Can't Do This Alone
Wiki is teasing his upcoming Navy Blue produced project yet again, this time featuring the man himself on ‘Can’t Do This Alone’, and it’s one of the standout singles of the year.
Following a so far fantastic career, Wiki is once again proving why he is one of the most unique voices in Hip Hop. His inflections sound like a mouthy New York raised Slowthai, but Wiki came much before…
His music under the group Ratking was incredibly influential for the new wave of choppy sampling, alternative emcees like MIKE, Navy Blue, and Pink Siifu, with their forward thinking, experimental 2014 album ‘So It Goes’, with highlights like ‘Canal’ and ‘So Sick Stories’ which featured an upcoming King Krule. The album encapsulated the gritty streets of New York, and had a sort of British style with its grimy and dark aesthetic.
Following Ratking’s unfortunate split, Wiki continued with some great projects, like his vibrant 2017 debut, and this year’s menacing collaboration with NAH, ‘Telephonebooth’; a short but effective and eerie project.
Now he’s gearing up for a new release produced by LA based pro skateboarder, model and rapper Navy Blue, the immensely talented Earl Sweatshirt collaborator who has already got three very beautiful, mellow albums under his belt across 2020 and 2021.
The song showcases both of their signature styles, with Madlib-esque chopped up soul production from Navy Blue, and Wiki’s showing tons of personality. If it’s an indicator of what the album will be like, it’s definitely worth being excited for. Wiki is a gifted storyteller, and Sage Elesser is a master behind the boards. His dreamy, melancholy production style will likely contrast Wiki’s brash wacky Danny Brown style delivery, but the unexpected clash of styles will surely be an interesting listen.
Navy Blue’s voice is always calming and reassuring, with lines like ‘I put my heart on the line, a lot I don’t show’; it’s a clever parallel to Wiki’s delivery, which is actually a little toned down for this track.
Accompanying the song is a summery and upbeat music video that takes us through city streets, which sits nicely alongside the sunny instrumental. The imagery fits well with Wiki as he raps ‘I don’t need a stage, do it on the block, on the street’.
The visuals also show black and white childhood photos of Wiki, and contrasting the city skyline is shots of local residents from communal neighbourhoods walking by and waving at the camera, which gives the video a personal touch and a human quality to it. The video goes from day to night, and ends on the rooftop of a building in New York, quite fitting following on from the last single ‘Roof’.
We are definitely anticipating the release of the new LP titled ‘Half God’, which is out October 1st. Watch the music video for ‘Can’t Do This Alone’ here!