S.O.S [Shots of Smirnoff] is less an album, but more of a mixtape from fierce MC and singer Kyza. Kyza, branching out from the shelter of the Terra Firma crew (of which Klashnekoff was the founding member), has delivered an 18-track compilation mixed by Foreign Beggars’ DJ Nonames that makes for a consistently intense listen leaving little room for light.
Single ‘Love and music’ received plenty of support from radio heavyweights like Tim Westwood and Ras Kwame, but it’s a limp offering when compared to the rest of the disc, so it’s a good that that particular track comes last.
On tracks like the eerie ‘Sin City’ and ‘Freddy’ Kyza takes the listener on a story-telling journey; typical, one suspects, of many that reside along kerbs on the myriad streets of memory, while the dark melancholy of ‘My Soul’ and ‘Zonin” provide an insight into the introspect side of the MC. Sex-mad ‘Dirty’ provides a little light entertainment as do the double-time verses on frantic ‘Go!’
Obviously UK hip-hop sounds nothing like its older brother in the US, so as UK rap goes, if you’re looking to move away from the grime scene and avoid Dizzee, Sway or Wiley, call Kyza.
S.O.S is released on July 16th (Dented Records)