1key, a poet, musician, and actor, has said that his latest album 'Ki' will be available on all digital and streaming platforms on July 1, after spending three months exclusively on his website as he wanted to experiment with his fans how they support and consume his music.
"Ki [chi] is the energy driving this self-portrait album created in about three weeks. Every story, every song, every line is an invitation into my internals," 1key said, adding that the whole project couldn't be done without Dr. Nganji who produced, mixed and mastered the whole album.
The album is a collaboration with Dr. Nganji, the Rwandan producer and label executive who first encountered with 1key as he co-produced three songs on one of his previous albums named 'MWIRU'.
According to 1key, the album was produced at Green Ferry Music, the same company which he partnered with to distribute the album on July 1, on all major digital music retailers and streaming platforms apart from his website.
For Dr. Nganji, 1key is one of the best Hip-hop poets out there, "The fact that we made the album in three weeks shows how committed he is, when somebody sacrifices themselves, you owe them to do your very best. And he got bars, flow, substance and storytelling, I just had to understand how to fuse all that and make the sound cohesive through the 12 tracks produced, and which we mastered on Ki."
In support of his new record, 1key will embark on his 'Ki East African Tour' starting in Kigali on July 2, after the premiering of the album on all streaming platforms.
1key's career path has taken him around the world. He has worked with Saul Williams on Neptune Frost- a film that premiered and became Coup de Coeur of Cannes Festival 2021; With a features on J. Ivy's 2020 album 'Catching Dreams' who is a Hip-hop poet and Chicago Grammy chapter president; With Gaël Faye on a number of sets; and a bunch collaboration of great talents in East Africa, Belgium, Germany, France, USA and many more across the world.