Wiley Accuses Ed Sheeran Of Appropriating Grime Music After He Collaborated With Stormzy

Ed Sheeran has proven he doesn’t stick within genre lines after his latest No. 6 Collaborations Project. The singer also recently teamed up with grime rapper Stormzy for the “Take Me Back To London” remix. While some saw his collaborations as displaying the ability to expand his horizons, others felt he was borrowing from other cultures in order to profit. U.K. grime rapper Wiley was a member of the latter. Wiley dragged Sheeran’s project on Stormzy’s Instagram and called the pop singer out in several since-deleted tweets.

Wiley expressed his disappointment in Sheeran while Stormzy came to the pop singer’s defense. “Oh sh*t so now Ed wanna do grime yeah f*ckin ell mate,” Wiley wrote on Stormzy’s post. Stormzy was quick to side with Sheeran, replying that the singer had been working with those in the grime scene for quite a while. “No Wiley, you know Ed been doing this from early, can’t question that,” he said. Wiley backtracked on his original comment, saying “this is not jealousy it’s more shock for me.”

Wiley went on to admit he might need to work on his maturity. “Don’t worry I guess I just need to grow up aye.” But he didn’t rest after his first few comments. After admitting he needed to grow up, the rapper came back to the same post to say Sheeran shouldn’t work with any more grime rappers. “No more grime for Ed I just spoke to the gods they said I’m not wrong,” he wrote. “Ed you[re] banned and I don’t wanna hear you on another grime beat ever again you don’t deserve it,” he added with his name as a signature.

Wiley went on to directly insult Sheeran and say the pop singer only collaborated with grime rappers for clout. “Ed Sheeran is not grime he don’t like grime, never has released grime, he just used grime artists to become known,” Wiley commented.

Stormzy wasn’t the only one to defend Sheeran against Wiley. Many on Twitter sided with the pop singer and called Wiley an “old man.”

Ed Sheeran has yet to make a statement about Wiley’s insults. But Sheeran isn’t usually one to speak up. He even opted to stay quiet during the Taylor Swift controversy with Scooter Braun, despite claiming to be her close friend.