From T.U.T.O.R (The University Take Over Reloaded) to Overdue (The Love Mixtape) and now Chisikana EP, Hillzy has been taking us on a journey through his music. It's been a mixture of exploration and growth and from the looks of things he keeps getting better and better. Now I wasn't a fan of his from the get-go, I would say I build up to artists but the truth is his music just didn't strike me at first.
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I had a few songs of his I would listen to and think there was something there but I was never completely sold until now. From the songs like TV room ft Garry Mapanzure and Who sent you? which came out a while ago before this recent project, you can identify that we're listening to a different Hillzy this time around. It's a more refined version of the artist. The sound has changed and you can feel the higher levels of confidence in his vocal strength.
Listening to his breakout hit Muroora from 3 years ago and comparing it to what Chisikana EP has to offer, you begin to truly appreciate the time and effort he has invested in his craft. He's not putting out music to just satisfy the hunger of his fans or to feed his own ego but he's delivering art in the best possible form he can and we the fans appreciate it. Yes, I've been converted, Hillzy is driving me to feel emotions and think of people I had convinced myself I had completely forgotten.
Tracklist:
- Way Out (Intro)
- Heaven
- Destination
- Take Your Time (feat Y Cee)
- Nakupenda (feat Garry Mapanzure)
- Without A Doubt
- Premiere (feat Gemma Griffiths)
- Goodbye (Outro) (feat Sha Sha)
The EP features 8 tracks and although it's short it makes for its short length with great content. The intro Way out is a blend of RnB and rap, it's more of a teaser than a full song but that's no denying its brilliance.
Heaven has a smooth feel about it and you could almost describe it as a delicate rhythm and flow that goes along with the subject matter of the song. Hillzy graces us with RnB vocals that he switches up to rap and then back to RnB when the chorus hits. The chorus itself is a work of art, the front English vocals are offset with Shona in the background.
Goodbye, one of the lead songs from the project leads with "It's like I spend my life in this bottle because I'd rather spend it there than be with you..." It's a classic love that is elevated by great flowing lyrics and vocals tuned to near perfection. The switch-ups in the rhythm of the beat throughout the song make it an absolute pleasure to the ears and the artists mould their vocals around that rhythm like a perfectly fitting glove.
It's an RnB song filled with soul and tempo and it's just rich with feeling. Shasha and Hillzy complement each other perfectly on this and it was one of my favourites from the get-go. The visuals matched the excellence delivered in the song and even though shot from different locations the video is one.
Première is tender but it gives you that feeling of getting up and engaging in a slow dance with a partner who gets butterflies at your touch. Gemma Griffiths executes everything on this song perfectly, in fact, she's probably the song on this one. You often hear of how rappers get killed on their own songs and well this is RnB but we've just witnessed a murder, although slow and graceful. Hillzy is smooth as always with his lyricism.
Nakupenda ft Garry Mapanzure is an alternative rhythm to the theme of the whole album but although infused with afro-fusion the RnB feel still comes out. It's a profession of love-filled euphoria and it's that outright and genuine feeling of being in love. Hillzy in the chorus goes, "Musikana nakupenda, I got a couple of words that would probably mean the same thing..." It takes back to a few times of falling for someone without a safety net.
The destination is elevated and up-tempo, there's a vibrant feel to it and it's almost an EDM track in terms of the electronic rhythm. Without a doubt Take your time ft Ycee all come to complete the wholesome content of the project. It's an extremely well-crafted body of work and I expect it will even get better with time.
Greedysouth rating: 7.5/10