Wiley, a prominent figure in the grime music scene, has had his MBE revoked due to his actions being deemed detrimental to the integrity of the honours system. The Cabinet Office released a statement on their website informing of this decision.
In 2020, Richard Cowie, also known as Wiley, who is 45 years old, sparked controversy and anger when he made an antisemitic statement on social media. He claimed that there are two groups of people, the Jewish and the KKK, who have never been challenged. He also referred to Jewish people as “the Law” and stated that Israel belongs to them. He later apologized for making generalizations and acknowledged that his comments were made while in a disagreement with his Jewish manager at work. However, he did not retract his statements and denied being racist.
In the year 2021, a Twitter account was created under his name and shared content that was deemed antisemitic. This included a video titled “The Jewish faces that control hiphop and mainstream black music”. As a result, Twitter (now X) permanently suspended the account.
In addition, during that year, he was accused of assault and burglary for reportedly breaking into the residence of his friend and fellow kickboxer, Ali Jacko. The next year, authorities in the London borough of Newham issued a wanted poster for Cowie, claiming that he had not shown up for a scheduled court appearance related to the aforementioned incident.
Wiley received his MBE in 2017 and expressed, “It feels like achieving the school grade I had always wanted but never received, and now I have finally reached it.”
He gained recognition for his successful music career as a producer and rapper, receiving both commercial success and critical acclaim. He is known for pioneering grime as a unique form of British rap music. Cowie later expanded into other genres, achieving numerous Top 10 hits such as Wearing My Rolex, Reload, and the chart-topping single Heatwave. In 2019, he made a comeback with the release of the single Boasty, featuring collaborations with Idris Elba and other artists.
Source: theguardian.com
