Ocean Wisdom

Brighton-based hip-hop MC Ocean Wisdom has an old-school sensibility and a quick yet clear rapping style. Wisdom was born in Camden in 1993, but it wasn’t long before the family moved to Brighton, where he spent his youth immersed in hip-hop and reggae. He began beatboxing at age seven and started rapping after hearing Gorillaz’s “Clint Eastwood” on the radio. Wisdom spent his early teenage years writing lyrics and rapping over beats online, occasionally sending them to a friend for feedback. Eventually, his friend put him in touch with Dirty Dike, who, upon first meeting him, asked to record his vocals; this resulted in “Walkin’,” which remained on Dike’s computer for almost a decade before being released in 2016. When the track eventually saw release, it went viral, prompting Wisdom to record a full-length album, Chaos ’93. Initially, the record was to be released through High Focus, however, after the label hesitated to put the LP out, Wisdom issued it independently. The album caught the attention of the wider U.K. scene, opening many doors for the rapper, including an invitation to appear on Charlie Sloth’s Fire in the Booth. After two years of increased visibility, Wisdom readied his second full-length, 2018′s Wizville, which came with a feature-heavy track list — guests on the album included Method Man, Jehst, P Money, Rodney P, Roots Manuva, Chester P, and Dizzee Rascal. A mixtape, Big Talk, Vol. 1, arrived in 2019, followed in 2021 by fourth tape Stay Sane. ~ Liam Martin