You do not want to go bar for bar with Wiley, and he's proved it in countless back-and-forth lyrical beefs and through legendary clashes with the likes of MCs Kano and Crazy Titch. But even when he is on your side, sharing a track with the Godfather is perilous. Not one to settle for a middling effort, the chances are high that given an opportunity to feature on your project, he'll run away with the whole show, leaving your own verse as an afterthought. To further remind you of his lyrical wizardry, here are seven times Wiley featured on a track and completely owned it.
Newham Generals — "Scars" f/ Wiley
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We originally wanted to include the "Prangman" remix here, but D Double said he had more bars than the bloody West End, and that shuts down any contention of ownership. "Scars" is even more impressive though, considering Wiley Kat's extended intro barely feels like a real verse—just a lengthy preamble to the song's hook that sort of became the song's opening by default. Plus, let's be honest: outshining D Double E 50% of the time isn't something most MCs can even dream of.
Jme — "That's Hype" f/ Wiley, Syer & Scorcher
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At their best, listening to Wiley's verses feels like temporary ADHD as he bounces from idea to idea at random without ever settling on a fixed topic. On this early BBK classic, he's got fierce competition: Jme hurls abuse, Scorcher's baritone anchors the hook and Syer generally glues the whole thing together with gusto. But Wiley's mid-scene verse—once again—leaves everybody in the dust. What we learn from it: he's a solider and he takes chances, he comes from jungle and he keeps the dances, he's a champion who wins races, he wears Huaraches with black shoelaces, is from London and not LA and, like Jesus, he walks on water. That last claim is unsubstantiated.
Frisco — "Best In The Game" f/ Wiley
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A key track on a dope CD by BBK's most underrated, the title "Best In The Game" nevertheless probably goes to guest star Wiley. But this might be the one cut in this list where he doesn't run away with the whole thing and actually has to fight for it, matching Frisco's flow and trading bars with him near the end. And at 17K views on YouTube, quite a few more people need to hear them deliver the pain over that eerie instrumental.
Skepta — "Duppy (Doin' It Again)" f/ Boy Better Know
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This one wins for delivering the greatest amount of hype for the least amount of effort. While the rest of Boy Better Know, Footsie and Bossman craft some intricate bars to get the party started on the classic 8-bar "Duppy" riddim, Wiley keeps it simple and chants out Saggat from Street Fighter's catchphrase for the duration of his verse, and doesn't even bother turning up to the video shoot, resulting in some awkward filler shots of DJ Maximum's t-shirt. Legendary business.
Dizzee Rascal — "I Luv U (Remix)" f/ Wiley & Sharky Major
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"I Luv U" is a stone-cold grime classic, but true supporters will remember the track's underrated remix, which re-imagined Dizzee's angry kiss-off as a tender sinogrime apology. Revealing the kind of depth that shot back against racist media caricatures portraying grime artists as feral teens, the remix saw Raskit show remorse and Sharky Major imagine his ideal girl, but it was Wiley's furious call and response with the song's titular sample that's a truly astounding display of skill and self-reflection. Apart from being an insightful look at a fear of commitment and an absolute clinic on how to flow over 140BPM, the verse is also notable for Wiley's very cockney use of 'love' as a term of affection—crucial at a time when grime was defining itself as very much distinct from US rap.
Ruff Sqwad — "Together" f/ Wiley
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Another tearjerker, Ruff Sqwad's canny Police flip-turned-lovelorn-anthem may not immediately seem like the ideal context to slew the competition, but Wiley not only provided one of his best hooks on this ode to teenage break-ups, his opening verse set the tone for the whole song. Adding a decidedly adult out to the proceedings, he somehow manages to blame his lack of affection for the song's unnamed lady on being under a spell that's known as the system, which makes sense until you stop and realise that's possibly the least satisfying excuse for getting kicked to the curb in the history of music or break-ups.
Ed Sheeran — "You" f/ Wiley
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Okay... so this one's a bit of a laugh, but no collection of Wiley features would be complete without one of the man's utterly bonkers pop moves, and this lighters-in-the-air anthem attempt with Ed Sheeran's crooning features a particularly stellar opening Eskiboy verse (feel free to talk over the chorus).
