Wiley sacks manager – then leaks his music

The supremely erratic but addictively bizarre grime artist Wiley has hit the news again this week.

On Wednesday he sacked his manager via Twitter, saying: ‘This is why I sack people cos they think they can do shit john woolf you are sacked forever’.

He later added: ‘I would rather not do a deal with that manager he lies day and night’.

In another diplomatic turn of events he later claimed his label, AATW, wanted to sack him. But he later retracted that, saying they ‘jus need to get the right deal across tho lol’.

Wiley has also announced he is leaving Boy Better Know due to friction with crew member Skepta.

Speaking on the phone to Lynnike and Sefa's grime show, Wiley talked more about the split with his manager, explaining that he did it via Twitter because the only other option was to ‘go to his house, kick down the door, and…’

Steady on.

In a quiet moment I suggest you listen to the full interview, because it certainly beats the crappy storyline EastEnders is currently rolling with.

In his break-up fury, Wiley has now decided to leak all his music for free on the net – and the grime forums are going mad for it.

Wiley adds: ‘Then I'm going to be quiet, but while I'm being quiet I'm actually not going to be quiet, I'm going to make new music but definitely hide it and not let a soul hear it until the day it's meant to come out.’

The free Wiley catalogue is apparently only available until the end of today. Check out Grime Forum for links.

JME and Tempa T 'CD is Dead' video

As grime videos go, this one's pretty cool.

JME and Tempa T released the video today for their collaboration 'CD is Dead', off JME's new album, 'Blam'. The track is available to download from 30 May.

Tottenham lad JME founded Boy Better Know crew, which includes his brother Skepta. They're a wicked act to watch on stage and have put out some phat tracks in the past including 'Too Many Man'. They've certainly upped their game since that video...

We need to talk about Wiley

I'm dedicating this extended blog post to east London grime artist Wiley. Not because I think he's great, but because I think he's, well, a bit weird.

Every interview I come across, he rants about another artist. He's well known for hating Lethal Bizzle. But who else is on his target list?

EXHIBIT A: an interview he did with Time Out magazine last year. He says: 'You know what, yeah? People think I'm mad. I understand why, but I'm not mad. I am actually quite sane... I'm tired of all the talking. I just want to make music.'

He then has a dig at Dizzee Rascal (nothing new there, then. But I'm definitely with Team Dizzee on this one - having known him for three years I can safely say he's a very nice chap indeed.) Wiley also throws in a dig at pop cutie Tinchy Stryder, bizarrely proclaiming: 'I am Tinchy Stryder. I literally am him.' Right.

EXHIBIT B: this hilarious video with my new buddy Nabil Abdul Rashid, a stand-up comedian who interviewed Willy, I mean Wiley, for his comedy sketch programme, The Sho Sho Show, on urban music broadcaster Channel AKA. Doesn't seem like Wiley's 'tired of all the talking' here, huh?



(If anyone can explain why he says his new name is Joe 91, please do. Frankly, I'm baffled.)

EXHIBIT C: Wiley vs J Weezy - an MC battle outside Iceland, no less. J Weezy clearly has some sort of hyperactive ADHD thing going on, and Wiley takes this opportunity to show off his amazing MCing skills. Sorry - did I say amazing? I meant turd.



EXHIBIT D: Wiley's track 'Never Be Your Woman' (the Herve mix is out at the end of the month.) It's a remix of the 1997 White Town original, and it's utter gash. It follows the Wiley formula of bragging about himself, his cars, etc etc. But why he's picked this vocal is beyond me - why can't Wiley ever be my woman? Gravity Skanker thinks the lady doth protest too much.

I'll end this piece with a fantastic retort by grime hotshot Skepta. Yes, you guessed it - he's been on the receiving end of Wiley's potty mouth, too. This is what Skepta, a north Londoner like myself, has to say in return:

Film it, rudebwoy

My producer friend Bruno, in his insatiable quest to keep me amused at work, has shared this hilarious link:


On a similar tip, the whole world (including Chase & Status) have been tweeting this video to grime artist Skepta. Check out the skates at the end - brilliant: