Riko - Freestyle
So Riko's 'The Truth' is finally out after a tortuous gestation period that probably makes it the 'Chinese Democracy' of grime (except good, obviously). Of course, you'd naturally expect nothing less from an album with songs called 'Informer Must Dead' and 'Boy Try Disrespec Spec Spec Spec' (I'm honestly not making the latter up). However the real highlight is secreted on the Bonus Disc with this Wiley produced 'Freestyle'; as the stripped down, deliberately unpolished beat turns decomposed rising New Order synths, a single metallic drum kick and the sound of someone tuning in a radio underwater into a C. Difficile-catchy, child-like melodic bed for Riko to spit his geezer/soundbwoy threats over ('I'm on straight up war and it ain't nuttin' long').
Best bits:
0:05 - Riko audibly snorts a greenie up his nose just before he starts to spit.
1:03 - 'It's the Riko the Dan (dan dan dan),
anywhere mi go the dancehall a fi ram (ram ram ram),
rock fi the woman an mi rock fi the man (man man man),
nuff a dem a talk 'bout counteraction'.
2:09 - Riko shouts '2004' on the outro. Meaning that Wiley not only created this little gem of perfectly crafted pop goodness simply for his mate to chat his deliciously hype rudebwoy gun-talk on, he then sat on the resulting song for a good four years, before letting it be snuck out on the bonus disc of said friend's mixtape project. See, I told you he was a genius.
bumba raas claat,
X
