very proud of the reach and influence that this body of work has had in the world. A million streams on the project in less than a year 100% independent and self-produced with uplifting lyrics and messages of self-love, overcoming obstacles and getting in tune with our inner power to manifest the life we desire is a win in my book! - VoyageLA