Emerging British Zambian rapper and singer-songwriter DarkStarGraver‘s debut EP Burning Bridges is an 8-track body of work that explores the rapper’s personal growth as an artist and a man. The EP sees DarkStarGraver bringing producers together from America, Russia, and Germany, including P.SOUL (YBN Cordae, Trippie Redd, XXXTentacion, Joey Bada$$) and Roman RSK (Nasty C, The Underachievers, ELEVEN), to craft a rich global rap sound on the project. DarkStarGraver shared with EARMILK via email that making the EP served as a pivotal moment in his life as he came to the realization that in order for him to move to the next plateau he had to shed all the dead weight around him. In his own words “I had to burn a couple of bridges along the way to find peace within myself.”
DarkStarGraver takes a conscious effort to keep everything about the project aligned – from the song titles to the soundscapes and even the artwork. The artwork for the EP makes use of the symbolic Japanese Torii Gate and shows DarkStarGraver traversing into an unknown world beyond his comfort zone.
The first track “Without A Heart” kicks off the project with an open floodgate of emotions bubbling in the young artist as he faces his fears in the treacherous world. Kemba delivers a moody melody-tinged flow over lush layered synths that sound like the score to a drama flick. On the hazy textures of “Seeing The Signs“, he details how trust and loyalty should always go hand in hand and it seems he can only rely on himself as he spews “…Be myself got me by myself, me first ‘cos there’s no one else…”.
“Walk On By” continues the storytelling layout of the project as Kemba comes to terms with the conflict in his life. On the previously released singles “CodeRED” and “Snakes & Ladder” he is his own hypeman and switches to a defiant self-motivational mindstate. Sonically, the project is ripe with surreal atmospheric textures layered over hard-hitting trap drums. It’s cohesively built as DarkStarGraver is very concise and thoughtful about the transformational theme of the project. If you like street-edgy trap sounds and unfiltered vulnerability DarkStarGraver’s got it in the bag.
‘BURNING BRIDGES’ UK AUTUMN TOUR DATES
November 29 – Fiddlers Elbow, London, UK
November 30 – Heartbreakers Bar, Southampton, UK
December 2 – The Edge of the Wedge, Portsmouth, UK
December 3 – Cowley Club, Brighton, UK
December 5 – St. George Hotel, Kent, UK
More Dates to be Confirmed
Connect with DarkStarGraver: Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
