Offie Mag

Proud New Yorker, Wiki is touching UK soil again, so we thought it would be an excellent chance to highlight some of our favourite Wiki bops from his long and illustrious career. 

It's no secret we're Wiki fans. We’ve had him on the cover, he came on our radio show out in Brooklyn, Brickcellphone has him tattooed on his leg, and now we’ve booked him for a Brighton show. 

Taken from a mix of albums, EPs, mixtapes, singles and features, here are five essential Wiki songs that we implore you to listen to.

Skepta - That’s Not Me (US Remix) featuring Wiki

 

 

We start rogue. It’s surprising that in a world that seems to think every song, ever, is on Spotify, how few people I know have heard this. 

When it dropped eight years ago, Grime was coming towards a beautiful end of its second resurgence, spearheaded by Skepta and JME's That's Not Me that encapsulated golden days of the genre and satisfied everyone's nostalgic cravings.

As part of the legacy of the single, Skepta's time out in New York on tour saw he and Wiki breathe a new lease of life to what is, let’s be honest, an iconic but often overplayed hit. 

Released: 2014

Favourite bar: “That’s not me. Mom, she want me to fix my teeth, but my b****h loves me just the way I am right now, so nah, nah, that’s not me.” 

 

Wiki - 3 Stories (produced by Kaytranada) 

 

This one has to be one of my favourite Wiki cuts of all time. Not sure if it hits more due to the outstanding video, which was animated by Jayme Lemperle and Evan Borja or because of Kaytranada’s phenomenal beat, but I think it’s because of Wiki’s untouchable flows, lyricism and storytelling. 

Taken from Wiki’s debut solo mixtape, Lil Me, a wicked introduction to the, at the time, already well-established artist. The mixtape contains production credits from Madlib, Black Noi$e, Kaytranada, Harry Fraud, Lee Bannon, Dev Hynes, King Krule and features from Skepta, Jadasea, Nasty Nigel and Jesse James Solomon. Go back and listen to whole thing, starting with 3 Stories, 

Released: 2015

Favourite bar: “If the feets look sweet, then the feet need licks.”

 

Ratking - 646-704-2610

 

 

This is an old Ratking one. Ratking, for the uninformed, were the group that Wiki fronted that was signed to XL Records. This EP led to that landmark moment, with the rawness, raucos, New York-ness gathering a cult following that still exists to this day.

Wiki was still a teenager on some of these verses, a testament to his vast catalogue and his long career so far. If you’re unfamiliar with Ratking, you've got homework to do. Enjoy it.

Released: 2012

Favourite bar: “Yo, hi, what’s good on the block, what it is” 

 

Wiki - Smarty Jones (featuring Cleo Reed) (produced by Laron)

 

 

This was released as a precursor to Wiki's self-released ‘OOFIE’ album. To me, this two sided-single felt overlooked and underrated. Produced by Brooklynite and now Jadasea collaborator Laron, who smashed the production with a beautiful vocal sample chop at the start. Cleo Sol's vocals also pop off on this one. 

The tune is named after famous racehorse and Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones. It’s also available as a 7”. Go search that on Discogs.

Released: 2019

Favourite bar: “Your name Wiki; how am I to find you on that explore page?”

 

Wiki - Wikispeaks (demo)

 

Here, we see a 17-year-old Wiki completely unfiltered. In our Wiki interview for ISSUE FIVE, he told us how many people in New York get into rapping just through house parties and rapping in the school yard.

Having risen to the top of his peer group before even recording a verse, this feels like the moment when a teenage rap addict was let loose in a studio for the first time. This is still one is my favourite Wiki songs to date. A rap classic that he still performs on stage to this day.

Released: 2012

Favourite bar: “Wanna blow my head off, be my guest”

Speaking of performing on stage, make sure you cop a ticket to Wiki's European tour before it's too late - including the Brighton show where Offie Mag and Form are playing host.