#19: Wiki Is New York Rap's Realist
The rapper explains how Aaron Bondaroff gave him his moniker, meeting Skepta, and his Transatlantic appeal.
#19: Wiki Is New York Rap’s Realist
Patrick Morales is a New York fixture. After all, he was just 15 years old when “Downtown A-Ron” Bondaroff dubbed him Lil Wiki and the name just stuck.
On this week’s episode of HYPEBEAST Radio, Wiki opens up about his early days on the Downtown scene, working with RATKING, and the inspirations behind his debut solo album, No Mountains in Manhattan.
“The mountains are kinda like obstacles,” the rappers says. As far as the obstacles themselves go, Wiki cites issues with sample clearance and last-second recording sessions as stressors. “We basically had to remake a Kaytranada beat, which was sketchy.” But in many ways, Morales feels that the final product was all the better for it.
Morales recorded “pretty much everything” for No Mountains in Manhattan, well, in Manhattan, but his artistic influences and friends hail from all over the map. In particular, Wiki and RATKING have a cult following across the Atlantic in England. “New York and London are similar cities, very mixed. Every white boy says Jamaican slang over there.” Morales also reminisces on meeting Skepta, being tapped to hop on the remix of “That’s Not Me,” and a progress report on underground super-group Secret Circle’s album.
Listen to the episode in its entirety above.
