Tone Tana has impressed us with his work ethic first and foremost. The man is all about keeping his word and he met us halfway with all the info we needed to do this write-up faster than we could say Received!. Thus, it is our honor and pleasure to be covering one of his most formidable records off his EP Bongiorno Baby, Free Me. Free Me is a rap record that amplifies curiosity in everyone alike and encourages victims of toxic relationships to leave. And not to mention, the absolutely breathtaking hook sung by Janay Saxon. Standing Ovation in course!
The reverberating introductory synth and the suave electric guitar you hear as soon as you hit Play, speak differently to you than the average 2020 song. The very music seems to be throbbing with emotional sincerity and that’s how you know this will be worth the 3 minutes of your life. The tranquil matter of the song is validated by the surreal voice of the singer, Janay Saxon: “Free me! Free me of you!/ Free me of all the pain that you put me through/ Free me! Free me from you/ Free me of all the pain that you put me through!” The very light, barely-noticeable vocal processing highlights the sentimental perfection the lyrics deliver to the audience. Vocal editing done right.
The leading artist, Tone Tana, goes to rap the first bars: “I see the pain in your eyes, the happiness is gone/ Saying he gon’ change, it’s the same ol’ song/ Your life been on pause and it’s been too long/ And you can’t get by the fact that he did you wrong” The words are hard to digest as they feel too real to any woman that’s ever been in a toxic relationship. This pain-inspired vibe comes from Tone Tana’s own life experience and events he’s witnessed as the son of such woman: “I was motivated to write this song based off my mother’s relationships with my father, and later, stepfather. I’ve watched her waste 15 years a piece that she won’t ever get back. The fear she had of being independent was detrimental. Free Me is for all of those women that know they aren’t happy, living in fear, and feel helpless. This song is a way for them to feel liberated, even if it’s for a few minutes.” – shared Tone Tana exclusively for Blue Rhymez Entertainment. As for the collaborating artist, Tone Tana says: “When I was done writing the song, I knew I wanted Janay’s soulful voice to bring it all together.” We respect an artist giving props to another artist.
Tone Tana ends the first verse with blunt advice: “Feeling trapped and stuck like nowhere to go/ Holding your head low like searching for your soul/ And then you start to hate him for the years that he stole/ Go on babygirl! You gotta let him GO!!!” No loving the way you lie here. It’s get your butt out ’cause he’s draining you of life.
After another beautiful hook by Janay Saxon, along with the doleful piano, Tone Tana raps the second verse as calmly as the first one with the same heartfelt voice: “Life became bitter, too busy to change it/ But you control happiness, only you can save it/ Free as a bird but you wanna bandaid it/ Breath of fresh air, going out with your girls/ Then it gets depressing when you return to your world/ Cuz everything he do feel like you wanna hurl” The further the rapper goes, the more he invites the audience to lean in with staggering admiration, “Uncomfortable to breathe, nothing that’ll ease/ And you ask God nightly for the strength you need to leave” The record does indeed offer a sense of refuge for women trapped in such relationships. Tone Tana decidedly achieved his original intention by speaking openly to the victims and encouraging them to leave rather than pitying them.
This rich, dark, story-like song, is an emotional, musical, lyrical work of art. Tone Tana has impeccable taste in choosing his singer and he also clearly established that he’s a gentle beast for he attacked the issue head-on but not without revealing his empathy first. It’s a soothing song for the hearts of those mistreated by their loved ones.
Song Credits: Tony Crespo (Tone Tana) – Artist, Songwriter; Janay Saxon – Singer; Victor Askew – Sound Engineer.
Make sure you add this ethereal record to your playlists on Tidal HERE, on Apple Music HERE, on Amazon Music HERE, and on Spotify below:
Written by Mariana Berdianu
Blue Rhymez Entertainment ©2020
Blue Rhymez Entertainment 