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He’s had his dalliance with the pop charts (2008′s ‘Wearing My Rolex’) but these days grime godfather Wiley seems happy to leave the hitmaking to MCs more than 10 years his junior. Part of that involves marching entirely to the beat of his own drum – this summer he released the very solid 100% Publishing on Big Dada, another smoother effort himself for free, and yet another collaborative mixtape on top of that. Six months later, he’s back with his ninth full-length. Such firepower is noted on this album’s closing manifesto, ‘This Is Just An Album’, as is his healthy relationship with a label apparently happy to let him do largely what he wants.
That inevitably entails a loose approach to quality control. A couple of tracks here favour role-playing over music (‘Can I Get A Taxi Please?’ and ‘Customs’) and don’t justify their place in the track-listing and ‘I’m A Weirdo’s refrain of “I’m a weirdo but I’m not a bipolar” leaves a bad taste in the mouth while, at times, Wiley’s self-aggrandisement becomes tiresome. But in the first half, the MC breathes charismatic fire over a series of tough and atmospheric beats, mostly produced by the man himself. The throbbing electro-hop of ‘Boom Blast’, meanwhile, is a welcome return to the dancefloor. There’s a comparison to be made here with scattershot guitar bands like The Fall and Guided By Voices – as long as you don’t mind dodging the flawed experiments and half-arsed filler, a new Wiley album will always harbour a few gems. This one is no different. Chris Jones
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KEY TRACKS: ‘BOOM BLAST’, ‘EVOLVE OR BE EXTINCT’, THE DOOR TO ZION’.
FOR FANS OF: EARLY DIZZEE RASCAL, SKEPTA, JME.
