Whilst many of today’s acts achieve success in all areas, there are only a few whose wordplay prick our ears due to the magnitude of their lyricism. Amidst those who do so, Wretch 32 is the artist most commonly mentioned within the Grime and Hip Hop circuit. His 2008 debut Wretchrospective sported some of the biggest hits of that year as well as the most in-depth verses to come from the UK in recent times. As a shortage of such artists is evident, this makes each Wretch release an anticipated one and his new mixtape should hopefully provide enough material for lyrical fans to teethe on.
Without any hesitation, Wretch 32 hurdles straight into the lyrical arena on the opening ‘Rope-A-Dope’, attacking the track with a pacy but controlled flow which provides the perfect setting to cause anarchy over. Containing freestyles, remixes and some new material, Wretch32.com [click to download] sees the Wretchro boy provide a barrage of witty and wicked lyrics over the majority of the mixtape, most prominent when spitting over Hip Hop and Grime beats. Taking Timbaland’s ‘Say Something’ instrumental (the beat of choice for many artists this year) Wretch alongside Scorcher, deliver enough punchlines to warrant a rewind from 1xtra personality Vis.
Lines such as “… ball without the Spurs, you’re cool around reserves” have the biggest sports fans reeling but sometimes his desire to produce numerous “wow” punchlines comes unstuck, leaving one mulling over questionable lines for longer than necessary. As mixtapes are often used to showcase an artist’s spin on popular tracks, some choices do not fit to the Wretch 32-super lyricist prototype as Cassie‘s ‘Must Be Love’ rehash forces him to tackle the track with a different approach, resulting in a below par performance.
But it is his performance on race-against-time sounding tracks like ‘No Biggie’ and ‘Born Winner’ which really push Wretch ahead of many as one of the best today. Again, it’s Wretch’s bars and punches which steal the show on Wretch32.com.
Whilst overconfidence is prominent in each of Wretch’s lines, there is also dedication and uniqueness in each word he puts together – which at times results in some of the best verses to generate from an artist residing in the grimy end of the industry. Pushed singles ‘Be Cool’ and ‘Superhero’ still sound as fresh as before but it’s the new material which highlights his growth and adds much more anticipation for a sequel to his biographic debut.
–Henry Yanney
DOWNLOAD: Wretch 32’s new mixtape Wretch32.com