#Rapper #Wiley #loses #royal #award #antiSemitic #statements #Music
By our entertainment editors
24 Feb 2024 at 10:59
British rapper Wiley has lost his royal decoration due to anti-Semitic statements he has made in the past. The artist had to hand in his award because he “discredited” the so-called ‘honors system’.
The news was announced on the UK Cabinet Office website.
The rapper, whose real name is Richard Cowie, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2017 for his commitment to music. But in 2020 he caused a stir with a series of anti-Semitic statements on social media. The 45-year-old artist apologized, but was later banned from Twitter (now X) and Instagram, among others.
Wiley is seen as one of the key figures in grime, a subgenre in electronic music. He is therefore nicknamed the Godfather of Grime. In the United Kingdom he scored several top 10 hits with songs such as Wearing My Rolex, Never Be Your Woman in Heatwave.
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