The Los Angeles based Ryan Silva, professionally known as Plato III delivers breathtaking hip-hop anthems infused with stories of his difficult West Texas upbringing. He recently released a video with his new label home, Polyvinyl, marking him as the first hip-hop artist to be signed to the label. The video features three new guitar-based songs that combine Midwest Emo with Conscious Rap to create a sound that answers the question, “What’s it like to grow up Black in West Texas?”
Songs from a soon to be announced album began to take shape when Silva reconnected with childhood friend Phillip Odom (Portrayal of Guilt, Militarie Gun), who had been under the tutelage of Grammy-nominated producer Will Yip (Lauryn Hill, Turnstile, Mannequin Pussy), to produce using their memories of browning crabgrass, desolate skies, and rusted fences as a canvas for Plato’s doomed trailer park pipe dreams.
Prior to his entry to the Emerging Artist program, Silva found success with his single “Illuminate,” which was featured in the Netflix hit Always Be My Maybe, propelling it to become the #2 most Shazamed song in America.