The DIVE Series: 1K Phew, “Back Soon”

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What’s good, everybody! Welcome to the sixteenth installment of FiveTwenty Collective’s DIVE Series*! In the previous two installments, I essentially dove into Childlike CiCi’s first EP, 4 Friday. I feel that my latest article was not up-to-par with the rest of my installments, so I will strive to make this one (and future installments) better!

Today, I will DIVE into a classic CHH (Christian Hip Hop) song from 2019. I recommend listening to the track near the bottom of this page before, during, or after reading this article. Note that I will review the most important parts of each part of the song. As always: Let’s DIVE!

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” ‭‭- Revelation 22:12-13

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About the Track

1K Phew‘s song, Back Soon, is the third track on his second official album, What’s Understood, released on February 15th, 2019, featuring KB and Parris Chariz. This song gives the sense that these artists know what they’re doing and are growing spiritually. The track has a relatively modern trap feel to it, along with some real fire bars.

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Interpretation of the Track (Part 1)

The intro of the track starts off with:

“Young Otto. Young Otto, yeah. Put your hands in the air for Cardec. Ayy, got surfboard in here with me. HGA.”

This introduces us to the four primary people involved in the making of the song in the following order:

1. “Young Otto” refers to the artist 1K Phew
2. “Cardec” refers to the producer Cardec
3. “Surfboard” referring the artist Parris Chariz
4. “HGA” refers to the artist KB

1K Phew comes in with the Pre-Chorus of the record:

“Can’t go back, used to chase after that. Can’t go back, God came to save the day. Looking at the sky like the roof ’bout to crack. (See what I’m sayin’, ayy).”

Here, 1K Phew speaks on being unable to return to his old sinful ways before he gave his life to Christ and began his relationship with the Father (Jesus). He mentions God saving the day by sending His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins, and the sky looking like it is about to crack (implying that the end times are upon us).

1K Phew then comes in with the actual Chorus of the song:

“Jesus, finna come back soon (Huh). Finna come back soon (What?). Finna come back soon. Say what you need to say. Finna come back soon. Finna come back soon. Finna come back soon. And he gon’ say. Give it up, better not give me no cap (What He gon’ say?). Give it up, better not give me no cap. I’m not falling for none of that cap. Give it up (What He gon’ say?), give it up.”

Here in the Chorus, 1K Phew brilliantly ties Jesus coming back soon with the fact that Jesus is a righteous judge and will judge us accordingly. Jesus will judge according to the truth. Jesus says in Matthew 16:27, “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”

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Interpretation of the Track (Part 2)

1K Phew performs the first verse:

“Can’t go back, used to chase after that (I can’t). Can’t go back, caught a case after that (I did). Looking to the sky like the roof ’bout to crack. With the big man falling through the paint, Shaq attack (O’Neal). Pull up with the jump, KD (For real). Gotta show the rock, JAY-Z (For real). Look up in the sky, say cheese (For real). Wanna make it in, say please (For real). Tryna get the flow wavy, yeah. It’s a bunch of us, no Brady (You dig?). Never let an outcast in your circle (Uh-uh). ‘Cause I bet he gon’ do-re-mi. Number three with me everyday, they got the answers. In the field with all my soldiers, I’m Black Panther. Been to so many states, even think I hit New Hampshire. When He come back you gon’ ask for one more chance, huh (Boy).”

In this first verse, he continues what he said in the chorus. He hits us with pop culture icon references such as Shaq, KD, and Jay-Z. I will talk about the Shaq and KD references shortly.

1K Phew’s life was saved by God when he repented, falling on his knees and accepting Jesus as Lord. In a 2019 interview with THIS IS ME TV, he recalled the incident when his vehicle was shot at multiple times after a sale of marijuana:

“When I tell you I fell to my knees so fast bruh like, something came over me that day. My whole body was numb bruh. I fell straight to my knees like just telling God, ‘I’m done, I’m done, I’m done, I’m done, I’m done.’ Because I just knew if I kept going, I would either end up dead or in jail.”

1K Phew relates God cracking through the roof of sin and saving 1K Phew to all-time-great NBA Center, Shaquille O’Neal. In his prime, 325-pound Shaq would beat his opposition in the paint, scoring efficiently and “falling” through defenders. O’Neal is huge, which is why 1K Phew made this comparison. However, God is bigger, and God had (and has) big plans for 1K Phew.

The other NBA star 1K Phew references is KD (or Kevin Durant). KD’s pull-up jumper (also pull-up three) is a very dangerous weapon that KD efficiently uses against opposing teams.

Lastly, he mentions that many people will ask for one more chance when Jesus does indeed return.

1K Phew joins with the Chorus again, leading us into the next verse.

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Interpretation of the Track (Part 3)

KB hits us with the second verse of the track by saying:

“Yeah, 1K, KB, yeah. Chief don’t need a cheat code to defeat them. If there’s beef though, it’ll be a free throw. Chief cold with the V though. We the depot to the people, Rico’s dethroned. Chief told me to be bold. So I’m deep soak over VEVO, one-double-zero. Reach low, got the briefs low to your dome. Reach low, got the peace flow to your soul. Peace won’t be the free throw for you long. Chief gon’ go beast mode on the frauds. Everybody gotta stand in the end zone. Can’t fear God like Lorenzo, uh. You can look alive in the Benzo. Dead as the presidents you depend on. It’s on, guap, guap, I got a plane to catch. Uh, I got a, ooh, what, uh, I gotta save some cats. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m tryna bring ’em back, yeah. I see you laughing now, uh, you won’t be laughing last. The Savior’s coming.”

In this second verse, KB mentions “Chief,” meaning God. KB seemingly implies it will be easy for God to defeat fallen angels by saying, “it’ll be a free throw.” He mentions that Chief (God) told him to be bold throughout his life and faith (See Deuteronomy 31:6).

He continues on about how God will go “beast mode” on the frauds. Meaning he will be a righteous judge upon those who did not believe in and accept Jesus into their hearts. He mentions the fact that these people who don’t accept Jesus into their hearts cannot fear God, making the reference, “like Lorenzo.” (Jerry Lorenzo is a sneaker and clothing designer who founded the streetwear label “Fear of God”).

KB finalizes his verse by saying he’s “got a plane to catch” and is “trying to save some cats.” Here, he’s rapping about how he’s ready for when Jesus comes back and how his goal is to make Disciples for Christ, respectively.

He ends the verse by giving us the core of the entire track, “The Savior’s coming.”

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Interpretation of the Track (Part 4)

Parris Chariz comes in with the third verse of the track:

“Big dawg P, I got rank, pull up on ’em, whoa. Wave big, look like the sea (Uh-huh). Durag, I put wave on the beat (Uh-huh). New type like nobody got these (Whoa). Big bag, ’cause I’m payin’ my tithes (Okay). Phew called, it’s time to get next (Brrt). He just sent me the water, I’m blessed (Blessed). All the rocket and wave on the ‘net (Splash). Fall to my knees, I got rest (Yes). Hah, it’s Master P for Patton (Patton). It’s not a leak, it’s hazard (Hazard). Don’t gotta preach, I practice (Practice?). I put the blood over everything (Yeah). I got my hood out the hood and things (Yeah). The plan that I drew was a good and thing. The stock could not fit in a wooden frame, uh (Okay). Tone hold a mat, this my essence, yeah (This my essence). We live on a mission, this a special, uh (Where the cash?). No L in my circle, this ain’t Lexus, P.”

Parris mentions he has a big bag because he’s paying his tithes (referencing the 10% tithes in the Bible). He also raps about preaching by practicing. So instead of preaching to people and failing to live it out himself, he clarifies that he practices what the Bible says. This belief is supported by what God’s Word says in James 1:23-24:

“For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.”

He continues to rap about how he pleads the blood of Jesus over himself and everything he has. This essentially means that he wants to use all he is and all he has for Christ. He states that we. as followers of Jesus, live on a mission to spread the Gospel to people and make Disciples for Christ (See Matthew 28:16-20, which is the Great Commission).

Parris finalizes his verse with the banger line, “No L in my circle, this ain’t Lexus, P.” I believe he says this to make it known he doesn’t hang around those who could negatively rub off on him. After all, who we hang around greatly impacts who we become psychologically.

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Conclusion

This track has over 2,000,000 Spotify streams, making it the third most popular track on his album What’s Understood at the time of writing.

It is clear that these artists care deeply about their relationships with Jesus. As with all DIVE-reviewed songs with multiple artists, these performers collectively reference key Biblical concepts.

The primary theme of this track that the artists collectively attempt to convey is about Jesus coming back soon.

These artists came together, performed an extremely well-done track, and clarified their intentions. 1K Phew, KB, and Parris Chariz each have their own unique flavor they brought to the song. However, I feel like they all have the same mission statement overall. The mission of sharing the love and grace of Jesus Christ with people.

A big verse implied multiple times in this track is Matthew 16:27. Here, Jesus says, “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”

As mentioned before on this show: If you follow Jesus, you have nothing to fear regarding how your life will turn out if you keep a strong relationship with Jesus and faithfully adhere to God’s will.

It is important to remember the core verse of this track:

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” ‭‭- Revelation 22:12-13

So not only is this track about being ready for the Lord’s return but also about being bold in our faith as Christians and making sure we spread the Gospel (story of Jesus) with people to make Disciples.

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Thank You for Reading DIVE!

I appreciate you for reading this far into the article! I hope you all enjoyed this installment of The DIVE Series* on FiveTwenty Collective. Stay tuned for the next installment dropping on the 20th of this month!

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About The DIVE Series*

In this series, I DIVE into the precise and potential meanings of Christian Hip Hop singles, albums, and EPs.

In Special Edition installments of the series, I interview the artist(s) involved for the whole meaning of their art.

Thanks for checking out today’s edition of FiveTwenty Collective’s DIVE series! I drop a new installment of this series on the 5th and 20th of every month (except on Sundays).

God Bless,

DJ Expander

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**Listen to the full Back Soon track at the end of the article!**

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Want more content from The DIVE Series? Check out the previous article now!