UK rap pioneer OCEAN WISDOM stakes his claim with infectious cut "I EXIST"
Ocean Wisdom - I Exist (Official Video)
London-born rap talent Ocean Wisdom returns to the ether with his explosive new cut “I Exist” – released on Ocean’s own label Beyond Measure Records, distributed via Believe.
Sharp and dexterous from the offset, Ocean Wisdom’s artistic integrity is on full display across “I Exist”; a potent atmosphere laced with murky 808s and signature trap percussion produced by Splurgeboys (Flowdan, Ghetts, 67), the rising rapper reintroduces himself with vengeance and delivers lightning-fast flows shining with authority and menace. Flashes of Ocean’s sinister alter ego take control as he flexes on the affiliates around him: “Settle down boy, we tired of it. He ain’t the king, not while I exist” he pleads, determined to claim his spot as one of the most highly regarded emcees in the UK and beyond.
With Ocean’s Jamaican heritage nodding through his musical identity, the elusive rap icon has tapped into the creative energy surrounding him from an early age. Born in Camden exposed the young artist to many muses and influences across music, fashion and community; most notably his father who would guide him through classic 90s sounds.
Ocean quickly developed a serious technical passion for music creation and song writing, spending his adolescence studying rap legends from Eminem to Dizzee Rascal while gaining introspection from the adversities of inner-city life and the consistent pressures faced on the roads. This hunger for story-telling ultimately fuelled his breakout debut single “Walkin’” (10M+ streams) in 2015, earning him immediate attention across the landscape.
Signing to High Focus Records, Ocean then dropped his explosive hip-hop project Wizville, including his smash hit “Revvin’” featuring Dizzee Rascal which would gain over 30M streams and “Ting Dun” recruiting Wu-Tang Clan member and GRAMMY-winner Method Man – announcing Ocean as a breakthrough name on both sides of the Atlantic.
The rising star would later create his own label Beyond Measure Records, carving out new spaces that defy expectations for emerging rap talent in the UK. Releasing his mixtape Big Talk Vol. 1, Ocean continued to make his mark on the culture with rare, significant crossovers with some of the most serious rappers in the landscape in Freddie Gibbs, Ghetts and LD, alongside one of the most culturally resonant DJs in the world, Fatboy Slim. Continuing to develop Ocean’s diverse musical makeup, his debut album Stay Sane was unleashed in 2021, featuring further homegrown talent including Kojey Radical, Novelist, Maverick Sabre, Frankie Stew and Harvey Gunn –and an incendiary UK headline tour across iconic stages including O2 Forum Kentish Town.
Now re-emerging with a clear vision to re-establish himself as one of the UK’s true great rap lyricists, “I Exist” emerges as the start of a plethora of new music this year, and will undoubtedly bring attention to one of our most exciting and substantial homegrown artists.
OCEAN WISDOM press shot