Test Drive Spring 2014 | Page 22

MUSIC MAP M A N H AT TA N , U. S . A . W IK I FAC T S S PR I N G 2 0 1 4 10,0 0 0 + FOLLOWER S O N FAC E B O O K A ND T W I T T E R C O MBI NE D 10 0 H A S 75,0 0 0 + V IE W S O N Y O U T UBE WIK I ON THE MAP › MANHATTAN Known for his wild wordplay and legendary live performances, New York emcee Wiki has been making waves since his teens. In 2011, he released his Wiki93 EP online and quickly earned praise from the New York Times, XXL and The Source — with Complex championing him as one of the “25 Best Rappers 25 And Under” then listing him as one of “10 New NY Rappers To Watch Out For”. However, it wasn’t just critics that took notice — his Wikispeaks video racked up almost 200,000 views on YouTube before he even had a record deal! Bonkers! The baby-faced, pint-sized emcee didn’t rest on his laurels though. He took his jams on the road, and performed at Fun Fun Fun Fest in L.A., SXSW in Austin and the Pitchfork Music Festival in Paris where he shared the stage with Robyn and Jessie Ware. Throughout it all he did a live session on BBC Radio 1, collaborated with ace photographer Ari Marcopoulos, and was profiled in a killer video vignette on Jay-Z’s Life+Time