Wiley (musician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wiley (musician)
Wiley in 2011
Background information
Birth name	Richard Kylea Cowie Jr.
Born	(1979-01-19) 19 January 1979 (age 46) London, England
Genres	Hip hop grime UK garage drum and bass
Occupation(s)	MC songwriter DJ record producer
Years active	1994–present
Labels	XL (2004–2005) BBK (2005–2018) Big Dada (2007–2014) Asylum (2008) Island (2009) Virgin (2010) Warner (2012–2013) CTA (2015–2017) Wiley (2018–present)

Richard Kylea Cowie Jr. (born on January 19, 1979), is better known as Wiley. He is a British grime artist, songwriter, DJ, and music producer from Bow, London. People often call him the "Godfather of Grime" because of his big influence on the music style.

In the early 2000s, Wiley created many important instrumental tracks called "eskibeat." One of his most famous was "Eskimo." He is known for his solo music and for his work with his group, Roll Deep.

Wiley first became successful with the UK garage group Pay As U Go. They had a top 40 hit song called "Champagne Dance" in 2001. Wiley has continued to make grime music. He has also released popular songs like "Wearing My Rolex" and "Never Be Your Woman. His song "Heatwave" even reached number one in the UK.

His eleventh album, Godfather (2017), was his highest-charting album. It reached number nine on the UK Albums Chart. He also won an "Outstanding Contribution to Music" award from NME for this album. Wiley was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2018 for his services to music. However, in 2024, this honor was removed due to controversial comments he made in 2020.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Richard Kylea Cowie Jr. was born in Bow, East London, on January 19, 1979. His family has roots in Trinidad and Antigua. Wiley's father, Richard Cowie Senior, was a reggae artist in the 1980s. He introduced young Richard to early hip-hop groups like The Sugarhill Gang.

Wiley's interest in music started when his father taught him to play the drums. As a child, Wiley moved around London a lot with his father. When he was ten, he lived with his grandmother in Chatham, Kent for a year. He later moved back to Bow to live with his father at age eleven.

Wiley began his music journey as a DJ. He later started rapping and mixing garage music and drum and bass into his beats. This led to the creation of the first grime beats, like "Eskimo," which was released in 2002. He shared his music on pirate radio stations such as Rinse FM. Wiley first used the name DJ Wildchild. He later changed it to Wiley Kat, a nod to a Thundercats character, and then simply Wiley.

Wiley's Music Career Journey

Early Years and Group Success (1996–2003)

As a teenager, Wiley was often heard on pirate radio stations. In 2000, he joined The Ladies Hit Squad, a garage group. They had some success in the UK garage scene. Soon, they teamed up with another group, Pay As U Go, to form a "super crew." In 2002, this group had a top 20 hit song called "Champagne Dance." Wiley also gained recognition for his 2000 UK garage song "Nicole's Groove."

After Pay As U Go broke up, Wiley formed the Roll Deep group. This group included artists like Dizzee Rascal. They started to move away from traditional UK garage sounds. Eventually, they created a new type of music that became known as grime.

From 2001, Wiley began making instrumental songs on his own label, Wiley Kat Recordings. These included "Eskimo" and "Avalanche." These songs helped him get a solo record deal with XL Recordings.

First Albums and Grime Sound (2004–2007)

In 2004, Wiley released his first album, Treddin' on Thin Ice, with XL Recordings. Songs from this album included "Wot Do U Call It?". This song asked what name should be given to his new music style. Wiley used the Korg Triton synthesizer on "Wot Do U Call It?". This helped make the synthesizer a key part of grime music.

Wiley in 2005

During this time, Wiley sometimes called his music "eski," which was short for "eskibeat." He also released mixtapes under the name 'Eskiboy'. He explained that he chose these names because he liked winter. But mostly, it meant "cold in spirit." Many of his early songs were released under the name "Wiley Kat." This name came from a character in the cartoon Thundercats.

In 2006, Wiley released his second album, Da 2nd Phaze, through Boy Better Know. This album had 20 songs that Wiley had put together over three years.

His third album, Playtime is Over, came out in 2007. It was released on Big Dada Records and went back to his eskibeat roots. This album was released on the same day as Dizzee Rascal's album. It included a song called "Letter 2 Dizzee" that asked for an end to their disagreement.

Mainstream Success and New Directions (2008–2009)

In May 2008, Wiley had a big hit with the song "Wearing My Rolex". This song had a slower, house style beat. Some people in the grime scene were surprised because Wiley had said he would not change his sound for mainstream success. In the same month, Wiley released his fourth album, Grime Wave.

This was followed by his fifth album, See Clear Now, in October 2008. This album included popular songs like "Wearing My Rolex" and "Cash in My Pocket". See Clear Now moved Wiley more towards mainstream music. After this, Wiley left his record label, Asylum.

On his own label, Wiley released his sixth album, Race Against Time, in June 2009. This album gave him much more creative control. It included the hit song "Too Many Man" with Boy Better Know.

New Releases and Collaborations (2010–2011)

In 2010, Wiley shared over 200 old and unreleased songs for free on his Twitter page.

Wiley was featured on the Mark Ronson song "Record Collection" in 2010. This song was also part of the soundtrack for the video game FIFA 11.

In 2011, Wiley released Offload Volume 01 on iTunes. He also released an instrumental album called Run the Riddim Selecta. Wiley's seventh album, 100% Publishing, was released in June 2011. It reached number 76 on the UK Albums Chart.

In July 2011, Wiley released an independent EP called Chill Out Zone. He also released "Link Up," the first song from his eighth album, Evolve or Be Extinct.

Continued Albums and Number One Hit (2012–2013)

Wiley in 2012

In January 2012, Wiley released his eighth album, Evolve or Be Extinct, on his 33rd birthday. It reached number 86 on the UK Albums Chart. Wiley also started releasing grime freestyles for free on Twitter. These were later put together into mixtapes. This constant release of music caught the attention of the major record label Warner Music Group.

In June 2012, Wiley released his summer song "Heatwave," featuring Ms D. The music video quickly gained over 2 million views. On August 5, 2012, "Heatwave" reached number one on the UK Singles Chart. This was Wiley's first solo number one hit.

His next song, "Can You Hear Me (Ayayaya)," featuring Skepta and JME, was released in October 2012. The name of his next album was confirmed to be The Ascent in September 2012. The album had 16 songs.

In April 2013, Wiley announced he was leaving his record label, Warner. He was unhappy with their choice for his next song from The Ascent.

In October 2013, Wiley won "Best Male" at the MOBO Awards.

New Album and Collaborations (2014–2015)

Wiley started working on his tenth album, Snakes & Ladders, in 2013. The first song from the album, "Flyin," was released in August 2013. However, in February 2014, he decided to restart the album because he was not happy with it. He said it "needs to be epic or there's no point." The first song from the newly recorded album, "On A Level," was released in September 2014.

The Godfather Series and Boasty Gang (2016–2021)

In March 2016, Wiley announced his eleventh album, Godfather. The album was released on January 13, 2017. It reached number 9 on the UK Albums Chart, becoming his highest-charting album. In February 2017, Wiley received an "Outstanding Contribution to Music" award from NME for Godfather.

Later in 2017, Wiley announced his next album, Godfather II. The first song, "I Call the Shots" featuring Jme, was released in November 2017. The album came out in April 2018.

In January 2019, Wiley released "Boasty" featuring Idris Elba, Stefflon Don, and Sean Paul. This song became one of the biggest dancehall releases of the year.

Wiley then announced Godfather III. After some delays, the album was released in June 2020. In June 2020, Wiley also released his 14th album, Boasty Gang – The Album. This album included a solo version of his hit song, "Boasty".

Recent Music (2022–Present)

In August 2022, Wiley released his 15th album, Anti-Systemic, on all music platforms. This album was released independently. It also had a limited number of vinyl and CD copies. The album's artwork showed Wiley in a protest setting.

Music Groups and Labels

A-List Group

In February 2010, Wiley created a UK music group called A-List. This group included R&B singers Shola and Sadie Ama. It also featured grime artists like Wiley, J2K, and Brazen from Roll Deep. Other members included Mz. Bratt and Young Kye.

A-List released their first music video, "Midnight Lover," in March 2010. The song "Make My Own Money" was also featured.

Wiley's Record Labels

Wiley has worked with many record labels. In 2004, he started Eskibeat Recordings. His goal was to help young grime artists and release his own music. In 2010, Wiley founded A-List Records. He signed several artists to this label, including J2K and Ice-Kid.

In 2015, Wiley released an EP on his new record label, Chasing The Art Records. In 2016, Wiley and his manager signed a deal with Warner Music Group. This deal was for releasing Wiley's music and music from future artists on his label.

Wiley is currently signed to Big Dada and Boy Better Know. He also has a joint deal with Warner Music Group for his own music and Chasing the Arts records.

Wiley's Personal Life

Wiley has two daughters and one son. His younger half-brother, Cadell, is also a grime artist. Wiley supports the English football team Tottenham Hotspur. His stage name, Wiley, comes from the ThunderCats cartoon character 'Wiley Kat'.

Wiley's autobiography, Eskiboy, was published in November 2017.

Awards and Recognition

Wiley is often called the "Godfather of Grime" and the "King of Grime." Many other grime artists say that Wiley has been a big influence on their careers. He has created many albums and mixtapes for different labels. His early life in Bow, London, has often been a topic in his music.

He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2018 for his contributions to music. However, this honor was later removed in 2024.

Discography

Studio albums

• Treddin' on Thin Ice (2004)
• Da 2nd Phaze (2006)
• Playtime Is Over (2007)
• Grime Wave (2008)
• See Clear Now (2008)
• Race Against Time (2009)
• 100% Publishing (2011)
• Evolve or Be Extinct (2012)
• The Ascent (2013)
• Snakes & Ladders (2014)
• Godfather (2017)
• Godfather II (2018)
• The Godfather III (2020)
• Boasty Gang – The Album (2020)
• Anti-Systemic (2021)

Images for kids

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  Wiley performing in 2005