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Gather Round Kids, Here's Everything We Learned from That Epic New Wiley Interview

What's the greatest grime album of all time? Wiley has the answers.

Last week, Dizzee Rascal gave an in-depth interview to US radio show Sway in the Morning, which documented the scene from his perspective, and really deconstructed how his whole career has mapped out - from his Boy In Da Corner days, to his Calvin Harris and Ibiza era. It also turned into a bit of a grime history lesson for the American audience, and you can watch it right here.

Now, like clockwork, Wiley, the grime godfather, who usually gives less feature length filmed interviews than a snow leopard, has given one of his most in-depth ever to YouTube channel Not For The Radio. Throughout the chat he explores the avenues of his career, his disconnected relationship with Dizzee Rascal, which he puts down to Dizzee associating Wiley with the Ayia Napa incident (Dizzee was stabbed while performing in the Cypriot holiday town), the origins of grime, the best MCs, and pushing drugs. He even addresses the reputation he has for failing to turn up to shows and video shoots, reasoning that he’s had self-esteem issues with being infront of camera ever since he was stabbed in the face. There's some light and funny shit too, like when he admits that he sometimes bigged up MCs too much when they weren't ready for it, like Ice Kid: "Maybe I gassed him to space."

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Anyway, gather round children, because we've siphoned off some key learnings, and the whole interview can be watched at the bottom.

On the greatest grime albums: "I think Boy In Da Corner is a grime bible. I think Kano’s Home Sweet Home is a grime bible. Them two albums are our first two kids who were nang at sixteen or seventeen, before Chip and Ice and whoever else. Them two kids have steered our thing in the direction. I feel like Kano should have more success."

On the best grime MC ever: "It’s probably Kano or Devlin, of all time. Just for their MCing ability… [Devlin gets overlooked] because he’s so good."

On the first war he ever lost: "My first battle I lost, that in my spirit I knew I lost, was against Dirty Doogz, Commander B. It was me against Doogz and Titch. It was the first war, the realest one ever."

On how things would be if Crazy Titch wasn't in prison: "Had he avoided that, he would still be Crazy Titch. You know the kids that like hype and bad man ting? He would be their king. Not one of us. He was that type of MC, he was on that.”

On his brother Cadell beefing with Stormzy: "I just wish my brother wasn’t clashing him. I don’t know where he got the vibe to say, ‘I’m gonna clash Stormzy today.’ Why? People say I used to clash for nothing, but I never. I would only clash for reasons… It was never for no reason. So to come in the game and to send for someone who’s the top, it is a move, but I don’t want my brother to do it."

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On the Chip and Bugzy war: "The person who has benefited from it most is Bugzy. I didnt know who he was, and all of a sudden he’s got 5 million views on his thing, and he’s dropped an EP and it’s gone into the album charts. I ain’t got an EP in the album charts. It’s benefited Bugzy more than Chipmunk. But Chipmunk never lost no war. Weird one."

On the birth of grime: "Grime was birthed from garage. Heartless Crew (and So Solid) were the only ones in garage who spat bars over it similar to us. They were more like garage MCs with bars. If we did not listen to Heartless Crew and So Solid, would we have gone and done what we done? Maybe not. I spat bars, I was a jungle MC, I wasn’t a garage MC. When I heard Heartless I loved it… Them elements were early grime elements. They didn’t make no beat, I made Eskimo. But they spat over instrumentals."

On clashing Kano in 2004: "Kano won that. 100%. I’ve always said that. It’s cos I’m not a liar. I might lie to gal if I cheated but…"

On getting stabbed: "I’ve been stabbed lots of times. Twenty. It’s long, it’s long. Could be dead. I’ve been through enough, bro. The last one, the one in the face, it bothered me, but I had to pretend it doesn’t. I didn’t want to be in videos sometimes, I was like 'Rah, my scar.' So I felt that way."

On a book and film deal: "I have a book deal and I have a film. That is my main thing to show. I was with the film people just before today. I’ve watched every biopic, but the NWA has triggered me."

Watch the full interview below: