Independent success.
Do artists really need to be signed to a major record label to be successful? Judging from what happened on Friday when Ocean Wisdom’s Wizville album hit Top 40 on the Official UK Album Chart, perhaps the answer is no.
Independence has long been celebrated but there isn’t always a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The effort isn’t always worth the reward, or lack thereof. So seeing Ocean Wisdom, one of the UK’s most promising rappers, debut at #39 this past week is amazing.
The main single that helped push the album up the charts was the Dizzee Rascal-assisted “Revvin'”. That in itself is a feat. Think about it: how do you, as an independent artist, go about getting a Dizzee Rascal feature? Can’t be easy, right?
Well, he did it and the results are as follows:
Speaking on his album, Ocean wisdom said:
“This album is the culmination of years of dedication to the art of rap. I want to push the boundaries and redefine what it means to be at the top level as a lyricist. Ambition and practise makes perfect and this album will show that. My team and I have been dedicated to the task and we have all delivered, we have bought together legends from all eras and genres around the world and we have left no stone unturned. The levels we have attempted to reach are incomparable to anything prior and it is undoubtedly a significant deviation from any sound previously heard in the UK Hip Hop scene, all that is left now is to share it with the world which we are all very excited to do”
The legends he’s talking about include Method Man, Jehst, P Money, Rodney P, Roots Manuva, Chester P and the aforementioned Dizzee Rascal, who all feature on Wizville.
Listen to Wizville here.
