Stormzy Offers Merky Ode to the Godfather of Grime in New Cut "Wiley Flow"

Following last week’s re-sparking of the feud between The Godfather of Grime, Wiley, and OVO-frontman Drake, platinum-selling Grime MC Stormzy has shot back, joining the conversation by offering his own opinion on the situation in a new single entitled “Wiley Flow.” The track’s release follows Wiley calling out Ed Sheeran and the Toronto rapper for being “culture vultures” in terms of appropriating the Grime scene, specifically with Wiley calling out Sheeran’s recent track with Stormzy, “Take Me Back to London,” which saw the artist rapping out bars on a Grime-forward instrumental supplied by Sir Spyro. However, as was noted in a recent BBC article published on the manner, Wiley’s recent calling-out of fellow industry titans has traditionally been his way in prepping the marketing for a forthcoming project — namely Godfather III.

Regardless of the context, Stormzy’s “Wiley Flow” offers up a merky ode to the Godfather of Grime, while equally presenting his own opinions on the matter. The track begins with a sample of Wiley saying “Bruv, I didn’t look at it this way before, but as I approach my birthday, all you man are my youngers,” in reference to the new generation of Grime MCs. Stormzy then launches directly into his heavy-handed bars, rapping with the opening line “If you can’t do 10K first week then I don’t wanna hear no chat about numbers,” further referencing Wiley’s “youngers” before shooting back with “so please man let’s just be adults.” Other references to Wiley include Stormzy laying out bars in reference to his Rolex, a clear ode to his hit track “Wearing My Rolex.”

While the track seems split between being a diss and a respectful ode to the Grime pioneer, Stormzy’s chorus (as well as continuously referenced lyrics) ultimately relays a love for Wiley and his legacy, stating “I hit you n*ggas with the Wiley flow…” As Reddit user Madbrad200 also notes, the single’s artwork also reinterprets the cover of Wiley’s Tunnel Vision Vol. 1 mixtape, with Stormzy channeling Wiley’s flow from 2008’s “Nightbus Dubplate.” Wiley further supported the track, sharing the clip on social media, further captioning “My brudda 4 life,” with Stormzy replying “Always love and respect legend.”

The new cut equally taps EY for the meticulously gritty beat, known for producing a variety of tracks for Drake including his recently released “Omertà.”As is usual, Stormzy doesn’t hold back lyrically, and his battering flow matches the instrumental perfectly. On top of the single’s release, the Londoner also shared a music video for the single, showcasing him and his posse in a dark lit room as they mob to his track.

To hold you over as Stormzy preps for the release of his forthcoming album, he recently released a new single entitled “Sounds Of The Skeng.”

My brudda 4 life @Stormzy1 https://t.co/Xwb7jIDhL2

— January 1st (@WileyUpdates) September 15, 2019