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On "No Qualms," Wiley gives it the posse cut treatment, drops a new verse, and is joined by his Boy Better Know brethren JME and Skepta. To complete the package, Eskibeat Recordings up 'n' comer Chipmunk spits out some tasty bars too. You've never heard so much blather about clothing outside of Roman Road market. One of the standout beats from the album, the Garms rhythm still has all bodies, however well dressed, moving on the dancefloor.

"Baby Girl" was from the other end of Playtime's spectrum--a moving and understated tribute to the new Eski-girl, Wiley's baby daughter. Here, the choruses are filled out by the London soul vocals of Eska, best known for her work with the likes of Ty and Cinematic Orchestra, but here adding warmth and bounce to this toddler tone poem.

With original versions completing the package, this new single once again strengthens Wiley's vice-like grip on the grime scene, while showing his ability to reach beyond it.

"If any one man could be said to have invented grime, it's Wiley." --NME

"Full of cocksure wit and confrontational assurance, glacial synth lines, and pummeling beats. Could signal the breakout record he's been trying to make for so long." --The Wire

"Has to be an ace. It's commercial without having to compromise and offers a way forward.... Always original, Wiley packs humor and truth into the mix-- props to the man." --Music Week

"The greatest grime artist around.... You'll miss him when he's gone." --Fact

Over the course of 15 tracks, Wiley boasts of his pre-eminence, tells stories of his life and background, reveals a sensitive side that won't surprise anyone who has met him, bigs up Bow and, in general, splatters his life and thoughts and feelings over beats in a way which hasn't been bettered in the short but incident-packed history of a scene whose mainstream acceptance is barely five years old. The majority of the music on Playtime Is Over is produced by the man himself, with occasional assistance from the likes of JME ('No Qualms') and Maniac (the aural assault of 'Bow E3').

The handful of guest MCs and vocalists on the album were equally carefully selected; one-time rival and rising star Scorcher lends his musical flow to 'Fly Boy,' Jukie Mundo's ultratight delivery rails over 'Stars' and the dulcet tones of Rachel provides the chorus to 'Come Lay With Me.' Rather than the "pop" experiments that were forced on Wiley while producing Roll Deep's In At The Deep End, here he revels in his ability to weld together screeching keyboards, elastic bass drops and pounding beats into instantly catchy, hugely more-ish bursts of noise. Right from the opening bars of '50/50' you know you're in for a treat.

Wiley is a true maverick who has recently announced that he will retire from MCing after the release of Playtime Is Over and, if this is true, the grime world will be an infinitely poorer place without the many stories and legends the man has inspired.

30-second MP3 excerpts:

50/50
Bow E3
Slippin'
Flyboy
Baby Girl
Gangsters
Stars
Letter 2 Dizzee
My Mistakes
No Qualms
Johnny Was A Bad Boy
Nothing About Me
Come Lay With Me
Getalong Gang
Eski-Boy
Playtime's Over

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