Wiley - Treddin' On Thin Ice

If you've been paying any attention to the recent grime explosion then I'm sure you've heard the name Wiley battering around a bit. He's one of the two main figures in the Roll Deep Crew, along with the now widely known Dizzee Rascal and in 2004 he released his debut solo record "Treddin' On Thin Ice" .It was both completely superior to the Rascal's over produced second album "Showtime" and also worked as a sort of grime for dummies.

As with most of grime's generally self centered nature, Wiley manages to keep his MCing on what seems to be his favorite topic, himself. Not that "Treddin' On Thin Ice" is just fifteen tracks of ego wankery. It does strike me as impressive that he can talk about so many topics whilst still keeping the focus of the lyrics on himself. He'll plow his way through tracks about apathy, awkward relationships, his own greed, gang violence, the topics you'd expect from England's neglected lower class. If you're looking to get in to grime and want something physical to get in to. Check out this and Dizzee Rascal's first record "Boy In Da Corner"

Wiley - Goin' Mad
Wiley - Pies

Buy Treddin' On Thin Ice from Amazon

Unexpected bonus:
Here are some early tracks from Roll Deep Crew.

Roll Deep Crew - Bounce
Roll Deep Crew - Scratchy