Wiley (rapper)
Encyclopedia
Richard Kylea Cowie better known by his stage name
Wiley is a prolific British
music producer, MC and recording artist, and rapper with roots from Trinidad. He is also credited as the original founder of grime
, and has been active in the fields of jungle
, drum & bass and UK garage
music.
crew with his school friends DJ Target and MC Maxwell D. They achieved some success on the UK Garage
scene and soon decided to combine with rival crew Pay As U Go to become a 'super crew' containing members of Ladies Hit Squad, as well as DJ Slimzee and MC's Major Ace and Plague. God's Gift, Flow Dan and Riko joined soon after. In 2002 the collective achieved a top 40 hit "Champagne Dance"
After Pay As U Go disbanded Wiley went on to form the Roll Deep
collective, which included Dizzee Rascal
and Tinchy Stryder
. They moved away from a traditional UK Garage sound, and eventually found themselves creating music that would be termed grime
.
From 2001 onwards, Wiley began producing instrumental singles on his WileyKitKat Record label. The most famous ones are the "Eskimo", "Avalanche" and "Ice's Rink". These led to a solo record deal with XL Recordings
.
on XL Recordings
. Singles from the album include, 'Wot Do U Call It ?', a record questioning what name should be given to his music, and 'Pies'. Many reviews, including that by Pitchfork Media
, made comparisons between Wiley and his previous labelmate Dizzee Rascal
, who had achieved success with Boy in Da Corner
the previous year. Alexis Petridis
of The Guardian
noted the "comically polarised" fanbase Wiley had accrued; "At one extreme, its sonic experimentation has attracted the kind of people who run music blogs... [where] lengthy essays are posted on issues as the differentiation between Humean and Kantian views of motivation in the lyrics of Bonnie Prince Billy. At the other extreme, it is favoured by inner-city teens who appear to communicate entirely in an impenetrable mix of street slang
and patois
."
During this period, Wiley occasionally referred to his music as 'Eski', short for 'Eskibeat' – the name he initially gave to grime. Also, Wiley released mixtapes under the name 'Eskiboy'. He explained his choice of name for his music and the continuing theme in his song and album titles such as Treddin' on Thin Ice
, partly because he likes the wintertime, but mainly meaning cold in spirit. Wiley was quoted in conjunction with his cold theme:
, were released under the alias "Wiley Kat", this name was derived from a character in the cartoon Thundercats
. However, the 'Kat' is never officially used by Wiley anymore, only being mentioned loosely in some of his songs.
In 2006, Wiley released his second album Da 2nd Phaze on the Boy Better Know label. The album consists of 20 tracks that have been put together by Wiley from the past three years, including exclusive bonus tracks from Gods Gift, Alex Mills and More Fire Crew, which is believed to signal the end of the Wiley-Lethal feud.
This was followed in by Wiley's third album Playtime is Over
on Big Dada Records, an album which followed his eskibeat roots. Wiley's Eskibeat and solo material is managed by the Perpetuity Music Group. The album was released on the same day as Dizzee Rascal's third album Maths + English and includes a track "Letter 2 Dizzee" which calls for the end of the Wiley-Dizzee feud.
". People saw this as him selling out. The instrumentation (such as the slower, house
style beat and lack of sub bass) caused some unrest within the Grime
scene, as Wiley had previously vowed that he would never change his origin
to break into the mainstream. In the same month, Wiley released his fourth album entitled Grime Wave, which was described by The Times
as a "very pre-Rolex album. With its roots firmly based in the harsh, bass-heavy rhythms of the scene". This album was followed by See Clear Now, in October 2008 which included the mainstream hits "Wearing My Rolex", "Cash In My Pocket
" and "Summertime". This album took Wiley in a mainstream direction. Despite its success, Wiley has disowned the album as he was "very angry" with the label, Asylum
, about the production and also unhappy about his management at the time. Wiley left the label
Now on his own label, Wiley went on to make another album, Race Against Time
. This was released eight months after his previous album in June 2009, on Eskibeat Recordings where he had much more creative control. The album includes the 2009 hit "Too Many Man", featuring Boy Better Know
.
In 2010 Wiley released 11 Zip Files for free download on his Twitter page, containing over 200 tracks of old and unreleased music, including tracks from the forthcoming album 'The Elusive'.
On 4 March 2011, Wiley released "Offload Volume 01" on iTunes
. It did not get a physical release and it was partially slated by fans for containing some tracks which had already been released for free on the Zip Files. The album contained many songs that featured Wiley's crew A-List as well as the track "Yo Riley", which had received some airplay beforehand. On 6 March 2011, Wiley released a song called "Bright Lights", which features Giggs and Juelz Santana
. On 9 March 2011, Wiley released an instrumental album entitled "Run The Riddim Selecta". "Offload Volume 01", "Bright Lights" and "Run The Riddim Selecta" were all released on Launchpad Records
. Wiley's highly anticipated album "100% Publishing" released on June 20, 2011 on the record label Big Dada
. The album charted in UK Albums Chart
at number 76.
On 8 July 2011, Wiley released a independent EP for digital download titled "Chill Out Zone
". Singles from the EP, "Seduction" and "If I Could
" were released in May 2011. Wiley has already announced his eighth studio album Evolve Or Be Excinct is due to be released on 19 January 2012.
On 25 July 2011 Wiley released the radio edit of "Link Up" on iTunes
, which is the first single from his 8th studio album "Evolve Or Be Excinct" due to be release on 19 January 2012. "Link Up" is produced by Wiley's new protege and highly rated Producer Nana Rogues and the official "Link Up" single is due to be released in September 2011.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Wiley is a prolific British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
music producer, MC and recording artist, and rapper with roots from Trinidad. He is also credited as the original founder of grime
Grime (music)
Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...
, and has been active in the fields of jungle
Oldschool jungle
Jungle is a genre of electronic music that incorporates influences from genres including breakbeat hardcore, and reggae/dub/dancehall. There is debate as to whether jungle is a separate genre from drum and bass as many use the terms interchangeably...
, drum & bass and UK garage
UK garage
UK garage is a genre of electronic dance music originating from the United Kingdom in the early-1990s. UK garage is a descendant of house music which originated in Chicago and New York, United States. UK garage usually features a distinctive syncopated 4/4 percussive rhythm with 'shuffling'...
music.
2000-2003: Early Years
In 2000, Wiley joined with "The Hit Squad" a garageUK garage
UK garage is a genre of electronic dance music originating from the United Kingdom in the early-1990s. UK garage is a descendant of house music which originated in Chicago and New York, United States. UK garage usually features a distinctive syncopated 4/4 percussive rhythm with 'shuffling'...
crew with his school friends DJ Target and MC Maxwell D. They achieved some success on the UK Garage
UK garage
UK garage is a genre of electronic dance music originating from the United Kingdom in the early-1990s. UK garage is a descendant of house music which originated in Chicago and New York, United States. UK garage usually features a distinctive syncopated 4/4 percussive rhythm with 'shuffling'...
scene and soon decided to combine with rival crew Pay As U Go to become a 'super crew' containing members of Ladies Hit Squad, as well as DJ Slimzee and MC's Major Ace and Plague. God's Gift, Flow Dan and Riko joined soon after. In 2002 the collective achieved a top 40 hit "Champagne Dance"
After Pay As U Go disbanded Wiley went on to form the Roll Deep
Roll Deep
Roll Deep are an Urban Music Awards-winning London-based grime music collective. They were founded in 2002, by a group of MCs including Wiley. Roll Deep were also closely associated with Boy Better Know with members in both. Their debut album, In at the Deep End, was released in June 2005...
collective, which included Dizzee Rascal
Dizzee Rascal
Dylan Kwabena Mills , better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garage, hip hop, grime, ragga, pop and electronic music, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles...
and Tinchy Stryder
Tinchy Stryder
Kwasi Danquah III , better known by his pseudonyms Tinchy Stryder and Star In The Hood, is a Ghanaian British recording artist, music executive, A&R executive, and businessman...
. They moved away from a traditional UK Garage sound, and eventually found themselves creating music that would be termed grime
Grime (music)
Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...
.
From 2001 onwards, Wiley began producing instrumental singles on his WileyKitKat Record label. The most famous ones are the "Eskimo", "Avalanche" and "Ice's Rink". These led to a solo record deal with XL Recordings
XL Recordings
XL Recordings is a British independent record label owned by Richard Russell. It originated as a 1989 offshoot of Beggars Banquet Records.Though only releasing an average of six albums a year, XL Recordings has worked with The Prodigy, Radiohead, The White Stripes, Dizzee Rascal, M.I.A., Vampire...
.
2004-2007: Solo Success
In 2004, Wiley released his debut album, Treddin' on Thin IceTreddin' On Thin Ice
-Certifications:...
on XL Recordings
XL Recordings
XL Recordings is a British independent record label owned by Richard Russell. It originated as a 1989 offshoot of Beggars Banquet Records.Though only releasing an average of six albums a year, XL Recordings has worked with The Prodigy, Radiohead, The White Stripes, Dizzee Rascal, M.I.A., Vampire...
. Singles from the album include, 'Wot Do U Call It ?', a record questioning what name should be given to his music, and 'Pies'. Many reviews, including that by Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
, made comparisons between Wiley and his previous labelmate Dizzee Rascal
Dizzee Rascal
Dylan Kwabena Mills , better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garage, hip hop, grime, ragga, pop and electronic music, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles...
, who had achieved success with Boy in Da Corner
Boy in Da Corner
Boy in da Corner is the debut album of British grime MC Dizzee Rascal, released on 21 July 2003 by XL Recordings in the United Kingdom and Matador Records in the United States...
the previous year. Alexis Petridis
Alexis Petridis
Alexis Petridis is a British journalist, head rock and pop critic for UK newspaper The Guardian, as well as a regular and contributor to the magazine GQ.Petridis began his career writing for Varsity whilst a student at the University of Cambridge...
of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
noted the "comically polarised" fanbase Wiley had accrued; "At one extreme, its sonic experimentation has attracted the kind of people who run music blogs... [where] lengthy essays are posted on issues as the differentiation between Humean and Kantian views of motivation in the lyrics of Bonnie Prince Billy. At the other extreme, it is favoured by inner-city teens who appear to communicate entirely in an impenetrable mix of street slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
and patois
Patois
Patois is any language that is considered nonstandard, although the term is not formally defined in linguistics. It can refer to pidgins, creoles, dialects, and other forms of native or local speech, but not commonly to jargon or slang, which are vocabulary-based forms of cant...
."
During this period, Wiley occasionally referred to his music as 'Eski', short for 'Eskibeat' – the name he initially gave to grime. Also, Wiley released mixtapes under the name 'Eskiboy'. He explained his choice of name for his music and the continuing theme in his song and album titles such as Treddin' on Thin Ice
Treddin' On Thin Ice
-Certifications:...
, partly because he likes the wintertime, but mainly meaning cold in spirit. Wiley was quoted in conjunction with his cold theme:
Many of Wiley's early vinyl releases, such as 'Eskimo'
"Sometimes I just feel cold hearted. I felt cold at that time, towards my family, towards everyone. That's why I used those names"
Eskimo (grime beat)
Eskimo is an instrumental Grime beat by the East London producer and MC Wiley, first released on 12" vinyl in 2002.It is widely believed within the Grime music community that 'Eskimo', and the tracks by Wiley that followed it that year, pioneered the Grime style of music, and as a consequence to...
, were released under the alias "Wiley Kat", this name was derived from a character in the cartoon Thundercats
ThunderCats
ThunderCats is an American animated television series that was produced by Rankin/Bass Productions debuting in 1984, based on the characters created by Tobin "Ted" Wolf. The series follows the adventures of a group of cat-like humanoid aliens...
. However, the 'Kat' is never officially used by Wiley anymore, only being mentioned loosely in some of his songs.
In 2006, Wiley released his second album Da 2nd Phaze on the Boy Better Know label. The album consists of 20 tracks that have been put together by Wiley from the past three years, including exclusive bonus tracks from Gods Gift, Alex Mills and More Fire Crew, which is believed to signal the end of the Wiley-Lethal feud.
This was followed in by Wiley's third album Playtime is Over
Playtime Is Over (Wiley album)
-Charts:-External links:*...
on Big Dada Records, an album which followed his eskibeat roots. Wiley's Eskibeat and solo material is managed by the Perpetuity Music Group. The album was released on the same day as Dizzee Rascal's third album Maths + English and includes a track "Letter 2 Dizzee" which calls for the end of the Wiley-Dizzee feud.
2008-2011: Recent Work
In May 2008, Wiley found mainstream chart success with the hit single, "Wearing My RolexWearing My Rolex
"Wearing My Rolex" is a 2008 single from British grime artist Wiley who is a founding member of the Roll Deep Crew. Described as "grime-meets-electro" on Radio 1XTRA, the song samples DSK's song "What Would We Do" and was released on 5 May 2008 by Asylum/Atlantic Records...
". People saw this as him selling out. The instrumentation (such as the slower, house
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
style beat and lack of sub bass) caused some unrest within the Grime
Grime (music)
Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...
scene, as Wiley had previously vowed that he would never change his origin
Selling out
"Selling out" is the compromising of integrity, morality, or principles in exchange for money or "success" . It is commonly associated with attempts to tailor material to a mainstream audience...
to break into the mainstream. In the same month, Wiley released his fourth album entitled Grime Wave, which was described by The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
as a "very pre-Rolex album. With its roots firmly based in the harsh, bass-heavy rhythms of the scene". This album was followed by See Clear Now, in October 2008 which included the mainstream hits "Wearing My Rolex", "Cash In My Pocket
Cash in My Pocket
"Cash in My Pocket"is a 2008 single from British rapper Wiley, which features guest vocals from Daniel Merriweather and was produced by Mark Ronson.- Reviews :...
" and "Summertime". This album took Wiley in a mainstream direction. Despite its success, Wiley has disowned the album as he was "very angry" with the label, Asylum
Asylum Records
Asylum Records is an American record label founded in 1971 by David Geffen, and partner Elliot Roberts, who had previously worked as agents at the William Morris Agency. Founded specifically to provide a record contract for Jackson Browne, the label signed Tom Waits, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell...
, about the production and also unhappy about his management at the time. Wiley left the label
Now on his own label, Wiley went on to make another album, Race Against Time
Race Against Time (album)
Race Against Time is the sixth studio album released by Wiley on Eskibeat Recordings on June 8, 2009. It is in contrast to his previous album released, See Clear Now, in that it returns to the grimier roots of his earlier work. It includes the single "Too Many Man" featuring Boy Better Know, also...
. This was released eight months after his previous album in June 2009, on Eskibeat Recordings where he had much more creative control. The album includes the 2009 hit "Too Many Man", featuring Boy Better Know
Boy Better Know
-History:The band and label were established by Jamie Adenuga "Boy Better Know" is a registered trademark, clothing line and Boy Better Know sim cards....
.
In 2010 Wiley released 11 Zip Files for free download on his Twitter page, containing over 200 tracks of old and unreleased music, including tracks from the forthcoming album 'The Elusive'.
On 4 March 2011, Wiley released "Offload Volume 01" on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. It did not get a physical release and it was partially slated by fans for containing some tracks which had already been released for free on the Zip Files. The album contained many songs that featured Wiley's crew A-List as well as the track "Yo Riley", which had received some airplay beforehand. On 6 March 2011, Wiley released a song called "Bright Lights", which features Giggs and Juelz Santana
Juelz Santana
LaRon Louis James , better known by his stage name Juelz Santana, is an American rapper, producer, and actor. He appeared on Cam'ron's 2002 singles, "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma"...
. On 9 March 2011, Wiley released an instrumental album entitled "Run The Riddim Selecta". "Offload Volume 01", "Bright Lights" and "Run The Riddim Selecta" were all released on Launchpad Records
Launchpad Records
Launchpad Records are a record label which specalise in Grime music. The label's first release was with Wiley in 2010.-Wiley:Launchpad's first ever releases, were two of Wiley's grime singles given to the label by the artist in order to help start business.Wiley singles released by Launchpad# The...
. Wiley's highly anticipated album "100% Publishing" released on June 20, 2011 on the record label Big Dada
Big Dada
Big Dada Recordings is the Hip Hop imprint of London-based independent record label, Ninja Tune. It is best known for being the home of prominent British hip hop artist Roots Manuva. It was started by reputed hip hop journalist Will Ashon in February 1997...
. The album charted in UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
at number 76.
On 8 July 2011, Wiley released a independent EP for digital download titled "Chill Out Zone
Chill Out Zone (album)
Chill Out Zone was the up and coming eighth studio album by UK grime artist Wiley. However the album was released independently by Wiley on 12 July 2011 for digital download as an EP.-Background and Development:...
". Singles from the EP, "Seduction" and "If I Could
If I Could (song)
"If I Could" is a single by UK grime artist Wiley featuring Ed Sheeran It is the second single released from his album Chill Out Zone It was released on 15 May 2011 as a Digital download.- Music video :The music video was uploaded to YouTube on 1 May 2011...
" were released in May 2011. Wiley has already announced his eighth studio album Evolve Or Be Excinct is due to be released on 19 January 2012.
On 25 July 2011 Wiley released the radio edit of "Link Up" on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
, which is the first single from his 8th studio album "Evolve Or Be Excinct" due to be release on 19 January 2012. "Link Up" is produced by Wiley's new protege and highly rated Producer Nana Rogues and the official "Link Up" single is due to be released in September 2011.
Discography
Albums- 2004: Treddin' on Thin IceTreddin' On Thin Ice-Certifications:...
- 2006: Da 2nd Phaze
- 2007: Playtime Is OverPlaytime Is Over (Wiley album)-Charts:-External links:*...
- 2008: Grime Wave
- 2008: See Clear Now
- 2009: Race Against TimeRace Against Time (album)Race Against Time is the sixth studio album released by Wiley on Eskibeat Recordings on June 8, 2009. It is in contrast to his previous album released, See Clear Now, in that it returns to the grimier roots of his earlier work. It includes the single "Too Many Man" featuring Boy Better Know, also...
- 2011: 100% Publishing
- 2011: Chill Out ZoneChill Out Zone (album)Chill Out Zone was the up and coming eighth studio album by UK grime artist Wiley. However the album was released independently by Wiley on 12 July 2011 for digital download as an EP.-Background and Development:...
- 2012: Evolve Or Be ExtinctEvolve Or Be ExtinctEvolve or Be Extinct is the eighth studio album by Wiley. The album is due for release by Big Dada on January 19, 2012.The album is the follow up to his 2011 album, 100% Publishing. The first single from the album, "Link Up" was released July 25, 2011. The second single, "Boom Blast" will be...