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Wiley is one of the few artists who has managed to cultivate a lucrative underground and mainstream career, flitting between Warner and his spiritual home Big Dada like nobody's business.
Snakes & Ladders however completely blurs the lines between the two; spurred on by the resurgence of grime spearheaded by 'German Whip', it looks like it may become the rapper's highest charting album to date.
The whole album feels incredibly cohesive - it's quite possibly his best since Treddin' On Thin Ice. Snakes & Ladders is a self-reflective piece that for any Wiley afficionado is rammed to the rafters with references and moments of lyrical wisdom.
This is manifested by guest list that includes a who's who of grime royalty (JME, Flirta D, Footsie and Chip), alongside production credits from Z Dot, Wiley himself, Teddy and Skepta.
Most interestingly it features a cameo from none other than dipset rapper Cam'ron on 'Lonely', a collaboration that is indicative of the glorious blurring of boundaries between US and UK rappers.
The result is an album that feels incredibly rich and incredibly satisfying: everyone brings it and no-one more so than Wiley himself. The lyrics to 'Flying' (remix), dictate "I'm back where I wanna be", part of a wealth of tracks that discuss the lessons learnt over the course of the last ten albums.
Wiley also muses on being torn between himself and the fans on 'From The Outside', creating a running narrative that is much deeper and interesting than the unacquainted may realise. It becomes a form of musical soliloquy that reveals more and more on repeat listens.
Ending on an 11 minute epic entitled 'Snakes and Ladders - Part Two', it comes full circle, with the lyrics anouncing "I'm doing what I want, fuck it". That is a sentiment that embodies Wiley perfectly: an artist who has always followed his own path. To quote a tired old adage, the journey not the destination is what counts, it just so happens that Wiley's particular journey has been dictated at every step and the destination as a result, is all the more satisfying.
Listen to Wiley's Snakes and Ladders below
