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20.07.12 MusicWeek 21
LEFT Life of Wiley: The grime pioneer’s career is more than a decade old
“Jamaica made me remember why I even do music. I was definitely re- inspired by it” WILEY
You’ve said if you could go back in time you’d rip people off to make some more money… Nah, I’m only joking. My heart’s really not like that, that’s why I didn’t do it… I’m really a nice person. Like, if I meet you and someone says: “Listen, if you two run down there, get that bag and bring it back and I’ll give you 500 grand,” I’d give you 250 - I’d split it. That’s what’s wrong with me. Everyone’s not like that. It’s fair, innit?
What’s your own business situation at the moment, you always seem to have several things going on at once… [Wiley refers to lists he’s already made] I’ve changed Eskibeat into Eskiclub. So we’ve got Eskimo Dance as one brand, Wiley as another brand – I gotta get that, make sure that’s lively. Eskibeat, Eskiclub, that’s same thing; A-list Music, Boy Better Know and Roll Deep. And Elusive Entertainment. I’ve got the next Eskimo Dance events coming up in August. We’ll have one in Dubai and one in Jamaica as well. This is stuff I should have been doing. I’ve just been lazy over the years, in some areas.
Are you in the Cooking Vinyl deal with Roll Deep? No. That’s why I’m doing this stuff now because I didn’t take part in that. Not that I should or shouldn’t have… Obviously I did work, helped my brothers to earn money so I’m happy for them in that case but I realised I need to work on my own things so I can get myself to where I need to get.
Have you heard the recent news that Lethal Bizzle has launched his own record label? Not really, what’s it called? [Stay Dench Records]. Ah, g’wan. I like Lethal B, he’s a good boy. He’s got a brain in his head, I like that.
What’s been the highlight of your varied music career so far? Wow, you know what has been really random, when I… I didn’t get let into America for the second time. What happened was [whispers] I played there and I didn’t pay tax one time. I got stopped from being able to go there in ’08/’09 and at that point I was like, “Shit man, where will I go?” I could have gone anywhere in the world,
wherever I would have gone and found a vibe I would have kept going there anyway. I thought “Let me just go to Jamaica”. The music I grew up on is all there. I was going mad. I just loved it, the vibe helped me make music again that I was meant to be
making. I was definitely re-inspired by it. It made me remember why I even do music. From that point, I’ve been on a path and now I’m there, I just need to keep going.
In 2010 you notoriously released the Zip Files [he leaked over 200 tracks of his own as free downloads after a label/management disagreement]… How do you feel about music piracy? You know what it is, I’ve come from nowhere. Just the fact I get paid a thousand pound or whatever… Money for music has become… it’s a joke. You can imagine, I couldn’t see it. I knew I could do music but I couldn’t see the money that you get paid until I got into it and started seeing it. I just think god bless the fact that I get paid to do music because I would have done any other job anyway – I was never gonna sit indoors. It didn’t even look bright for ages but as soon as I got three grand I was innn! [claps] As soon as Nicole’s Groove got signed... in, money, in.
Who’s the best industry executive you’ve ever worked with? The best A&R I’ve worked with in terms of giving me freedom no matter if I make a mistake or not is Big Dada’s Jamie Collinson. He just says, “You do it. You go away and it’s up to you.” That’s when you understand, “If I do and it ain’t good, then it’s me,” and you can’t moan. That’s how you improve, when you recognise your own stuff. He’s a good person in terms of me doing work, especially grime projects, he’s a strong element. He’s similar to Nick Huggett who used to work for XL who now works for Island, he’s a good person.
If there was one thing you could change about the industry what would it be and why? I wouldn’t change anything. I’d just make it even more cut-throat [to enter the industry] from this point. Tighten up everything, not give out deals to everyone… hahaha! Close the door like that [gestures] woom!
Cut-throat? Heatwave had better chart well then... In general, Heatwave can actually go Top 20 and I’m actually safe I believe. If it goes Top 20 it means I’ll be working on something that’s going to definitely go further. When I say cut-throat I mean toughening up the situation - not making things so easy.
COMING UP
Heatwave is out on July 29
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