I’ve been meaning to jump on the RATKING bandwagon for a minute now, but for one reason or another, haven’t gotten my shit together. Now I have the perfect excuse. For the uninitiated, RATKING is made up of NYC teens Wiki, Sporting Life, Racerra and Hak. Last year, they released the Wiki93 EP and garnered a good amount of blog hype, inciting people to rave about their looking back to the future approach to New York hip hop. Soon enough, XL Recordings snapped up the crew and the EP was promptly removed from the internet. In the months since, the group has simmered quietly below the surface, and although little new music has been released, their profile has quickly grown. In November, XL will re-release Wiki93 in a remastered format. For a taste of the re-release, stream “Wikispeaks” below. Hyperbole is the norm when a new, seemingly prodigious hip hop group comes around, especially one from New York, but it’s hard not to indulge with these guys. Just read Wiki and Sporting Life’s interview with Complex from back in March. The dudes just ooze confidence and maturity and are clearly the master’s of their own universe. Anyways, I’m sure we’ll be hearing more from these guys come November and that a cavalcade of “overrated/underrated” arguments will then ensue. In the meantime, enjoy the music.