Wiley (a.k.a Eskiboy), real name Richard Kylea Cowie is a retired British rapper and active producer from Bow, East London.
He has made many releases, solo, and as part of groups, sometimes using aliases. Wiley has created his own musical genre, which he calls "Eski", and which is largely associated with the Grime genre. "Eskimo", from which the genre takes its name, is probably the best known Eski track. Wiley was also a founding member of the Roll Deep crew. They released their debut album "In At The Deep End" in 2005 which has been certified silver (60,000+ sales), with two singles making the UK Top 40. His debut album Treddin' On Thin Ice was released on XL Recordings, however he left XL and is now currently signed to Big Dada Recordings, where he is set to release his third album "Playtime Is Over" in 2007.
Wiley announced his retirement from the microphone on 22 January, 2007. In a statement released to RWDMag.com , he said "I’m retiring. I’m serious. I’m tired, really tired. I just want to be normal. I’m 28 and I’m tired. I’ve felt like it for ages but today I woke up and realised I can’t carry on because I’ve got responsibilities that are way beyond the grime scene." 'Playtime Is Over' will be his final solo release, and he will instead focus on production and setting up a label to bring through younger talent.