Roy Tosh, formerly known as 737, is back with a real gift to his fans – a free mixtape that is also a great way for Hip-Hop fans to become familiar with the rapper from Indianapolis.  Following suggestions from other artists, including Reach Records rapper Andy Mineo, Tosh chose to change his stage name from 737 to simply Roy Tosh, a combination of words from his birthname.  The mixtape’s title, The Revert, signifies this change.  The Revert follows two full albums by Tosh who has collaborated with artists such as Json, K-Drama, and Benjah.  In the process of making this new mixtape, Roy Tosh worked very closely with Benjah, who is also featured in two tracks.

The opening track, “Pop Off,” kicks off the mixtape with Roy Tosh going over the recent events in his life.  He addresses the name change and affirms that his focus on God has not changed.  “Bass Low” is an upbeat track about blasting “Jesus music” in the car and being set free by God.  One of my favorites off the mixtape, “Lean,” features Black Knight and TJ Pompeo and has a bit of a club sound with its head-bobbing beat.  Roy Tosh warns us that who we hang with affects us, “Be selective with the crew who you runnin’ with / You’ll become just like the team, that’s a guarantee.”

Tosh addresses in “Vanity,” the abundant desire for things of this world.  His best line comes at the beginning of the second verse when he raps “Fame and the lights change like the weather / Live like YOLO?  / I’m on that YODO / You only die once, our time is borrowed.”  One of the singles off the mixtape, “Losin’ It,” is an emotional track where Roy Tosh raps about his experience during tough times in life.  Ultimately, he turns to God for help to get through it: “Back to Your presence / Give me some of that perfect peace / Yeah that’s where I belong.”  “Trust” follows a similar theme with Tosh saying he has learned to always trust God.

Benjah joins Roy Tosh on “Take Me Back,” a track that focuses on the amazing grace of the Lord.  In the hook, Benjah wonders over why God continues to have mercy on us, and I think we can all relate to what he says.  “Why do you love me?  / So unfaithful, I never keep my word, no / You still take me back.”  In “Fly,” Tosh raps about his previous life that involved taking drugs and suffering a lot of pain.  However, Roy Tosh uses his past life as an example of God’s saving power.

“Shut it Down” features Deraj who raps with Tosh about the awesomeness of Jesus.  Benjah appears on the mixtape for a second time on “Grace,” which again follows the theme of God’s grace.  In “Break In,” Roy Tosh humbly admits, “I ain’t gonna act like I don’t need a Savior / I don’t know what I’d do without Him, no one greater.”  While a slower track, “Revert” does a great job closing the mixtape.  Roy Tosh raps that he is “a loved one,” which, after the previous tracks about God’s grace and power, is the perfect thing to focus on at the end of the mixtape.

Roy Tosh starts off The Revert strongly with upbeat tracks, but about a third of the way through, he takes a slower, approach that is more meaningful.  I loved this as I listened to the mixtape.  Don’t get me wrong, the beats remain solid, but Roy Tosh’s lyrics take a deeper tone as he focuses on God’s grace, love, and power, and how they have affected his life.  It won’t be hard for anyone to find something they can relate to in Tosh’s music.  Tosh does a great job using his past experiences to encourage nonbelievers to realize God’s love for them and how much He can help them.  I would like to see Roy Tosh get a little more creative in his music, but it was nice to see that he avoided using many clichés in his lyrics, and the production was well done.  The best part about this mixtape is that it is free, so there is no reason for you to not download your own copy!  There are certainly tracks here that you will listen to more than once.

The free album will be available on JamTheHype.com on Tuesday, January 7!