1Der Jr is vulnerable, reflects and reinvents himself on Keeper of the Flame Vol. 1 – Review

If you listened to Kampala you should remember the 1Der Jr on “17:4” – more retrospective and introspective. “Speak up” was the perfect single for Keeper of the Flame, as it introduced us to what to expect from the project. Linking the two notions is what KOFTF is about: self reflecting and letting what you feel known.

The mixtape allows 1Der Jr experiment on different beats which require certain flows. He takes a look at his own life with “I(Save my Soul)” and proves we are all capable of saying our truth and we all have our emotions thus have to “speak up”. Kamanzi is a remarkable feature and to amplifying this idea.

KOFTF is a mixtape that 1Der Jr conceptualised, as a keeper of the flame (gospel) tells us we can. The tape is about standing for your faith and truth instead of living for false hope or mere as he says on “Likes” – living for likes and going over board. Asks “who you impressing?” He even cautions us of fake news (unreliable information).

As much as he offers contemporary gospel he reminds you of the need for spiritual approach to life – in God not focusing on individual endeavors because God is “owembabzi” the tape is important to our time, where we all want to be included in everything, fighting for dominance. What is your purpose? Since we are all on a journey he asks us to be careful on who we go to for compliments. Don’t be in a prison he implicitly says on “Sojourners and Exiles” as he even shares his prison experience.

In the end he tells us I all because of God’s grace on the Kanye sample feature on “Grace”. Materialism and it’s traps on humans is the sentiment that American rapper kanye West adds and this was a wise sample that 1Der Jr adds as he shows us he arranged his mindset for we are on top not beneath.

1Der Jr allows himself to reflect, show his vulnerability even when he talks about things we tend to keep to ourselves. He shares how he was into the life of the Parte and how he was drawn to girls twerking that later brought unprecedented discomfort instead of comfort. Hebwraps up the tape with his stylised version of American rapper Kendrick Lamar’s “Sing About Me” which he calls “Sing About Him” – God.

It is evident on the project that as Jr discovers himself so does he improve on his skills as an artist, from beat selection, topics, arrangement and deliver.

Download Keeper of the Flame Vol. 1 Here

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Listen to Keeper Of The Flame by 1Der JR
https://soundcloud.com/user-271664121/sets/keeper-of-the-flame