Wiley

Richard Kylea Cowie Jr, MBE (born 19 January 1979), better known by his stage name Wiley, is an English grime artist and record producer from London.

He started his career as a member of UK garage group Pay As U Go. Working solo he produced several influential beats, including some of the first grime beats. Wiley soon became one of the first grime MCs to achieve mainstream success, earning the name Godfather of Grime. In 2018 Wiley was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

1996-2003: Early Career
Wiley began his career on pirate radio stations and Drum and Bass stations, joining UK garage group The Ladies Hit Squad in 2000. After achieving some success they joined with rival group Pay As U Go to form a garage super crew, eventually achieving a top 20 hit. After the group disbanded, Wiley formed another group, Roll Deep, which included Dizzee Rascal. Together they moved away from UK garage to form a new sound that would eventually become grime. From 2001, Wiley began producing instrumentals through his own record label, Wiley Kat Recordings, gaining a solo deal with XL Recordings.

2004-07: Treddin' on Thin Ice, Da 2nd Phaze and Playtime Is Over
In 2004, Wiley released his debut album Treddin' on Thin Ice drawing comparisons with former labelmate Dizzee Rascal who had achieved success the previous year with ''Boy in Da Corner. ''At this time Wiley termed the new genre 'Eski' and released under the name Eskiboy. In 2006 he released his second album Da 2nd Phase through Boy Better Know. In 2007 he released his third album Playtime Is Over.

2008-09: Grime Wave, See Clear Now and Race Against Time
In 2008 Wiley received mainstream success with the song "Wearing My Rolex". The song caused unrest in the grime scene as it moved towards a more radio friendly sound despite Wiley stating he would never change his sound to receive mainstream success. However, in the same month Wiley released Grime Wave which was a more traditional grime sound. In October 2008 he released See Clear Now which included "Wearing My Rolex" and was a much more mainstream friendly album. Wiley has since disowned the album, claiming he was angry at his label for changing his sound. This caused him to leave his label and become independent where he released Race Against Time, having more control over his artistic direction.

2010-11: Zip Files, iTunes Offload and 100% Publishing
In 2010 Wiley released 11 Zip files on Twitter containing 200 tracks of old and unreleased music. In 2011 he released Offload Volume 1 on iTunes as well as an instrumental album ''Run The Riddim Selecta. In June 2011 he released the album 100% Publishing. The next month he released an independent EP Chill Out Zone.''

2012-13: Evolve or Be Extinct and The Ascent
In January 2012 he released the album ''Evolve or Be Extinct. He also began releasing grime freestyles for free on Twitter, eventually compiled into the mixtape It's All Fun and Games Till Vol. 1. ''In June he released the single "Heatwave" which charted at number 1 in the UK, his first to do so. In April 2013 he released the album'' The Ascent. ''

2014-Present: Snakes & Ladders and Godfather series
In November 2014 Wiley released his tenth studio album Snakes & Ladders, announcing it would be his last. However in 2016 he changed his mind, announcing the album Godfather which was released in January 2017 charting at number 9 in the UK, his highest. In April 2018 he released another album ''Godfather II. ''