The King of Grime?

The whole Wiley vs. Skepta going head to head, KanYe vs. 50 Cent anno 2007-style feels so forced and just like a big show for the galleries. Sure, a smart move for Wiley to stop racing with Dizzee and always be number 2, this is an easy way to shine, cause let's get some real over here, Wiley and Skepta are not on the same level, period.

But well, let's try to find out who's the so called "King of Grime" shall we?!

I must admit, at first I was gonna go real hard on Skepta's sorry ass for this, his second album, called "Microphone Champion". He has never been the Microphone Champion to begin with in my eyes, think he's a better producer than a rapper actually, JME on the other hand can manage both tasks with ease, he has a better flow and a better/clearer voice.

The first couple of times I listened the whole thing through I was absolutely God smacked, laid outside tanning on my parents yard and had a big grin on my face, was constantly giggling to myself by the fact that it was so... BAD! I had so high hopes but all that came through my ears was this big inferno of popping champers and flexing fugly Ed Hardy-clothes. But that was last week, now after some more listening, the album has grown on me, thank God.

That absolutely HIDEOUS (as the colour-balance on the album cover) and much disturbing track called 'Disguise' ft. JME and Jammer for example, now it shines as bright like all of Liberace's rhinestones combined. Skepta, JME and Jammer takes the responsibility to warn people that not all women are women in them red-light districts. Like hmm, oh REALLY?! Is that the news of 2009 or what? EXTRA EXTRA! BUY AN ALBUM, HEAR ALL ABOUT IT! I'm sorry for taking a piss at this but seriously, u gotta have a _real_ bad taste in women if u can't see who's a tranny and who's the real deal. What are u doing in a red-light district anyway?!

And yeah, some more news perhaps... brace urselves, of course red-light district women, men and everything in between are trying to take ur P, they WORK! And if u buy work from anyone there, I feel really sorry for u. Having trouble with them links Skeppy? Or just browsing through the old catalogue?

Yeah, I'm well aware of that the track is a bit comic and that I may take it a bit too serious (serious) but I'm so fed up with the whole scare of anything that's one step outside the "normal" (read male hereto) sexuality nowadays. Being afraid of cross dressers and gender-bending in this day and age is just ignorant and plain stupid. Like the no homo-bag. z_z. It's played OUT.

That said, there's actually much to love on "Microphone Champion". LOVE all Super Mario-references, still waiting for JME's 'Mario Flag' to be featured on some album, LOVE 'Lush' with Jay Sean, LOVE 'Are You Ready' over a nyce Rude Kid production, LOVE 'Look Out' ft. Giggs, LOVE 'Sticks and Stones', still LOVE "the Queen looks pretty in pink"-line from 'Over The Top'.

But, over all "Microphone Champion" feels a bit uneven, like it has 3 different parts. One that's good, one that's okay and one that's totally wack. That 'Skepta'-track produced by Chad Jackson fits in the last category, it's absolutely rubbish, should have been binned directly, or well, might have been material for an early mixtape at tops, but never for an album. That old-school revival is dead out... Therefore I'm kinda glad that Skepta's take on 'Sunglasses at Night' (as well as 'Rolex Sweep') is featured as a bonus-track only.

Wiley's "Race Against Time" on the other hand surprised me in a much more positive way. Probably because I had no expectations what so ever after the big let down "See Clear Now" turned out to be. But "Race Against Time" is good, way better than "Playtime's Over" ever was, it's not "Treddin' On Thin Ice" but close to.

Not that fond of 'The Olly' ft. MC Dream that I wanted to be thou, the chorus just oozes drunken football guys en masse other than the rave-anthem for the dance floor I guess it was meant to be with that production from Skream. Also kinda bored that Danny Weed's production from 'Roll Deep Is Back' from last year is used again on 'Off the Radar', sure, the production IS good but it's used, thought the king of Grime had a wider register... But other than that almost every track of the album is good, absolutely love Manaiac's production on the title track 'Race Against Time', the 'She's Glowing'-remix with Kano and Ghetts is still damn good. Wiley also shows that he still can do proper grime, without adapting and feature boring people like Daniel Merriweather.

It's quite funny that the best track, on both albums, is 'Too Many Man', even the nasal-fest Frisco pulls off in his verse sounds good. And yeah, before someone whines their little heart out among the comments, I know, I gotta stop hating on Big Fris, his upcoming debut album "Fullygrown" might turn out rather great after all since Semothy Jones is involved.

Well, to sum up, can't say that Skepta nor Wiley won the title "King of Grime" with these albums. Wiley has a good punch with 'Bang', a full on grime banger where he hypes himself up, but it's not enough. I guess we have to wait for Durrty Goodz to take the crown with his TKO, the debut album called "Born Blessed" later this year, have a gut feeling that it will be a walk in the park for him.

Wiley's release is however the better one of the two and it's so nyce to be proven wrong, after "See Clear Now" I wrote Wiley off the whole grime-chart for sure, now he's back and make great amends. Plz Wiley, from now on, stick with ur old grimy self.

	Skepta ft. Wiley - 'Are You Ready' YSI | zShare | Buy this Album/Tracks
	Wiley - 'Bang' (prod. by Wiley) YSI | zShare | Buy this Album/Tracks
	Boy Better Know - 'Too Many Man' (prod. by Skepta) (Club Edit) YSI | zShare

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