With Grime becoming the Music of UK Culture we have been trying to get an interview with one of the OG’s in the game for a minute now after interviewing new gen artists and producers. 2016 is the year of the albums and as Kano, Giggs, Skepta and now Wretch 32 have all dropped their projects we are waiting on Stormzy and the Godfather of Grime himself, Wiley. Well out of the blue after responding to a tweet from Wiley, where the East London Grime veteran asked to be interviewed, we were lucky enough to get a one-off exclusive interview with him to talk everything from his new album ‘The Godfather”, His love for UK Drill Rap and his thoughts on UK’s Fashion in 2016.
After a lot of umming and erring on your part your 11th Album ‘The Godfather’ is coming, tell us what vibes we can expect from this project?
Okay, The vibes from each tune? Obviously it’s a Grime project like I listened to my first album before I made this one, cos its come round full circle type of thing, and the Grime that people like of me is what I’ve tried to give them, because in life there’s stuff they like of you and there’s stuff they don’t like of you. So I had to make sure that I gave them my sound and that is what I have done on this album.
In terms of features I’ve used my position in the game as an older man to call upon who is relevant to me and tried to keep the content real and about my life cos I go through stuff just like everyone else, the normal tings not just celebrity stuff, I don’t even like any of that shit!.
An album from Wiley in 2016 is like the icing on the cake for all Grime fans, will this expose you to a new audience and spawn a rebirth or will it cement your status and allow you to make other moves in the Industry?
Ahh Man! That’s a hard one bro, you know what yeah, I think releasing music is gambling, it’s the same as gambling. With this gamble that I’m about to take, I want people to listen to the album and then leave saying to themselves, “yeah he’s the Godfather”!
The Album is still a work in progress despite the track list being out, who isn’t on the Album yet that you feel should be other than Stormzy and Lady Leshur?
Errm I’ve got Leshurr now, and I’m gonna get Stormzy but you know what it is he is busy so when he gets a second I’m gonna go and sit with him and work that out. I need to get Devlin, and Lethal B, he was on it any way he just hadn’t sent his verse yet.
I was even gonna go out of Grime and try something different, cos you know this thing that the youts are doing the drill Music, 67, 150’s, 410’s, whoever is the producer of them riddims, they have created something, the beat is doing something different, they spit on it a certain way. It’s got a style bro, so I wanted to try and get something of that on there.
Having come a long way with your manager John Woolf what advice would you give to upcoming artists about choosing a manager?
Right, listen to this, if I could go back again I would have chosen one of my bredrins who was around me, who knows what to do. Generally yeah you just need someone that is on your team, its good to have a team man.
Do you think the independent music route used by Stormzy and Skepta in 2016 is the best route for everyone or do record labels still have their part to play?
Like independents is the best way, I started independent so I do understand but like the good thing about being independent is that you get all the money, that’s not the only thing, the good thing about being independent is you can still keep the rights or own the masters, all the little things that will benefit you in the longer run.
Over the past two years, online radio platforms such as Radar Radio & Rinse FM have massively helped to birth the new generation of Grime Artists. What do you think about the Mainstream Radio Channels?
I think its out of their hands now to be fair, obviously they still dictate what goes where and when in terms of playlisting but its nothing to do with them today its all about Youtube, spur of the moment, internet blogging. Like that yout Abracadabra with his “Robbery track” is that shit like me and Flowdan if we hear that we are jumping up and down cos we just love that, and that’s why the new drill scene is something to look at.
Eskimo Dance is another platform that has been instrumental in delivering an important outlet to the new generation of Grime artists, can you talk us through how you recruited your team?
At the beginning of Eskimo Dance, my team was made up of the guys who put on a show in Northwest London called ‘Mix it Up’ Ricky and Ingrid. One time I wanted to have a rave so I was like “Ricky I need to have a rave” so he took me to the venue and we started from there Eskimo Dance was born. That was the foundation team and then as time went on my bro Cheeky who does Audio Whore, he came to me and said “bruv you need to start up Eskimo Dance again, we need to bring it back”, we went to speak to the people at O2 and they let us have it.
Being a family man a business owner and a self-proclaimed studio rat how do you keep up to date with the culture and keep your new Music relevant?
My brother is one and internet, Link Up TV GRM Daily, SBTV and all the other ones, like there’s a couple of up north ones but mainly Youtube. Youtube has become like TV, the way to see things instantly. Anything you wanna know you can type it in.
Part Two Coming Soon….
Wiley’s Album ‘The Godfather’ is on its way and we are super excited, follow Wiley on Twitter at @WileyUpdates
Words: @Mr_TrappedMag
Photography: Ashley Verse
