Album: Wiley, Evolve or Be Extinct (Big Dada)
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
You get no prizes for being ahead of your time, and Wiley knows it. "I've been an inspiration to the UK grime scene...", he points out on EOBE's most telling moment, "I've got a temper but my name ain't Tinie."
If it feels as if Wiley has always been around, then in Brit-rap terms he has: he emerged at the start of the millennium, and at 32, he's too old for the Chipmunk/Tinie/Wretch/Tinchy chart-crossover bandwagon. Which probably works in his favour. Rather than chase the mainstream dollar, the insanely prolific Richard Kylea Cowie (this is his third album in seven months) is free to pursue his own path.
Over rudimentary backing beats, in that "ya feel me?" accent, his humour often hits the spot. However, the going-through-Customs skit, followed by a track about having his urine tested at the airport, is as tedious as it is righteous.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments