'Shots Of Smirnoff' - Kyza (mixtape review)

If this is the standard of the mixtape, how good will the album be? Kyza is true MC and his versatility is the key. He’s got the stories fiction (‘Freddy’) and non-fiction (‘My Soul’ and the heart wrenching ‘Wild Orchid’), the gritty observations (‘Sin City’), the braggadocio (‘The King’, bouncy ‘The Dirtiest’ and more), the club heaters (‘Go’ and ‘Dirty’) and everything else in-between.

Whatever Kyza has to say, he says it with excellence - nothing but fine lyricism here. Mr. Sayso also displays his creativity with flows and rhyme schemes; ‘My Soul’ is written as a list of events in a 24 hour period written in note form – a direct contrast to his double-time shenanigans on ‘Go’. He also premiers his ear for a tune on the self-sung hooks on ‘Zonin’’, ‘My Soul’ and ‘Wild Orchid’ – not at all bad for a rapper!

Kyza does his thing on the 18 tracks over a fine selection of specially-produced and jacked beats as Foreign Beggars’ DJ Nonames does a quality job of blending throughout (oh, and he doesn’t do annoying Kay Slay style shout outs). Original production comes from Chemo (and D.Ablo on guitar), Ghosttown and Bless Beats.

‘Shots Of Smirnoff’ (aka 'S.O.S.')is the mixtape that you need in your life right now and it’s out on Dented Records as of today. Kyza is still doing it, and better lyrically and conceptually than most rappers out there.