Wiley: ‘I wasn’t being racist’
WILEY has sparked uproar after making a series of race-related digs at fans of singer JAY SEAN.
The grime star recently claimed Jay, who had a No1 in America last year, did little to help the UK music scene.
Fans of the British Asian star objected to the observation making their disapproval known on Twitter.
And Wiley hit back at the criticism with a series of ill-judged posts on the micro-blogging site.
He wrote: “I will throw Bombay potatoes on you”, “Your mum makes a dodgy korma” and “I will slap off your dad's turban”.
And last night he tried to explain his comments to BBC Asian Network DJ BOBBY FRICTION’s.
He said he was engaging in "ethnic banter".
He went on: "What I said on Twitter was me talking back to 400,000 Jay Sean fans who are speaking to me.
"I'm a good-hearted person, you won't see me do anything to anyone before it's done to me.
"If someone says something to him, yes Wiley might get caught up in ethnic banter because Wiley will speak back as anyone else will speak back."
Asked to explain what he meant by “ethnic banter”, Wiley replied: "It's simple, I'm this race, you're that race, he's this race, he's this race,
we're all different races but we are one people.
"I'm not gonna sit here and pretend that I do not favour my race spiritually and unconditionally, without knowing, even. In spirit, who my race are, who my people are, obviously, I love them, I grew with them, that's who I am.
"So, if a Jay Sean fan comes and says 'well blah, blah, blah you blah, blah, blah' and I don't rise above it and interact with him or her, then
obviously I'm this race, they're that race.
"So, if you wanna say that, that means each race is naturally racist towards each other race without knowing."