Kelowna rapper Joel Critchley, known professionally as Mr. Wisdom, dropped new KB Kutz-directed visuals this past weekend in support of his high-energy single, “Art of War.”
The song – produced by Rekonsyle – appears on Wisdom’s self-titled album debut features Snak The Ripper, KXNG Crooked, Madchild, Leverage, Loyal T, Killimatic, Mac Million, BMoney Grenier, and Justincase. It was released independently on Feb. 25, 2018.
You can find “Art of War” and the Mr. Wisdom album on various digital streaming platforms including Apple Music, Spotify, and TIDAL.
You can find the video below along with the accompanying press release.
Mr. Wisdom drops KB Kutz-directed “Art of War” video
Joel Critchley, aka Mr. Wisdom, unlocked his superpower.
It’s his ability to strip society bare and root out it’s sinister motives. His revelations are blunt, honest and packed into the “Art of War,” the first video off his latest self-titled album, Mr. Wisdom.
Critchley’s insight was forged in the depths of personal tragedy.
He teetered on the edge that claimed three of his closest friends to drug overdoses, one in 2015 and two more within seven days of each other last year. They were swept away in an often ignored wave of Fentanyl fatalities that claimed more than 2,000 people in B.C. since 2017. At least 20 of which Joel knew personally. Men accounted for nearly 80% of those deaths.
Critchley used that sobering reality to reveal some of the hard truths he sees afflicting society.
“People are caught up in superficial things that aren’t real,” he lamented. “They aren’t focused on the real issues that go on in our world. People get shot and their first reaction is to pull out their phone. I don’t get it.”
It’s that self-absorbed inclination that Critchley sees as a symptom of humanity ripping itself apart at the edges.
“Somewhere along the way people lost what is important.”
A reformed alcoholic who spent five years lost in the opiate trenches, Critchley has seen the destruction at a base level.
And he’s harnessed the wisdom he earned and unleashed it with a torrent of lyrics that are as elegant as they are ruthless.
LOST IN THE ABYSS//
OF POVERTY AND PISS//
CONSCIOUS IN THE MYST//
THE APOCALYPSE A MYTH//
HELL IS HERE, MELTING TEARS,
WASHING OFF YOUR SINS//
REPLACING THEM , WITH SATAN’S GIFT//
TOXINS THAT WE SNIFF//
That snapshot from the “Art of War” lyrics have driven Critchley’s recent opus.
The process of recording the album changed him and his desire is for it to change others.
However, he warns we can only rely on ourselves to change our reality.
“I don’t look at the things the same. I realized the path I was on was the only path I could be on,” he said.
“You can change. It’s got to be solely for yourself.”
That change is now Critchley’s superpower.
“Music is my single most effective outlet for escaping my reality. It’s the rawest from of therapy for an artist. Without music, I truly don’t know how I would have made it through half of what I have.”
You can follow @TheRealMrWisdom on Instagram.
