DRENA DIEGO ‘ORDER OF SERVICE’ PROJECT REVIEW

“He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it
For eternal life (John 12:25).”
Drena Diego’s latest “Order of service” is an emphatic narration of the world and how it works that is motivated by a sincere rumination of death and salvation as seen through the eyes of a matured Drena. The project is a stimulating requiem that explores cosmic issue’s daunting today’s generation, from the desire to attain success, money, fame to the deep-rooted fear of death which has become a constant fear today. However, through a complex yet compelling manipulation of artistic elements, the project is balanced out to provide a pleasant thought provoking 18-minute listen that is broken down into 6 sequential episodes that will leave you ready to tackle the world’s problems and vices with a renewed hope.

Allan Sandako, known as Drena Diego, is a 24-year-old musical artist from Harare, raised and still living in the capital Harare “two side h-town young n**** inbetween.” which is considered as the ‘hustle’ capital of the country. Harare being the place Drena grew in, it has significantly contributed to his nurturing and in this project, it serves the setting and major inspiration point. This aspect provides the entry point for the tape with track 1 ‘Miss Red Preliminary’ which is a narration of the activities, social ills and desires of the modern Zimbabwean; filled with big dreams and fueled by an undying desire for escaping the traps of poverty. The title draws upon the desirability of local media personal Miss Red to represent an object desired by all, a desire burning so viciously that it has become toxic, so toxic that it has found a way to creep into the mind of Drena. He recounts the ambition of Zimbabweans as an ill that has caught us “under the spell” and blinds Zimbabweans into “spending their last dollar” in an effort to seem successful. The record is approached in first person narration which is a clear representation of the personal depth of this project. Almost sounding, as if Drena is overlooking down towards Harare from an elevated position and narrating what he has been witnessing happening up to this point. only to discover Drena is not immune to such pressures and now “girls look up to him as he tries to figure out his own life.”

This E.p stands as Drena’s 7th tape, and it comes at a pivotal moment in Drena’s growth “as I’m approaching 25…”. The growth and experiences encountered by the young Drena Diego have led him to question his life on this world and lean strongly on religion as salvation. Track number 2 “Taboo” brings into picture the vices, temptations and obstacles that he has faced. Driven by the ambition to achieve his goals in music and life Drena recounts how his own ambition has been a drawback to his ultimate salvation and spirit “I know it’s been a minute, I been handling my business.” Playing around with the motif of death, Drena approaches this record as ‘a long conversation with God’, after his ultimate demise. Artistically this track is a foreshadowing of the matured sound Drena has collected throughout the years, the track starts with a sample and ends with a prayer recited by Dray Blvck who is called upon to bring some life to the project while giving it the full aspects of a great hip-hop tape; smooth features.

Sampling has long been the backbone of hip-hop and on ‘Order of Service’ Drena uses it to perfection, in an interview he explained how his creative process is greatly influenced by simply enjoying the music old and new and playing around with it until a focused piece is produced. Hip-hop is also a cultured genre emanating from the black minority’s urge to express himself and thus draws upon many elements of art to achieve the intended outcome and this depth is clearly represented throughout the tape as Drena Diego makes use of samples, beats and prayers to express his thoughts. In ‘Taboo” Dray Blvck a local musical artist who also engineered the production of the tape, recites a prayer seeking the lord’s guidance and protection on this world as “everything physical is also spiritual.” The same technique is also used on track 5 “Taboo pt 2” an outro with a cool fuzzy jazz beat, a skit preaching about the second return of Jesus and vocalized by St Pluto. Simply put if Drena Diego was to pass on ‘Taboo’ will be his finnal statement.

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness” (Desmond Tutu), this famous remark from Desmond Tutu is a simple explanation fitting to the 3rd episode of the story, ‘Waters of Immortality.’ If Order of Service is a eulogy, then Waters of Immortality is the Redeeming point. Drena Diego manipulates his voice to sound like that of a drunk man, who is encouraging the world to do better, he recounts how the constant fight to provide and survive acts as a veil covering the ultimate emptiness within the individual. Drena Diego compared the track to quick sand which will sink you quicker if you fight and slower when you stand still. Possibly one of the richest tracks in the project, ‘waters of immortality’ provides a view that has become non-existent in the 21st Century, he who stands still will achieve more than he who seems on the outside to be doing more, take social-media as an example; to be seen as successful individuals will portray a life of over-ornate and abundance however when pilling off the layers the truth is the reality is far from the image.
The underlying theme of this tract is one of focus and seeing beneath the covers, as they say, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover.’ At this point in the story Drena has built a confidence in simplicity and is strong in his ultimate salvation. With the sample the track is filled with an earthy surreal feeling that is anchored by the closing prayer which continues to reinforce the importance of God and religion in this life.

“Runaway forever”, the fourth installment of the story serves as the climax, biding Drena to let go and move towards the life that was promised him by the lord. Speaking to Diego he described the track as a conversation with his “mother,” or “aunty” who have been the support pillars of his life from the beginning “talking to my aunty…. says a lot about who you should keep”. Family has also been an inspiration in this project, in the quest to achieve in life one meets many temporary individuals who can mislead them, and Drena tackles this point head on telling us how after all this time only his family has been around. Seeking salvation and strength “they wanted to break me…” Drena converses with his mother who introduced him to God and the concept of spirituality, “she lecture me about science and religion” he is encouraged to stay strong and assured in the salvation of the lord. As the pressures of the world attempt to suffocate Diego, he is ready to ‘runaway forever’ from all the temptations, hatred, envy and evils of the world and run towards the salvation, peace and happiness that is awaiting him. Accompanied by an artistic Visual video that reveals some of the pressures and vices Drena is fighting, we begin to see children coming as a guilt free element of this chaotic world and how that purity and the desire to attain it are some of Drena’s biggest motivators, and the world at large too.

“Order of service” can be considered as a palindrome meaning it can work forwards and backwards alike, one can listen to the album from track 1 to 6 or from track 6 back to 1 and it will still represent the same thematic issues. This is evidenced on track 5 “Taboo pt 2” which features St Pluto, a snippet from a sermon and a ‘bumping’ bass beat. Drena continues to make use of sampling and artistic elements to further represent his world, as the track starts with a powerful sermon where the speaker laments the decay of the world “people are killing, stealing” and acknowledges that this is ‘what the world will be like’ towards the end of times, the second return of Jesus. Thus, this second return of the lord is the sanguine that all believers hold onto to persevere until the sorrows of this world are washed away by the lord. Track 5 is a short outro or ‘fall in action’ that makes this project possess a somewhat appealing finesse only comparable to projects from the finest individuals to ever hold the mic from the likes of Nas, J Cole, Kanye West all the way down to local heroes like Oliver Mtukudzi and Jnr Brown. It is this ability to manipulate artistic elements to solidify a message that will appeal to listeners from all walks of life and approve Drena Diego as one of the best to ever come out of the Zimbabwean music scene.

At this point we have come to realize that the world being narrated by Drena Diego is fundamentally similar to our own, as it seems we are all haunted by our ambitions, our desires and our society. “Reflections” thus comes as a fitting close to a story that has taken us through some of the deepest thoughts of a young Drena Diego who is at a point of maturing into one of the best artists we shall witness. The track is a simple close that reminds us of the strong ambition possessing every individual in this world. However, there is a certain warmth that comes from listening to this track, it not only speaks on ambition, but it speaks on the beauty of pursing one’s dreams. Drena Diego has reached a point of no return, from the beginning we saw how Harare, his family, personal experiences and existential issues have shaped him into a somehow desirable artist. Hence Reflections is a sincere introspection where Diego is now aware of his ultimate strength and value, “tell my mom I made it” and is running towards his true self and potential. Listening to this project is like taking a walk in the shoes of Drena, witnessing what he saw, going through his
obstacles and finally finding salvation alongside him.

In conclusion, if we care more about our physical life than eternal life, we will lose the true purpose for our lives. Any idol we hold that involves our interests in this life will allow for no eternal value. Those who believe in Christ will not pander to temporal things but to eternal. By living a life devoted to the Lord, come what may, we enjoy rich harvest in eternity

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