Wiley (GB)
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About
Also known as: Eskiboy, MC Wiley, Richard Cowie, Richard Kylea Cowie, Whiley, Wiley Kat, ワイリー
Called the Godfather of Grime for good reason, Wiley spent the early 2000s quietly reshaping UK music by releasing a string of eskibeat instrumentals on white label vinyl. Tracks like "Eskimo", "Avalanche" and "Ice Rink" laid the blueprint for an entire genre, and his crew Roll Deep, which at one point included Dizzee Rascal and Tinchy Stryder, became central to grime's rise. He had already notched a top 40 hit with UK garage outfit Pay As U Go before any of that took off. His commercial peak came with the UK number one "Heatwave" and top 10 hits "Wearing My Rolex" and "Never Be Your Woman", but Wiley never really stopped making grime on the side. His eleventh album Godfather landed at number nine on the UK Albums Chart, his best chart position ever, and picked up an Outstanding Contribution to Music nod from NME. Off the back of his real name Richard Kylea Cowie, he had been appointed MBE in 2018, though that honour was formally stripped from him in early 2024.
