Wiley Flow
"Wiley Flow" | ||||
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Single by Stormzy | ||||
from the album Heavy Is the Head | ||||
Released | 15 September 2019 | |||
Length | 3:27 | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Stormzy singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Wiley Flow" on YouTube |
"Wiley Flow" is a song by English rapper Stormzy, released on 15 September 2019 through #Merky and Atlantic Records as the third single from his second studio album, Heavy Is the Head. The song is a homage to British grime MC Wiley that interpolates flows from his tracks "Bad 'Em Up" and "Nightbus Dubplate".[1] The cover art also mirrors his mixtape, Tunnel Vision Vol 1 (2007).[2]
Critical reception
[edit]Writing for Fact, Henry Bruce-Jones called it a salute to the "godfather of grime" on which Stormzy "cribs flows" from Wiley and "go[es] in on" over a "murky instrumental".[1] Karen Gwee of NME labelled it "hard-hitting",[3] while Sajae Elder of The Fader described it as Stormzy "racing through a series of number and OG checks ("If you can't do 10K first week then I don't wanna hear no chat about numbers')".[4]
Music video
[edit]The music video features Stormzy rapping the song while "surrounded by his friends in a gloomy basement".[3]
Charts
[edit]Chart (2019) | Peak position |
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Ireland (IRMA)[5] | 30 |
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[6] | 21 |
Scotland (OCC)[7] | 59 |
UK Singles (OCC)[8] | 22 |
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[9] | 25 |
Certifications
[edit]Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI)[10] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Bruce-Jones, Henry (16 September 2019). "Stormzy salutes the grandfather of grime on 'Wiley Flow'". Fact. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ "Stormzy Pays Homage To Wiley With Merky New Track "Wiley Flow"". trenchtrenchtrench.com. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
- ^ a b Gwee, Karen (16 September 2019). "Hear Stormzy's hard-hitting new track, 'Wiley Flow'". NME. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ Elder, Sajae (15 September 2019). "Stormzy drops 'Wiley Flow'". The Fader. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 23 September 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ "British single certifications – Stormzy – Wiley Flow". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 February 2022.