Wiley – On A Level
For a long time I’ve held the belief that without Boy Better
Know there is no grime culture. Of course the genre would still exist but these
guys are really the last ones left who genuinely embody the spirit and
authenticity of the art-form. My point is proven through Wiley’s latest release
‘On A Level’, when was the last time you heard Wiley put out a song as grimey
as that, it’s been years surely and the mixtape material he does doesn’t count.
It was no surprise to me that the video is directed by Skepta and the whole BBK
crew is in the video as well as some unusual but exciting guest cameos from
Giggs and Stormzy.
This is what they do best; keep it fresh, exciting and
original without much compromise from the dress code to the beat itself –
everything is kept authentic and entertaining. Criticism of Wiley’s lyrical
laziness in his latest project has been well documented but here he really is
back on a level, the scenes in the video project him as the godfather with his consigliore
of MC’s around him all dressed in black. The hook is strong and repetitive but
naturally lacks the firepower of a Heatwave type record which is okay because
the real ruggedness and authenticity of this track more than compensates for
that.
The only remaining question for me is whether this is just a
one-off because the unity depicted in this song and video is obviously prescribed
by BBK and frankly, it’s what the UK scene has been crying out for. Yes we have
our collaborations on mixtapes and we tweet each other’s releases but there’s
never really been that consistent togetherness and substance on a mainstream
level. The teamwork aspect of this video is refreshing and the remix of the
song has me licking my lips already – long may it continue.
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