Alex Wiley • Village Party II
Alex Wiley has been dropping bread crumbs over the last several months leading up to the release of his long awaited and highly anticipated follow up to 2014's "Village Party". Wiley's year has been anything but predictable following his split from Closed Sessions and a move to Los Angeles. With Village Party 2: Heaven's Gate out and being consumed for the second time as I type, its clear that Wiley's approach to music has remained unchanged. The lineup looks a little different, but Wiley continues to keep his list of contributors short, leaning heavily on fellow Village member Calez for several feature verses and some production credits as well. Also along for the ride are Emil (formerly known as Fonz-E Mak), Hippie Sabotage, Twista, Chance The Rapper and others.
From "Open" to close, Village Party 2: Heaven's Gate takes listeners on a journey through Wiley's recent trials and tribulations, pairing every verse with a sonically pleasing instrumental. Alex Wiley's choice of instrumentals on this project mirror those of his past, but there's nothing repetitive about this album. While Wiley has found his sound, he as a young artist continues to grow and deliver honest content along the way. The record may have dropped on Friday, put this a great Sunday listen.