PORTSMOUTH RAP ARTIST
AND SONGWRITER DARKSTARGRAVER UNVEILS DEBUT EP ‘BURNING BRIDGES’
Hailing from the south coast of England in Portsmouth, DARKSTARGRAVER is an exciting UK rap
prospect for 2020, who comes highly recommended if you like the hard-hitting
sounds of Octavian, Skepta, Denzel Curry, A$AP Rocky, or Kojey Radical. Led by
introductory tracks ‘CodeRED’ and ‘Snakes & Ladders’, which were released
earlier this year to rave reviews, Burning Bridges is the debut EP from the
22-year old British Zambian rapper, singer, and songwriter DarkStarGraver.
While he cut his
teeth and honed his skills in the south of England, and has established himself
at the forefront of the emerging Hip Hop scene in Portsmouth, DarkStarGraver
draws his influences from diverse cultures and backgrounds, having experienced
life all over the UK in his very young 22 years, from Birmingham to Kensal
Green to Richmond to Glasgow – travels, and experiences which have shaped his
perspective, musical tastes, and styles, as is evident on his new Burning
Bridges EP.
Sonically, Burning
Bridges sees DarkStarGraver taking an international approach, working with
producers from Russia, Germany and America to help map out the global rap sound
of the record, including Minnesota producer P.SOUL, who has worked with YBN
Cordae, Trippie Redd, XXXTENTACION, and Joey Bada$$, Russian beatsmith Roman
RSK, whose credits include producing for Nasty C, The Underachievers, and
ELLEVN, and NC-based producer Airavata, who has worked with German chart-topper
Apache 207, French pop star Maxenss, and Venezuelan trap music frontrunner Big
Soto.
As for the themes the
Burning Bridges EP addresses, DarkStarGraver is vulnerable from the start as he
discusses fake love and cutting off dead weight on the defensive ‘Without A
Heart’ and the EP’s title track ‘Burning Bridges’, and on ‘Last One Standing’,
‘Snakes & Ladders’ and ‘CodeRED’, he is in defiant self-motivational mode,
while ‘Seeing The Signs’ sees him learning a hard lesson on trust and loyalty,
with the Portsmouth rap artist coming to terms with the conflict in his life
and letting go on ‘Walk On By’, and finding the peace he needs to move forward
on ‘Winning Lane’.
Speaking about the
inspiration behind his Burning Bridges EP, DarkStarGraver says, “this project
explores the mental & spiritual changes I went through, my personal
chrysalis from light to dark, the road from chaotic rage into compassion &
tranquillity. It’s all about the paths we can take, even the track titles make
reference to this, as well as the artwork being a Japanese Torii Gate, which
symbolizes the transition from the mundane into the sacred. Around the
time of writing this ‘Burning Bridges’ project, I came to realize that the
people I had close to me weren't on the same vibration as me, when I was
striving for more in my life.
I’m not afraid of
showing my deepest vulnerabilities or being open with my emotions, I feel it’s
important to share my personal truths, and while this can be intense, I want to
be real with my thoughts and experiences. Making this EP was a moment of
self-discovery for me, as I had to let go of the people and things that were no
longer doing any good for me, in order to serve my highest purpose. I had to
burn a couple bridges along the way to find peace within myself, this feels
like a real journey start to finish”.
‘BURNING BRIDGES’
EP TRACKLIST
1. Without A Heart
2. Burning Bridges
3. Last One Standing
(featuring Frank Myth)
4. Snakes &
Ladders
5. CodeRED
6. Seeing The Signs
7. Walk On By
(featuring Fatal K)
8. Winning Lane
‘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
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