Reeking of Diesel strains and the sweat of sleepless nights, New York local Wiki released the album Oofie November 8th. This project would have felt like a late summer release if it wasn’t substantial enough to bump through the winter. Featuring a bop with both Lil Ugly Mane and Denzel Curry on the same track, it’s always welcome.
Even the features are poetic caviar as Lil Ugly Mane finishes his verse on “Grim” with:
“Floatin’ down the River Styx, countin’ daffodils/ Ignorin’ all these e-mails from Complex and Mass Appeal/ Thinkin’, “If I wasn’t such a pussy, I’d have had a deal”/ When I die, play my failure on the blooper reel.”
Further cementing the reputation Wiki has built for himself by 25, the beat selection on Oofie is choice. It is made up of everything from banging tracks to beautiful instrumentation.
Wiki’s off-kilter voice leads through ‘Oofie’ like an expert guide through a burning world.
Intro, the first track of Oofie, features a relaxed atmosphere and abstract lyrics from the experienced wordsmith. It welcomes the listener into a unique headspace but is most exciting for the skill that Wiki displays rather than driving instrumentation. This vibe only finishes with the end of the track. Warming up to his style is an easy process due to the skill he displays with practically every bar.
“Who is he? Is that what they’ll say in the eulogy?”
By the second track of Oofie, “Downfall,” Wiki’s spitting about his lived experience with intense mastery over a winning beat. He ends the song with the powerful verse:
“Little more green in the pallet/ It’s Patty Morales from bally to ballads/ Look, I have to say I could be an asshole/ Replaced the pack a day for the apple/ Pack of dope a day, not tobacco/ Not my fault I was placed in the Apple/ I was raised on raisins, Snapple/ Catholic on the upper west/ Bagels at Chapel…”
This beautiful collection of lines hit as the beat falls away, creating an ambiance closer to an a cappella than a traditional banger two songs deep into Oofie. Wiki rides out this vibe with the next three lines: “See I’m an enigma they tryna get rid of/ Thought I was a contender/ Until they forget ya…”
A watery melody slinks by, massaging the imagination as the poet spits “Whatever you did, whoever came with ya, Gotta be better, not bitter.” The beat has a final revival, like a defibrillator on a body alternating between limp and flailing. Wiki closes the second track of ‘Oofie’ with the confident bar: “I’ll be back in all of my splendor.”
Never Out, Never Tired, Wiki Gets Better As He Works
Despite the high quality of ‘Oofie’, the album gets a second wind after “Way That I Am.”
Dame Aquí (feat. Princess Nokia) is one of the best examples of trip-hop since the genre was popularized. Freaks, the final track on ‘Oofie’, features some of the best bars of the project, and the most classic beat. The horn sample on that track brings NYC back to jazz.
“I did it for the freak man, did it for the freaks, did it for the freaks”
Stream Wiki’s ‘Oofie’ Everywhere
Let us know what you think of Oofie in the comments and please make sure to share this article on Facebook or Instagram if you’re a fan. Make sure to visit our hip-hop reviews section for more content.
