Dear Columbia … P.S.

For a Missouri rapper, it takes moxie to include Columbia — that bare-knuckled town of pickup trucks and sanguine necks between Kansas City and St. Louis — in the title of your album. But, like any MC worth his mic, Steddy P. values authenticity above all. Hence, his new release, Dear Columbia … P.S., which reps a city that’s a road trip away, both literally and figuratively, from hip-hop’s urban core. As double-entendres go (and they abound in Steddy P’s verse), Dear Columbia is a clever title. Like much of the album, however, it’s smart but not excellent. On many

of the tracks, Steddy force-feeds long-winded lyrics into the

production, riding the beat like a monster truck over an anthill. But he does deliver some spritely gems when guests appear — and when he subsequently slows his stream of consciousness — such as on the breezy anthem “When Your Mouth Is Moving” (featuring Big Zach and Prof), and “The Key Holders” (featuring Approach). Help from the neighbors is always nice, but Steddy will have to holster the syllabic gunslinging if he wants his next solo run to take flight.