Earlier this year, Wiki, a staple of New York’s underground rap scene, issued his standout LP Ancient History. On Saturday he followed with a noticeably more informal project: Papiseed Street Vol. 2, a mixtape built around playful sampling. The first Papiseed Street appeared back in 2023, and the sequel captures the same loose, carefree spirit.
Wiki brings a strong sense of personality and charm to his cadence, a quality that comes through on his more measured work like Ancient History, and it also shines on a record that’s meant to kick back and have fun. On Papiseed Street Vol. 2, he leans into swagger, trading bars over productions that flip hooks from Big Pun, Ashanti, French Montana, the Bravehearts, and Company B. Just as with the original Papiseed Street, the project is held together by the gravelly, unmistakable vocal presence of Oscar The Grouch, a fellow New York dirtbag icon. I’m turning up the headphones for the first time as I write, and the vibes are a blast. Listen for yourself just below.
