Baliva, a talented MC that wears his heart, and his faith on his sleeve. Born in Zimbabwe, he moved to London to pursue a career in music. On his journey he faced personal struggles that eventually – at his lowest – saw the young artist become Christian, and focus on using his talent for good. His latest effort, Imperfect, is both culmination of this vision and a wonderful body of music. Sonically the album has a blend of trap, backpack, Street-hop, and Dilla-esque soundscapes over which Baliva delivers messages of self-worth, perseverance, and faith while giving a look into his innermost emotions. It’s telling, honest and quite refreshing. Over songs like Addicted To Approval and Million Dollar Vanity, he tackles issues that range from social and racial injustice to the overall over-emphasis and reliance that many of us have on not only social media but ‘things’ in general. He’s most telling on songs like the touching Broken Home, where he discusses how painful it is not to be involved in his child’s life. Imperfect is an audio manifesto, in which Baliva is showing the world who he was, and who he’s become. He says best on the album’s outro, I’m Free: “this project marks a new chapter in my life.” He’s free from the constant people pleasing, and acceptance seeking that frankly plagues a lot of us. He’s not forcing you to subscribe to what he’s saying, rather describing a path towards a respective light he’s found in his life. Whether you follow him or not, he’s saved