So Solid Crew
| So Solid Crew | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Battersea, London, England |
| Genres | UK garage, grime, hardcore hip hop |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | Independiente Limited Relentless Records Ltd. |
| Members | Lisa Maffia Romeo Megaman[1] |
| Past members | Asher D Carl Morgan Oxide & Neutrino Harvey |
So Solid Crew are an English UK garage, grime and hip hop group originating from Battersea, London who achieved wide success in the early 2000s. The group consisted of a large number of members, the most notable being Lisa Maffia, Romeo and Harvey. They are generally credited with having paved the way for the current generation of crossover UK hip hop stars.[2]
Contents |
Members [edit]
So Solid Crew is a large group which has expanded from 19 initial members to 30. One of the drivers for their first big single, "21 Seconds", was to ensure each of the members's faces were shown to stop impersonation.[3] Oxide & Neutrino released singles before joining So Solid Crew. They released an album entitled Execute. Below is a list of confirmed members of the band.
Confirmed members [edit]
Background [edit]
Before breaking into the mainstream market, So Solid Crew were involved with many pirate radio stations in London, such as Supreme FM and Delight FM. It was at Delight where they made their name, occupying most of the Sunday schedule, the so-called "So Solid Sundays". From around lunchtime until 10pm, there were shows from different members, where the various So Solid Crew DJs would play 2-step garage tracks. At times the So Solid Crew emcees would rap on top of tracks for up to two hours each session. On Christmas Day in 2001, So Solid Crew performed their last Sunday show on the station.[8]
History [edit]
So Solid Crew's first album They Don't Know was released in October 2001, followed by a remix album entitled Fuck It in December 2001. Their hit singles include "Oh No (Sentimental Things)" and "21 Seconds", the latter reaching number one in the UK Singles Chart in August 2001. Another hit, "They Don't Know", reached number three in November 2001 and "Haters" got to number eight in January 2002. "Ride Wid Us" was less successful (UK number 19 in April 2002). They released a single, "Broken Silence" which spoke out about government prejudice which they felt they had faced.[9]
In 2002 they were the subject of the Channel 4 television documentary This Is So Solid directed and narrated by David Upshal,[10] later released on DVD by Universal along with a live performance. Members Michael Harvey, Romeo, and Lisa Maffia have all appeared on Channel 4 celebrity reality show The Games. Romeo and Harvey have also both appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in separate series, both in 2012, they both finished in sixth place in their respective series. The band's former producer, Carl Morgan, was convicted of murder in October 2005.[11] Group member Dwayne Vincent (Megama) was also accused but was found innocent after a retrial.[12]
Harvey has gone solo and is producing tracks such as "We Ride" with Doom Man, Swiss, JME & Skepta. So Solid Crew MC Asher D has gone on to have an acting career appearing in 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin', Bullet Boy and Life and Lyrics, while still making independent mixtapes and albums in the Grime and UK hiphop scene. Member Swiss released "Cry" featuring Sharifa. Trigger is now working with UK/US based producer Clyde Ward on his solo project JAX and features in UK based band The Fallen's debut album track "Maybe". Ward who also worked on the Production of 'Kevin Lyttle - Turn Me On' and 'Rupee - Tempted to touch' for Atlantic Records USA Produced an anti knife crime project in London with Megaman, Trigger and Joe Ward for the Junk label. In February the group announced it's 2013 tour.[13]
Discography [edit]
Studio [edit]
| Year | Album | UK Albums Chart[14] |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | They Don't Know | 6 |
| 2003 | 2nd Verse | 70 |
Compilation, Mixtape, Remix [edit]
- 2000 MC Harvey and DJ Swiss of So Solid Crew Present UK Garage Mafia
- 2001 Fuck It
- 2006 The Time Is Now
- 2006 Roll Deep Presents Grimey Vol. 1
- 2011 So Solid Lost Tapes (Garage) Vol. 1
- 2011 So Solid Lost Tapes (RNB) Vol. 2
Singles [edit]
| Year | Song | UK [14] |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | "Oh No (Sentimental Things)/Dilemma" | - | They Don't Know |
| 2001 | "21 Seconds" | 1 | |
| "They Don't Know" | 3 | ||
| "Haters" | 8 | ||
| 2002 | "Ride Wid Us" | 19 | |
| 2003 | "Broken Silence" | 9 | 2nd Verse |
| 2004 | "So Grimey" | 62 | |
| 2010 | "Since You Went Away" | 82 |
References [edit]
- ^ "SOLID GOLD; LISA MAFFIA IS BACK WITH SO SOLID CREW AND SAYS THEY ARE ALL OLDER AND WISER.". Daily Mirror. 15 January 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- ^ Ashley Walters interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' December 2012
- ^ a b c d e f g Barnes, Jake (19 October 2001). "Triple MOBO winners So Solid Crew are determined to make sure their fame lasts longer than 21 Seconds.". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- ^ "Rap producer jailed for shooting". BBC News. 28 October 2005. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- ^ "So Solid Crew: MC Harvey". BBC News. 27 January 2003. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- ^ a b "So Solid star jailed over gun". BBC News. 19 June 2003. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- ^ a b c d Lyle, Peter (27 July 2003). "MAFFIA HIT". The Independent. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- ^ Jamie Jackson. "A history of So Solid Crew | Music | Observer Music Monthly". Guardian. Retrieved 2013-02-12.
- ^ "So Solid: 'England needs us back". BBC. 20 January 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
- ^ Alexis Petridis. "So Solid Crew: the official version | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-02-12.
- ^ "News.bbc.co.uk". News.bbc.co.uk. 2005-10-28. Retrieved 2011-12-10.
- ^ "NME.com". NME.com. 2006-09-29. Retrieved 2011-12-10.
- ^ "So Solid Crew Tickets". NME. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
- ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 513. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
