With the rise of the internet, hip-hop has entered a new phase within the past 10 years of its life that has many fans of the genre excited: the free release mixtape. A new generation of artists has taken to Sound Cloud and other music platforms to post their tracks for free. This callback to the passing around of mixtapes on the streets or between friends has been helpful for up-and-coming artists, allowing a virtual stage to lay down their verses. Validity for this form of release came earlier this year when Chicago-based Chance the Rapper took home several Grammy Awards for his free mixtape.

It is in this world that Terry Thompson, under the name Nsilo, releases his debut mixtape, “In Due Time.”

The tracks have a running theme of just starting out, hitting the pains of being a broke, college student. The mixtape’s title acts almost as a mantra throughout, sometimes detracted on by Nsilo, “In due time’s starting to sound like an excuse for not delivering sooner.” Through this he allows the listener in on the journey into creating music.

He isn’t trying to hide his youth, showing an old photo of himself as the cover art and referencing his birth date within the verses. His track, “Got No Money” is almost a commiseration for college kids, allowing them to connect with Nsilo and their struggles with a name dropped Sallie Mae, “I’m struggling with minimum wage/trying to pay back Sallie Mae.” Its relatable, pure and simple.

Nsilo uses his guest artists to great effect, bringing in Tiff, Corey Kelly and Goaty for a few verses throughout the mixtape. These guest appearances allow for a nice sense of variety in the tracks, and give a counterbalance to Nsilo’s verses.

The standout track is “Some Bars,” as Nsilo and Goaty’s verses give off a sense of honesty and rawness that make for impactful verses. Almost acting as a stream of consciousness, Nsilo goes into the pressures of recording and the expectation others place on him. He allows himself to glimpse into his worries, and it’s refreshing.

The hip-hop genre has almost hit a saturation point, filled to the brim with artists hoping to achieve recognition for their verses. To make an impact in a sea of competition is a difficult thing, especially when working on the global scale the online mixtape provides. “In Due Time” is a great start to Nsilo, letting listeners in on his experiences going toward a promising future in hip-hop.

Am I the most qualified person to be reviewing this hip-hop mixtape and making statements like that? Probably not. But what I do know is what I hear in his music is honesty, and this mixtape is one of the most honest pieces of music I’ve heard in a while.

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