Wiley was born Richard Kylea Cowie on 19 January 1979, in London, England. He has titled his sound "eski" or "Eskibeat" but is known for being the founding father of UK grime. Prior to starting his solo career, MC Wiley was a part of the groups Pay as U Go Cartel and Roll Deep Crew which he helped to form. He has had quite a few difficulties in his career, often struggling with the backbiting and politics that consumed the industry that he was a part of. At the age of 28 he announced his retirement from the industry, and let himself fade into the background.

Fortunately for his fans, he returned after a surprisingly short period of time but this time he was far enough from the spotlight to be able to look at the work objectively. His desire to build a new music scene has not ceased, but he is able to do things more solidly now that he has had a time to take a step back and look at the industry from the outside. The sound that he has been credited with starting has been related to battlefield surgery, mixing hardcore steely sound with the down and dirty.

Wiley has released five major albums in the past four years. Treddin' on Thin Ice was released on August 24, 2004. The album had something for everyone from the creator of grime. Next came the album Da 2nd Phaze in 2006, followed by Playtime is Over on September 18, 2007. Playtime gave the world some more great beats, and presented a solid sound to the masses. Most recently he has produced Grime Wave on May 12, 2008.