So It Goes

Wiki, an abstract hip hop great, is an atypical MC. The Irish Puerto Rock can really rhyme like no other, being especially impressive at the young 20 year old when RATKING’s first studio album So it Goes was released. Wiki stood out to me as the frontrunner of the group, but his partners Hak and Sporting Life were equally involved in the group’s success.

RATKING made it their mission to change the sound of hip hop, and this can be spotted by the unordinary production choices on So It Goes, per Sporting Life. Not to mention, both Hak and Wiki spit some cold flows, and they do so in that aggressive NYC way (it reminds me of EL-P). Even in their youth, this group is exceptionally coming-of-age, dealing with their negative experiences with police brutality and gentrification.

Snow Beach offers an experience of how time is passed in the NYC winter. It is written in abstract, but portrays some important visuals- sometimes the time is worth escaping. All of this over a left-field and electronic beat pattern. As the song progresses, Wiki glides over an ice-cold instrumental with a soft saxophone and heavy sub bass. Wiki tells the listener that he is spiteful of the college of NYU for their attack on real estate, dismantling the original charm of NYC landmarks, and replacing them with new ones.

“How you supposed to be standing for New York, dismantling New York?” - Wiki

Remove Ya is my favorite joint off of this project. Sporting Life creatively turned a 1994 reggae record on its head into something completely different, while Hak and Wiki absolutely bully the instrumental. The subject matter is haunting, speaking on being targeted by crooked police officers for being minorities, plus the audio recording sampled from a 2011 police brutality incident inflames its darkness. Simultaneously, the track is insanely catchy and memorable, and that's for the greater good.

There's no amount of writing that could ever encapsulate exactly how I feel about this record when I listen to it. It’s one-of-a-kind, and takes a ton of chances that pay off stylistically. The production on this record is jaw-dropping, and the rapping is next level. If you haven't checked this one out, it's a must-listen for anybody who considers themselves a fan of the underground scene.

Final Verdict:

As a 20 year old, I am blown away by how complex this style is and how it was created by such young people. It's a stroke of genius, and I feel inspired by great artwork such as this. Perfect 10.

Griff