Review: Tunnel Vision 5

Wiley knows how to create some hype. Had Tunnel Vision come out last week, it wouldn't have been all that, but dropping this in the same week as accouncing his retirement from the scene gives it a strange importance.

Sorry Sorry, Pardon, What? kicks off the album the way we've come to expect from Wiley and particularly this mixtape series. It's full of the energy and hyped up MC-ing that's so common in his recent output. Just to re-inforce the point, two war dubs aimed at Newham Generals and Nasty Jack follow. But then the tone starts to change and we see the otherside of Wiley - the guy who's been trying make it big for the scene and push things forward, with very little help and limited success. Tracks like One Line Flow, and Don't Do It, make these frustrations clear, with Wiley poking fun at his label mates and the scene he helped create on the former and asking those without their heart in it to give up on Don't Do It.

It's the following two R&G esque tracks that are the most revealing though. Sister Sister, like Friday Night off of 2nd Phaze, is one of those rare glimpses into the man behind the hype MC. With regard to his recent retirement, this tune illustrates the pressures on the MC from outside the game, the personal and family stuff. Paranoid Remix follows in a similar vein, albeit about love problems and that.

The thing that really comes across is that despite all these problems, Wiley can't stop. On Sister Sister he chats about carrying on the family tradition of music, started by his Father. He still talks about making it big in the future and being able to travel the world with his family. With these things in mind it seems unlikely Wiley would be happy taking a backseat in the progress of the scene.

Of course Wiley's constant references to his Ice-cold nature are intact as ever. As he reminds us on Paranoid Remix, Wiley's a clever guy. He's not scared to play with hype:

"I'm a dangerous boy and when it comes to cheating I'm cold like she is"

To my mind this is the best of the Tunnel Vision series. Truesay there are throwaway bits on there but taking this record in conjunction with Wiley's retirement announcement on Monday makes for some facinating listening. I'll put money on seeing Wiley back on the mic sooner rather than later.