Wiley is officially back. This week, he liberates a new single titled “Tourbus,” a true-to-form grime cut that sees production from Olja Beats and shows the veteran emcee reminding listeners of his position within the still-active genre:
“The history I’ve made can not be erased, it’s embedded, that’s why I’m not fazed, if I never had no genre, I would’ve been dazed, I would’ve fell flat on my face, but the status, I ain’t gotta chase, that ain’t the case…”
“Tourbus” will presumably be taken from Wiley’s forthcoming project Anti-Systemic, which acts as his first official LP since last year’s drops Godfather 3 and Boasty Gang: The Album. In between that time, the British legend — who was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2018 — did find himself in the midst of a clash against Stormzy, releasing an “Eediyat Skengman” series directed at the South London star.
Not too long after, Wiley’s career fell into a hiatus following posts attacking the Jewish community, which led to his being removed from social media platforms. He later apologized for his actions in an interview with Sky News, who connected Wiley’s comments to an apparent fall out with his former manager, who was also Jewish:
“My comments should not have been directed to all Jews or Jewish people. I want to apologize for generalizing, and I want to apologize for comments that were looked at as anti-Semitic … I’m not racist, you know. I’m a businessman. My thing should have stayed between me and my manager, I get that.”
Press play on Wiley’s “Tourbus,” which also sees a remix featuring top quality bars from D Double E, Tia Talks, Keedz, and Kozzie. Anti-Systemic is expected to make landfall August 6 — you can pre-order the album via his official website.