GODFATHER OF GRIME
Real Name: Richard Kylea Cowie
Also Known As: Wiley Kat & Eskiboy
Stage Name: Wiley
Born: 19th January 1979
Music since: 1994 - Present
To grime artists and fans, Wiley — real name Richard Kylea Cowie — is a legend. But it took him over a decade to accept his pivotal role in the creation of the genre.
Wiley's vision saw him stripping the generic melodies and sickly harmonies out of Garage music and developing the Drums and Basslines. For a while there was no name for the genre he did more than anyone to create, but eventually the label "GRIME" was the one that stuck.
In 2002, Wiley founded his own crew, Roll Deep, who would quickly become the leading lights of the new scene as it morphed into what would become known as "GRIME".