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By Emmanuel Esomnofu
Albums are meant to be a cohesive experience and K. Flow understands this. “Put ya to bed,” the opening record on his project Destined For Dis, sounds like a trip down memory lane. Beginning with somber notes, the artist paints the familiar image of the jilted lover, sing-rapping “how did we get to this / we used to talk everyday”.
Not very different from what Drake does with his rapping, the Lagos-raised K. Flow understands character building, with this record opening up a lot of thematic possibilities as he courses through the 13-track album.
Born Kelvin Mongor, it’s evident that K. Flow prizes vulnerability, with these records like pockets into the colors and details of his mind.
The meditative production of “Water side” continues his foray into the politics of desire, as he follows the water setting musical forebears like Sir Victor Uwaifo and Majek Fashek has done before him. But K. Flow’s application is decidedly contemporary, with the powerful backdrop of Nigerian pop spurring his sonic choices.
“We can’t be friends,” he croons on “Otijelo,” with his voice floating with purpose over the mellow percussion which sound like something Tekno would fancy.
Soon it unravels to the listener that this is an artist you should give an experiential focus to. Rather than remove the lyrics from their contextual environment, the beats and vocal deliveries all work to the effect of the record.
This alignment works to vivify the love records, which take up considerable space through the album’s first half.
Having sufficiently explored the love theme, creating a backdrop of successful desires, failed loves and unrequited acts, K. Flow resolves to double down on his craft. Now spurred by previous limitations, he gets hands-on into the process of his career, a decision that’s reached by track nine, “Hustle”.
Its title gives enough indication as to its temperament, with the production taking after the aspirational-toned street hop style that’s become more popular in the past decade.
Between “Man” and “You dun see am,” there’s a rich thread of narrative that K. Flow unspools as he focuses on the grit of the masculine journey. The former is especially evocative, with the artist brilliantly flipping the relationship angle by encouraging women to support their men. Reign Ade’s rap verse on “Focus” introduces a direct angle to K. Flow’s singing direction. The album ends with “Hurting,” a masterpiece of a song which recalls the somber arrangement of the opener.
It’s on songs like “Hurting” that K. Flow’s compositional abilities come to the light. His production and mixing skills no doubt contribute to the overall appeal of the records. Even as he’s now based in the UK, he continues to honor the musical traditions that have formed his person. From Bedford to Coventry and Manchester, his last album Expression of Self was spent in the company of musicians he’d invited—a demonstration of K. Flow’s alliance to the music and the community it fosters.
Destined For Dis is a purposeful work, created by an artist that is still deep into their process. Between the evocative hooks and arresting themes, the standout lone feature verse and the choral-sounding opener and closer, there’s an assortment of musical abilities to keep the listener enthralled. Surely, it should go without saying that this is an artist to watch out for.
