Local rapper Mikey Tyner is back at it again. The 23-year-old Shreveport native has just released his fourth solo effort, Strictly for Bragging Rights.

For a guy of that age, Tyner sure has a healthy understanding of underground hip hop roots. This album, like most of his work, is a fresh throwback to the time when Mos Def was in Black Star rather than Jason Statham movies and before Snoop Dogg gave up rap for reggae. He blends musical beats with poetic lyrics, and most of the tracks on this album are short and to the point. The head nods are almost involuntary.

The album is varied in feel and sound while still holding true to the artist’s signature sound. “The Host” is intentionally jagged, using elements of modern electronic music and rap songs, while “Bo Peep” is a hip-hop ballad that’s a throwback to 2001.

The highlight track on Strictly for Bragging Rights is “Somewhere in AmeriKKKa.” It has a funky groove with the kind of beats that Dr. Dre was fond of in the early ‘90s. A pointed (and obvious) indictment of American social issues, the lyrics are cutting. The clip from my favorite episode of “The Boondocks” at the end made the track even stronger in my mind, and seems to sum up Tyner’s feelings on the issues at hand.

Love and politics are fair game on Strictly for Bragging Rights, as “Love Story” and “Lately” prove.

“Drowning in Quicksand” is another favorite and features raiThrilla (of Blood Punch local fame) as they take on some of the problems of growing up in Shreveport and the South. Many of us can relate with either, and I personally relate to “Pressure,” which deals with struggles of being a young musician.

Tyner often reminds the listener what the album is strictly for (bragging rights, for those not following along) and if you ask me, I’d say he certainly has something to brag about in his latest album.

Check out Strictly for Bragging Rights at datpiff.com by searching Mikey Tyner, and follow Tyner on Facebook to find out about shows and new releases.

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