With singles in the calibre of ‘Rack Up’ and ‘Lizzie’, it is hard to believe that ‘Sorry You Were Saying’ is Sam Wise’s first full-length project. This year has already seen the release of several EPs with his beloved London collective House Of Pharaohs, but Wise has arguably had more success in his solo career.
Collaborations with the likes of Octavian, Kadiata and P-Rallel have propelled him to the forefront of London’s alternative rap scene, and proven the versatility that gleams over all his verses. Whether he’s spitting an infectious, lo-fi energy on ‘When the Sun Comes Out’ or with the raw conviction of ‘The Pain Freestyle’, no beat seems to phase the lyrical capabilities of Sam Wise.
SYWS is a sonical collage of all the elements that have lead to the emcees success so far. ‘Addicted Interlude’ sees the Kennington native harmonising over an irresistible, trancy, afro inspired beat, produced by Clonez, whilst previously released single ’Towndown’ allows the rapper to deliver a contrastingly devilish flow. Featuring Masterpeace, ‘Loophole’ is another highlight on the mixtape; Wise narrates a tale of love over the hook, whilst Peace barks a verse with his signature, raspy tone to close out the song, which was produced by Kadiata.
Perhaps the best tune on the whole record is It’s closer, ‘7 Foot’, which features Miles from Kinshasa. Sam Wise is at his most reflective on this one, touching on topics of love, race and phone addiction to depict how he copes with the new found attention he gets from his music. Kinshasa's hook is almost pacifying, his vocals work so well with Kadiata's groovy beat and compliment the tone Wise pens for the song.
At only 30 minutes, It's quite incredible how Sam Wise tells such a dense story of the internal thoughts he lives with on a daily basis. This must have been a very therapeutic EP for him to make. Check it out below.
RATING: 8.4/10
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