Who says New York hip-hop is dead? Rapper and producer Wiki is indispensable in the underground rap scene. His sharp pen and self-reflection put him in good company among his peers and collaborators, MIKE, Navy Blue & Earl Sweatshirt. Saturday June 17, the New Yorker brings his effortless flow and dusty-sampled-based beats to BIRD!
The NYC born and raised Wiki aka Patrick Morales, quickly rose to fame as a teenager as one-third of the pioneering hip-hop group Ratking. The trio signed to XL Records, landed the cover of the Fader, and released the NYC-focused classic So It Goes, recently included in Pitchfork’s Top 200 Albums of the Decade. Wiki, the group’s frontman, went on to release solo mixtapes, 700 Fill and Lil’ Me, before releasing his full-fledged debut album, No Mountains In Manhattan, in September 2017. In 2018 and 2019, Wiki toured internationally – visiting Australia, Japan, Russia and much of the US and Europe – and released several singles through his recently established new label, Wikset Enterprise. In 2021, the New Yorker released his third studio album Half God. The album, produced entirely by Navy Blue, was regarded by fans and music critics as one of his best work ever. It was even awarded Best New Album by Pitchfork and an 8.5. In Half God, a wise and angry Wiki reveals what it’s like to grow up in the city: the way it molds you, hardens you, ages you prematurely. Last November, Wiki dropped an EP One More together with BIRD-known MIKE and legendary producer Alchemist to promote the Patta x Tommy collection.
