Grown by Plato III

Plato III, the genre-crossing Los Angeles-via-Texas songwriter, puts his mouth where his money is on Grown, a lush and sparkling "working person’s rap album" that explores life and love in the shadow of fiscal responsibility, consumer capitalism and modest glow-ups. Inspired by the "grown folks music" of artists like Earth, Wind and Fire, Chic, Maze and the Isley Brothers, the artist born Ryan Silva has constructed an album that throbs with the mature, step-ready sounds of vintage soul and post-disco, but roils with the lacerating emotional insight of hip-hop. With a rhyme style that's part country rap, part Criterion Closet — "I’m Mike Jones meets Spike Jonze/‘96 Bulls when my mic on," he raps in "Stable" — Plato examines his complex relationship to capital while at the precipice of adulthood. Or, as he says, "Yeah, I'm out the mud, but I clean up nice." 

As the first rap artist to sign to independent stalwart Polyvinyl (Alvvays, Julia Jacklin, Momma), Plato III emerged in 2022 with the noisy, southern-fried, indie hip-hop of The Devil Has Texas – an unflinching suite about growing up penniless in the Lone Star State. Grown, however, is firmly planted in his current homebase of Los Angeles, as Plato's life was increasingly making him look forward instead of back. He was nearing 30, had plans to propose to his now-wife and held a job that had him making above poverty wage for the first time in his life. The Netflix movie Always Be My Maybe licensed his song "Illuminate"—which soon became the #2 most Shazamed song in America—and Plato opened his first savings account. 

"Suddenly the music I was listening to started slowing down a little," says Plato. "This Al Green?  Let's throw on this whole album. The Isleys? I don't need the Ice Cube sample. Let's go the original!" Instead of just listening to "September," I would go back and listen to a whole Earth, Wind and Fire record. That was good studying, but also it was soothing. This is what's speaking to my temperament right now. If you want to rage, you can listen to Travis Scott, you can listen to BabyChiefDoit. That's not where I'm at in my life."

The original seeds of Grown were planted in no less auspicious surroundings than the Dungeon, the studio that birthed game-changing Atlanta rap records from Outkast and Goodie Mob. Perhaps appropriate considering Grown's sideways view of art and commerce, "the Dungeon" is now an AirB&B, a piece of hip-hop tourism complete with an in-house studio, turntable and stripper's pole. Staying four nights to celebrate his 30th birthday, a creative outpouring resulted in demos for the album's funkiest tunes — "Good Problems" "I Want (Money)," "Grown" and "Coulda Died" — visions of vintage '70s soul skewed through the prism of classic Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik.

"I was thinking, 'How did I end up on this guitar label? What am I gonna do for another album?' says Plato. "And then I'm playing those records in the Dungeon, listening to old Outkast, and just remembering that a lot of the Southern hip-hop I grew up on — UGK, Devin the Dude, CunninLyngists — was guitar-based, whether it was samples or original guitar. I left with the bones of like five of the 10 songs."

To match his gleaming, retro-futuristic disco-funk dream, Plato recruited producer and multi-instrumentalist Phillip Odom (Ceremony, Glare), whom he knew from frequenting Abilene punk shows as a teenager. Plato supplied him with guide tracks bursting with Chic, Patrice Rushen, Prince, and DJ Quik. Through an online musician marketplace, Plato found his “Nile Rodgers” in a Worcestershire UK session guitarist, Lewis Spencer, and his chicken-scratch grooves and tender solos grace eight of Grown's 10 tracks. Their collaborative powers collide on first single "Good Problems" and second single "I Want (Money)," two optimistic, "Le Freak"-y odes to the joy of adult obligations.

"I wanted to flip the switch to kind of make [responsibility] feel like a blessing. I'm on this emo label, it's still emo, we still got problems — but what if there's a silver lining? This is real shit we're talking about: having to take care of a family, having to struggle to make money, having friends that are struggling reach out for $20. But, let's not dwell on it. Let's try to celebrate being in the situation because, in some ways, this is what we wanted." 

"Stay Sane" is a plaintive meditation on the rat-race where Plato raps "Tryna be happy as Sisyphus/Never whipped a brick but I get the gist." The track is built around the guzheng of Bei Bei Monter, who has supplied the glistening Chinese folk instrument for films like Turning Red, Kung-Fu Panda 4 and the live action remake of Mulan. "Coulda Died" is a rejection of capitalism's temptations that churns like Blondie's disco-rock era. Closer "Let's Get Old" is a timeless acoustic love ballad that feels like a porchside sing-along with guest guitarist Eli Winter (Three Lobed, American Dreams).  

Plato is finally living his best life on Grown. However, don't confuse stability for complacency — five albums into his career, his music still teems with the searing political barbs and off-the-wall punchlines that made The Devil Has Texas an acclaimed indie-rap gem. "The music is more palatable," he explains, "but hip-hop, in its essence to me, is supposed to be challenging and anti-establishment. So when it's getting a little comfy, let me hit you with some things that make you a little uncomfortable."

"There still isn’t many rap albums for people in their 30s, for those out of the clubs and the streets, but still not bragging about having it made. Grown is for the cusp of settling down and entering a new phase in life. I want people to feel the realness of trying to make a living in this economy, but I also want them to dance with the ones they love."

Ryan Silva, known professionally as Plato III, is an American rapper, producer, and songwriter. He is recognized for his introspective lyrics, fusing personal narratives with sharp insights on race, class, and identity. His music blends hip-hop with influences ranging from indie rock to r&b and funk, creating a sound that is both boundary-pushing and deeply rooted in his experiences.

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