Open Space: Wiki | Mass Appeal

Why does Wiki rap? "I do it because I love to do this shit," the renowned New York MC explained during a recent visit to MASS APPEAL HQ. "But I also do it because it's all I know how to do. Straight up." Expounding on what he describes as a "real need" to rap, Wiki admits that "if I didn't do this, I don't know what the fuck I would do... That's lucky as fuck!" Six years after emerging as the cornerstone of New York's Sporting Life clique, Wiki released his acclaimed yet still under-rated debut album 'No Mountains in Manhattan.' The title is drawn from the 1973 Martin Scorsese film 'Mean Streets.' Wiki wrote the phrase down years ago after watching the film (which was released 20 years before his birth) on an airplane. In the scene where Harvey Keitel's mobster character Charlie Cappa explains to his girlfriend Teresa Ronchelli that he likes the mountains, she replies that "There's no mountains in Manhattan." "Once I heard that, I was like, whoah," Wiki recalls. "That shit's hard! I'd never seen no shit where they go deeper into that." Wiki's choice of title reflects the fact that the album is both his love letter to the city and also a deeply personal work. "Any story that takes place in the city, any movie you see that's filmed in the city, the city's important," Wiki remarks. "The city plays a role in the movie, or else they wouldn't shoot it there. I feel like that's why [this album is] so New York…. When I make music I think about people in New York. It's not that I want to have all these New York references, but I want it to speak to them. I want them to be able to relate to that." Adding to the album's essential New York–ness is Ghostface Killah's guest verse on the track "Made For This," a tremendous point of pride for Wiki. "Having Ghost on the record and shit, that was like a dream come true," he explains. "Wu was such a big influence on me. As long as I get some shit with Wu, I'm good. I don't give a fuck." He also counts Dipset as a major influence. "A lot of people don't hear it cause my voice," says Wiki. "I be using so many Cam flows and all types of Dipset flows." He says the Harlem crew made a strong impression on him because of their authenticity. "Juelz and Jimmy and Cam-they were brothers. That was real. That's why I fuck with that," he says. "This is from Harlem, these kids came up together. That authenticity and that realness is always what comes across in hip hop. It's not, 'Oh this is fabricated.' At all." Check out our latest episode of Open Space and you may say the same about Wiki. Subscribe to Mass Appeal here: http://goo.gl/LqG3wZ -------------Mass Appeal------------- Website: http://massappeal.com Twitter:   / massappeal   Instagram:   / massappeal   Facebook:   / massappeal   What started as a humble graffiti 'zine in 1996 would soon grow to be one of the most trusted outlets for youth-spawned urban culture. Today, Mass Appeal is a media collective led by authentic voices and inspired minds. We are a platform for radical creatives who are transforming culture.