Mixtape Review: Hillzy - Overdue The Love Mixtape

Have been following Hillzy for some time now and he has been impressing with each song. It was not until the last half of 2017 that he started to get recognition on a wider scale in Zim. He also seems ready for the pressure and expectations that follow recognition as evidenced by the EP which was released at the time when many were starting to look for his music. Featuring on Stunner's Stray Bullet album also helped push him to the masses because we all know Stunner is a proven gateway to massive exposure. Have given myself some time to listen to his EP and today will be sharing my views and thoughts on the project.

From the name one will know this is going to an overdose of love songs and it is. Its kinda funny or maybe a coincidence that when Takura has also released a love themed EP Hillzy went on to release a love themed mixtape also..uhmmmm. Hillzy however despite singing a lot of times he showed his rapping side on this mixtape.

So as usual lets get to the track by track review:

1. Hold You Down (Intro)
Every girl wants to be told that they are the only one, kuti ndiwe muridzi wemoyo wangu and this track is about telling that other half of yours that she is the only one for you. The production is done well and Hillzy delivered a lovely performance.

2. Changes (Fucked Up)
This track talks about a delicate issue whereby you break up with someone whom you really loved and you trying to find closure in-order to move on from them. The separation breaks you down so hard that you need to save yourself from the misery and find the courage to move on. Productions is also done well.

3. Beautiful Stranger
This track has that type of instrumental that will have you bumping from the onset, its a lively feel good kind of instrumental, love the production on this jam. Hillzy was also very good on the vocals, he brought out his inner Chris Brown. On this track he is talking about that lovely lady who takes your attention and you can't help it but want her to be yours.

4. Sacred
They switched up to a more afro beat kind of arrangement and structure and its sounding good, they did quite a good job on the production. On this track Hillzy has found the lady he wants to spend his entire life with, the lady has got him daydreaming of her being his wife. He is just hoping that he gets to talk with her and be allowed into her life.

5. Hauchandide
This is one catchy track, it makes use of repetition in well structured way which will get you singing along in no time. The instrumental is well made and compliments the vocals very well, making one solid jam. Its a track you sing when you realize that someone is just wasting your time, you're trying everything but the person takes you for granted so you just want them to let you know if you still on or not.

6. Muroora
This is the track that made me a fan of Hillzy. It's so well sung and produced that you cannot deny the allure of the track. He made good use of trap elements to create a modern but down to earth track. It's  a lovely love jam which may can relate and sing along to. On this track Hillzy has met this amazing lady who he thinks is his soulmate, so he just wanna make sure she knows how special she is to him before he leaves because when he returns he wants to wife her.

7. Faded
Love the instrumental on this track, it showcases why trapsoul is such a popular genre. The guitar work is done very lovely, overall production is on point. On this track Hillzy has met a girl who is driving him crazy to the extent that he is no longer interested in other girls.

8. Busy
This track talks about how Hillzy is busy trying to make a future for his future family, making sure he will be able to handle any responsibilities that will come his way but the disadvantage of that is he does not have much time to spend with his lady. He is therefore reassuring her that he will be thinking about her wherever he is and hope they get to spend some time together and do all the things she likes. The production is done well, it also falls into this lively bright vibe of the album.

9. Changes 2.0 (feat H3nry)
This is sort of a remix of the similar titled track 2, the only change is the addition of H3nry.

10. You Are Enough
This is the track that got a lot of ladies hooked on Hillzy. Every woman loves be treated like a Queen, to be told by her man that she is enough for him. This song about telling and reassuring your partner that they are enough and they should forget how they were not appreciated and treated badly in the past because it was just a phase and they are enough for you. The production is also done well, this is one very lovely jam.

11. Once Upon A Heartbreak
On this track Hillzy is sharing a personal story of when he experienced a heartbreak and how he got to get over it and also how he is now closed because he cannot afford another experience like that.

12. Ndiwe Wega Uripo (Trapsoul Remix)
He decided to try his hand on the classic Svosvi Yangu jam by Tuku and he did a good job. He managed to add a modern touch to the classic jam without ruining the song and that on its own deserves a lot of respect. The track is soulful and well structured.

13. All Good (Outro)

The last track on the album is laced with some lovely acoustic guitar work. The overall production is done very well. The track is motivating everyone with a dream, reassuring them that if you work hard you can achieve your dream. It will be All Good in the end when you put in the work.

Download the project: Overdue The Love Mixtape

So ya that's it for the mixtape, the production is done very well, good job by Mr Masinh, the tape has this lively feel which makes it enjoyable to listen to and the instrumentals sound good. However still on the production tip one downside is that after some time listening, a number of track start to sound the same and that is not helped by the similar themes and choice of words used throughout the tape.

Hillzy delivered a solid performance throughout the mixtape and he sounds like Nasty C most of the time, something some will love and some not so much. In terms of themes like I mentioned in the intro it's all about love.

The definition is a mixtape is now very blurred and this could have easily passed as an album but well the artists names his project as they wish.

Lastly it's very hard to make significant strides in Zimbabwe whilst singing English and that is going to pull down this project. On the next project Hillzy must try to use more of Shona than English to reach a much wider audience. In conclusion this is a project I recommend, it may not be the best project out there but it quite entertaining to listen to. 
My overall rating of the Mixtape: Good/Average/Poor

Feel free to comment with your thoughts and views on the Overdue EP. 

Proud_Zimbo