Tish Hyman is a singer-songwriter and ex-battle-rapper hailing from New York who, after releasing her debut single ‘Subway Art’, has managed to gain herself a following big enough to land her a support spot in Jill Scott’s recent Nationwide Tour. This EP gave a chance to preview just how talented she is whilst revealing snippets of her very painful story.
I downloaded this EP after watching a Hot 97 Ebro in the morning interview with Tish Hyman. I was already aware of her ability both vocally and lyrically after watching her ‘Sway in the Morning Freestyle’ and her music video for ‘Subway Art’ respectively, but this interview uncovered Tish’s ability to write songs as well – she reveals she wrote one of my favourite Ty Dolla $ign songs, ‘Horses in the Stable’. When she announced that her EP was out, I had to give it a listen.
“Upon first listen, I was slightly annoyed at the balance between rap and singing”
Upon first listen I was slightly annoyed at the balance between rap and singing as I was hoping for a more 50/50 split after hearing how nice the musician from the Bronx came off the dome. However, the more acquainted I got with the project, the more I began to fall in love with the songs in which she was singing, with the opening track becoming my personal favourite.
I found that with this 7-track EP, Tish shined more singing than she did when rapping. The only rap song on this EP, ‘Absolutely’, turned out to be my least favourite song on the track, with a hook that reminded me of a cringe-worthy Empire song. Bar that song, this EP is pretty awesome.
Tish has a wonderful way of communicating the pain that she has gone through growing up in The Bronx, similar to Mary J Blige in her ‘No More Drama’ days. Another comparison that has been made a lot – that Tish, to her annoyance, can’t shake – is Lauryn Hill, but it’s hard not to with Tish’s lyrical ability, flawless vocals and intricate songwriting, even though Tish admits herself that she is nowhere near that legendary status.
“I’d encourage you to give it a listen and take a peek into the life of Tish Hyman”
In terms of features, this EP is light. However, when they do appear on the third track, ‘Dreams’, through the talents of Ty Dolla $ign and G-Unit rapper Fabolous, they absolutely nail it. With a beautiful guitar riff and intertwining string melodies over a simple RnB Hip Hop drum beat, the instrumental provides a great platform for the artists to shine.
From locked up cousins and the struggles of people in New York to past love interests, to chasing dreams, to her own self-destruction, this EP has a lot of subject matter crammed into 7 tracks and I’d encourage you to give it a listen and take a peek into the life of Tish Hyman.
Joshua Ogunmokun
