Disco de Wiley: “Treddin' on Thin Ice”

On the verge of becoming his own UK garage superstar, Wiley (of Roll Deep Crew fame) matches that other superstar Dizzee Rascal (also of Roll Deep Crew fame) in terms of interesting beats. The sound here he calls Eskimo, and others call it Grime in that it's strictly hardcore UK garage, dirty, echoey, push-button meta-stimuli meant to make you move and move often. The fact that he invented this genre based on one song and title ("Eskimo," not on this CD) speaks volumes about the shifty nature of British pop music.

I happen to think "Wot Do U Call It?" is a brilliant intro single to those who don't know much about UK garage because Wiley poses the same questions people would ask the store clerk about the CD before they buy it -- is it garage, what is garage, what is eskimo, what is this culture, this game? The game (and track "The Game") is quite similar to that which US rappers pose with, except with that old British twist, and that twist is in the advanced lyrics. It's not like Chingy or Lil Jon will be rapping about "Pies" or a "Doorway" and actually be cool about it, but Wiley makes it compelling.

And if you're really advanced, the not-on-this-CD track "Ice Rink" is hurrawesome.

This albums kicks off with perhaps its best song, The Game, Wiley raps over the beat to perfection. With this album wiley has really tried to push the envelope with the beats which often sound like they belong more on an 80's computer game than on a Grime/2-Step/Eskimo record, but overall it does work.

Some of the best songs on this album are Wot Do U Call It?, Doorway, Reason, Next Level (feat. a great verse from Kano) and Treadin on Thin Ice. You cant listen to this album from start to finish but the amount of quality tunes on this means it earns its four stars.

yo im not from U.K but they had this album in our stores so i thought id cop. im opened minded to any kinda hiphop and this is kinda different. production got garage beats and he sorta raps like twista, even though its hard to distinguish wat hes saying coz of his accent i dont no...but overall id say its a solid album if thats how u rate u.k hiphop i dont no but its solid all i gotta say. OUT!

It's two-step. It's garage. Wiley is rocking it much like Dizzee Rascal and The Streets. Some people call it Grime, and some call it Eskimo. Wiley is definitely a force to reckon with. He is a prolific artist with an original sound. This is the sound of East London. This is CNN. This is reporting. Pirate Radio is the source. This is how it rolls. Make money. Make money. We all have pain and ways to deal with it. Can you understand?

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