Back in 2017, grime legend Wiley, real name Richard Cowie, was awarded an MBE for his services to music, which he readily accepted while looking like needed to take a massive p1ss:
Sadly, seven years and a load of antisemitic comments later, Wiley has now been made to forfeit his MBE for ‘bringing the honours system into disrepute.’ Which I guess is what they call it when you compare the Jews to the Ku Klux Klan, amongst other things. Here are the sorts of things Wiley has Tweeted about Jewish people over the years:
It’s actually amazing they hadn’t come for his MBE already, especially considering Wiley claimed he didn’t care about the award back in 2020 when he was catching a lot of flak over these Tweets.
Wiley’s comments also saw him removed from Twitter and dropped from his management company, essentially c0cking up his whole career.
It seems you’ve got to be as talented or hilarious or powerful as Kanye West if you want to be an antisemitic musician and get away with it these days. Although has Kanye West ever been given an MBE or the American equivalent for his service to music? Exactly. At least Wiley still has the memories.
For the story on how Wiley and Dizzee Rascal fell out 20 years ago, click HERE.
