Wiley

Playtime is indeed over for the British genre of grime in 2007 as it transitions from being critical darling to invisible niche orphan. Wiley has served as the genre's equivalent of Lee Scratch Perry, and here he burrows deeper into his Eski sound (cold synths, austere polyrhythm, smothering bass), sneering at the posers, naysayers and Benedict Arnolds. Wiley's rhymes (delivered in typical ragga-on-meth fashion) have never felt more impassioned than on "Gangsters," while "Letter 2 Dizzee" is a heartfelt open letter to a certain crossover grime star.