Wiley

Wiley, a British MC and producer, originated the blend of U.K. garage and hip-hop that crystallized into grime at the start of the 2000s. Across later decades he stayed both widely admired and extraordinarily active, landing multiple entries on the U.K. pop charts while flooding the market with lauded albums and mixtapes. He first labeled his jagged, austere sound “eski” or “eskibeat,” later adopting the title “Godfather of Grime.” Early chart success arrived through garage collectives Pay as U Go Cartel and Roll Deep, after which he established himself as a solo act. A series of pioneering instrumental rhythms—issued on white-label 12-inch singles or offered as free downloads—led directly to his 2004 debut album Treddin’ on Thin Ice. From that point he moved fluidly between independent and major labels, delivering core grime projects such as 2007’s Playtime Is Over and the ongoing Tunnel Vision mixtape series, while also exploring brighter, dance-oriented material that occasionally produced major hits, among them 2008’s “Wearing My Rolex” and 2012’s number-one single “Heatwave.” He revisited his grime foundations with the Top-Ten-charting Godfather in 2017, followed by two sequels, and explored dancehall on 2020’s Boasty Gang – The Album.

Richard Cowie Jr. entered the world in East London in 1979. His father, a reggae musician, exposed him to early hip-hop and the drums; as a teenager he began DJing, rapping, and producing. Appearances on pirate radio and stints with various crews, including Pay as U Go Cartel, followed. He co-produced the 2000 garage track “Nicole’s Groove” by Phaze One, and Pay as U Go achieved a Top 20 hit with “Champagne Dance” in 2002. Equally important were the instrumental singles he released under the Wiley Kat name, all carrying cold-themed titles such as “Eskimo” and “Ice Rink,” which helped establish the template for grime.

Shortly before Pay as U Go dissolved in 2002, Wiley formed Roll Deep, whose ranks included Dizzee Rascal and Tinchy Stryder along with other MCs who later pursued notable solo paths. He signed with XL for the 2004 release of his first solo album Treddin’ on Thin Ice, one of grime’s earliest complete statements. Adopting the Eskiboy alias, he issued underground mixtapes on JME’s Boy Better Know imprint, among them 2006’s Da 2nd Phaze and multiple volumes of Tunnel Vision. Playtime Is Over (2007) marked the beginning of several full-lengths issued through Big Dada.

Following the independent Grime Wave, Wiley made a much-discussed commercial shift with his third studio album, See Clear Now, in 2008. The Asylum release carried a substantially larger budget and drew on production contributions from Mark Ronson, Arthur Baker, and others. Its buoyant single “Wearing My Rolex” climbed to number two on the U.K. singles chart. Less than a year later he returned to his own Eskibeat label with Race Against Time. A featured appearance on Naughty Boy’s 2010 single “Never Be Your Woman” again placed him inside the Top Ten. He broadened his reach further by launching the A-List imprint to nurture emerging talent and Elusive Entertainment, which put out Chill Out Zone (2011).

Wiley rejoined Big Dada for both 100% Publishing and Evolve or Be Extinct in 2011 and 2012, respectively. He re-entered the major-label sphere with The Ascent (Warner Music, 2013), previewed by the effervescent “Heatwave,” a U.K. number-one hit; three further singles from the project also reached the Top Ten. Life Is a Game of Snakes & Ladders (Big Dada, 2014), which contained the eskibeat throwback “On a Level,” proved far less commercially successful. Throughout the mid-2010s a steady stream of mixtapes, an EP, and assorted standalone tracks continued to surface.

After Snakes & Ladders, Wiley appeared to step back for a time. In 2016 he resurfaced emphatically, announcing his eleventh studio album Godfather, an autobiography, and a planned feature-length autobiographical film. Although Godfather endured repeated delays and was briefly canceled, it finally appeared in January 2017 and became his highest-charting release, peaking at number nine on the U.K. albums chart. Eskiboy, the autobiography, arrived the following November alongside the single “I Call the Shots,” featuring JME. At the start of 2018 Wiley received an MBE for services to music. Godfather II, featuring D Double E and Sinead Harnett among its guests, surfaced in April 2018. A run of singles throughout the year concluded with the grime-scene tribute “Raise Your Glass.”

One of those 2018 singles, the dancehall-tinged “Boasty” (originally featuring Mucky), was re-cut with Stefflon Don, Sean Paul, and Idris Elba and issued in January 2019. The track reached number 11 on the U.K. pop chart. A full dancehall/rap crossover album titled Full Circle, slated to include Future and Nicki Minaj, was announced but later abandoned amid rights disputes. A further charting single, “My One” (with Tory Lanez, Kranium, and Dappy), appeared before the project was shelved. Early in 2020 Wiley engaged in a public dispute with Stormzy, issuing three “Eediyat Skengman” diss tracks before the pair reconciled. Godfather 3, a grime album crowded with guest MCs, arrived in June 2020. Later that same month, timed to Windrush Day, he released the dancehall-influenced Boasty Gang – The Album, which contained a solo version of his 2019 hit.