Detroit-born, Los Angeles-based rapper TOB Duke has unveiled his heartfelt mixtape, Time Will Tell today via LISTEN TO THE KIDS/Geffen Records. The seven-song project can be heard now below.
Featuring appearances from fellow risers, Toronto’s Dom Vallie and Mobile, AL’s NoCap, Time Will Tell reveals TOB Duke as one of his generation’s most promising young talents. At just 20 years old, he’s able to move seamlessly across beats that nod to those echoing through the streets in his hometown and in his adopted home, with vocals that synthesize the most interesting sounds coming out of Atlanta and Chicago.
But TOB Duke’s story is singular. Songs like “Won’t Happen Again” and closer “Poised” highlight emotional reckonings with a clarity of vision that would be notable for an artist twice his age. TOB Duke’s life has been marked by tragedy — he committed himself to rap following the deaths of two of his brothers, whose memory he hopes to serve in his work.
In fact, he ends Time Will Tell by directly addressing his audience, urging them to find their own voices, the way he did. It’s the kind of unfiltered authenticity that shapes TOB Duke’s artistry, making him one of 2022’s most promising new artists.