Wiley-100% Publishing
Big Dada Records

Tinie Tempah has become an international household name. Chipmunk is recording with U.S. artists such as Kerri Hilson and Chris Brown. Of course Dizzee Rascal has been a superstar for years. While it seems that many UK artists are signing major label deals and venturing off to do different styles of music, some of these same artists are at the point of hardly if ever doing grime songs anymore. So what about the self proclaimed “Godfather of Grime” Wiley? Here is an artist who came through the lanes of UK Garage and went on to craft a sound known as the eskimo sound that helped to spawn what is known as UK Grime. While Wiley can be accredited to helping many of these UK acts get through the industry door, there has been the constant wonder of why Wiley has never reached the same level of success. Yet the flipside of the coin is that Wiley has had number one and two chart hits individually and with his collective Roll Deep. He is one of the most versatile producers and emcees in the UK and can easily make a song as grimey as council estates in East London or as danceable as any song that has ever rocked Ministry of Sound. The question still remains, where does he stand?

Listening to Wiley’s latest record “100% Publishing”, it’s clear that the East London emcee finds happiness in the music that he created…grime. The album takes fans back to the “eski” sound that they have grown to love Wiley for. “Information Age” sets the tone as the song gets barraged with chaotic fuzzy, sterile and steel like synth sounds and an unorthodox rhythm that makes you think of the early Roll Deep days back when Dizzee was still a member. One of the highlights of the album is the title track “100% Publishing”. This is premium “Eskiboy” Wiley. The tune pounds your ears with its sharp, stabbing bassline and echoeing snares as Wiley boldly states “I want 100 percent publishing so I’m gonna DIY/I know some don’t care about the grime scene but I’m gonna til I die.” “Wise Man And His Words” finds Wiley self reflecting on what he needs to do in terms of staying on his musical path as he flows over a a beautiful piano streak. While there are definitely good songs on the album, tracks such as “Yonge Street” and the constantly over running, minimal drum rolling “I Just Woke Up” feels a bit out of place for a full length record. Overall “100% Publishing” is a brilliant reminder of a particular sound and time period of grime that so many in the UK and parts of the world have become captivated by. This is why Wiley is one of the best to do it.