I dunno, to me Wiley generated so much good will from 2000-08 (Nicole's Groove through the end of Tunnel Vision) that even if he makes shitty pop records - it would be nice if they were better pop records (Ed fucking Sheeran? ugh), but hey - from now until the end of time it can't be overcome. I can't think of any producer besides RZA who can match his output, even w/lower quality control post-2005. and RZA, or Ye or Dre or whoever, was never half the MC he was, never simultaneous the best producer and at least in the argument for best MC (Goodz is the most lyrical, Dizzee made the best album, Trim prob has the best style, but for my $ Wiley at his best was the best). it's like RZA/GZA, or Ye/Jay, or Dre/Cube, rolled into one megalithic, unstoppable force. while trying to sort out my top 50 00s nuum list I spent the last couple weeks going through his whole back catalog again (I ain't listened a lot of it in yrs + yrs) and it's totally plausible, if you include PAUG and Roll Deep and stuff produced for other people, to construct a top 50 of just Wiley (well and Dizzee). that is crazy. I mean you can't say that for that the 90s. not for Goldie, or Remarc, or 4 Hero, or Grant Nelson, or whoever. for all they did not one owned that entire period like Wiley. I dunno. I'm probably not the best judge since I feel about Wiley's prime the way some people do about the Beatles, or MBV, but it's kind of unimaginable. so if he wants to chase the $ + celebrity (real celebrity, not king of grime celebrity), ok. plus, I find it amusing that like always he was on the cutting edge, even when it came to selling out