Wiley’s Album “100% Publishing” sounds like an underground west-coast rap album that you might find on the shelves of an indie record store. One major difference, Wiley is not from the west-coast, he’s from across the pond. On the U.K. rapper’s eigth album, he takes a little bit from a lot of genres to pair with his hard west-coast styled raps. Listening from track to track, you’ll hear some melodic tunes, R & B classics and a lot of the U.K.’s famous jungle beats.
Wiley’s album is a good listen from track to track. However, as a whole, it got fairly repetitive. Although Wiley isn’t America’s stereotypical rapper, he does begin to sound the same once you get about halfway through the album. Almost as if he’s trying to conform too much to the American style and, in doing so, he begins to veer from his unique U.K. style. However, if you keep listening past the halfway point, you will be in for a pleasant surprise. From track seven (Wise Man and His Words) to the end is where the album strikes gold.
This is definitely an album worth listening to, especially if you’re a hip-hop fan. Wiley is a very talented artist. There are some fun hidden gems on his album, taking stabs at people like Simon Cowell & honoring some greats like Michael Jackson. Take a listen through on iTunes, even though the whole album may not be worth the purchase, I’m sure you’ll find some tracks you’ll enjoy. I recommend, “Number is Action,” “To be continued…,” and “Talk about life.”