If you’re looking for some smooth Aussie hip hop then look no further than newbie Sydney rapper B Wise aka James Iheakanwa. Writing lyrics since his teens, he was known around his South-Western hood as the go-to house party MC. Partying it up in the burbs, his laidback flow and confrontational lyrics soon earned him a spot on hip hop group Konnected As One (K1), and shit got real for the Sydneysider.
B Wise is the rapper spinning tales of the everyman, speaking to the truths of the world and spitting lyrics that reveal the good and bad of the world.
After a few years making mainstream hip hop in K1, Wise decided the time was ripe to launch his solo career. With his own brand of old-school Aussie hip hop, he dropped debut mixtape The Benchman Volume 1 in 2012 and follow-up The Benchman Volume 2 last year. Released to our earholes on number one hip hop website Worldstarhiphop.com, his debut single Show It To Em got a whopping 16,000 views in its first week, letting the world know B Wise was definitely off the bench and on the hip hop scene.
Taking us back to the golden age of hip hop, his 90’s style rhymes are all soul and no rich rap bullshit. True to his rep of dishing out confrontational lyrics, his mixtapes share gritty tales of growing up in a biracial household and his everyday struggle to keep on the straight and narrow. Rapping about the good, the bad and the ugly, B Wise really wears his heart on his sleeve, which makes his jams all the more smooth.
Keeping the rhymes rolling, the MC just released his new single Like You. Rapping about the everyman dilemma of finding that perfect summer squeeze, it’s a more chilled out beat than his gritty mixtapes. But with his cool tones and breezy flow, this bouncy R&B tune is the perfect jam to get you pumped for the sunny season ahead, as well as the rapper’s debut album set to drop next year.
Supporting heaps of international and local acts like Diafrix, David Dallas, Kid Cudi, GZA (Wu-Tang) and The Cool Kids, along with headlining a bunch of shows in his Sydney hometown, B Wise is definitely one to watch. Currently working in the studio with producers Pro/Gram (Bliss n Eso, Hau), Nic Martin (360, Pez), Jord Levus (Allday) and Colourd Noyz, you’d B wise to keep an ear out for the Sydneysider’s debut LP coming soon.
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