Wiley (rapper)
| Wiley | |
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Wiley, 2005
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Richard Cowie |
| Also known as |
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| Born | 19 January 1979 |
| Origin | Bow, East London, England |
| Genres | |
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| Years active | 1996-Present |
| Labels | CTA (2016-Present) Big Dada (2007-Present) Boy Better Know (2005-Present) XL (2004–2005) Asylum (2008–2009) Island (2009–2009) Virgin (2010–2010) Warner (2012–2014) |
| Associated acts | |
| Website | www |
Richard Cowie (born 19 January 1979), better known by his stage name Wiley and in his early career Wiley Kat, is an English rapper, songwriter, musician, record producer and DJ with Caribbean roots from Trinidad and Antigua, originating from Bow, East London. He first tasted success as a member of UK garage crew Pay As U Go, with whom he had a top 40 hit, "Champagne Dance" in 2001. In the early 2000s, he independently released a series of highly influential eskibeat instrumentals on white label vinyl, most notably the first in the series "Eskimo" and rose to fame as a grime MC both for his solo work and for material released with his crew Roll Deep.
Wiley has continued to make grime music while also releasing mainstream singles, such as the UK Singles Chart top 10 hits "Wearing My Rolex", "Never Be Your Woman" and his UK number-one "Heatwave". A key player in the creation of grime music and often called the Godfather of Grime, he is considered a pioneer in the English underground music scene with a prolific work rate and a versatile music artist with many crossover hits. It is reported that Wiley turned down £700,000 to appear in Celebrity Big Brother 2017.
As a teenager, Wiley featured on pirate radio stations such as Rinse FM and drum and bass stations. In 2000, Wiley went from SS Crew to join The Ladies Hit Squad, a garage crew with his college 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, DJ Geeneus and MCs Major Ace and Plague A Lero from Brown Brothers whom Wiley occasionally deejayed for. God's Gift from Deck Collecters Crew, Flow Dan and Riko Dan joined soon after. In 2002, the collective achieved a top 20 hit with "Champagne Dance". Wiley also received wide recognition in 2000 for his UK garage record "Nicole's Groove" which he produced under the stage name, Phaze One.
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