More Fire Crew

Last updated

More Fire Crew
Origin Waltham Forest, London, England
Genres Grime
Years active
  • 2000–2005
  • 2021–present [1]
Labels
Members

More Fire Crew are an English grime crew from Waltham Forest, whose 2002 single "Oi!" with Platinum 45 was widely recognised as the first grime song to reach the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number eight and produced by Merlin.

Contents

Background

While enrolled on a sound engineering training programme, Ozzie B first met Neeko, who was at the time a member of an existing crew called Mad Dog. [2] Together, the pair established More Fire Crew, its name an homage to the album by Jamaican dancehall deejay Capleton which had been released shortly beforehand. The duo were soon joined by Lethal Bizzle, with whom they had attended secondary school, and their friend Seani B, who was a DJ on Amy FM. [2] They initially gained recognition as the hosts of a show on Deja Vu FM, one of London's biggest pirate radio stations at the time. [2]

The group are best known for their 2002 single "Oi!", which reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart, making it the first grime song to achieve chart success. [3] [1] In 2002, their debut studio album More Fire Crew CV was released, and they contributed a track to the album NME & War Child Presents 1 Love which samples Gabrielle's "Dreams" and produced by Sticky. [4] In the same year they were dropped by their record label, with Lethal setting up his own eponymous record label and going on to a successful solo career. [5]

In 2004, Bizzle enlisted in Ozzie B and Neeko among others to feature on his eight-bar rally track "Pow! (Forward)", with the group's three members credited as individuals rather than collectively. The song was another chart success for the trio, reaching number eleven in the UK, but was banned from many clubs at the time due to its controversially violent lyrics. However, a falling out between Lethal Bizzle and Neeko related to the song's lyrics culminated in the disbandment of the trio shortly after its release. [6] [2] Lethal Bizzle and Ozzie B formed a successor crew known as Fire Camp, alongside MCs such as 2Face, Knowl£dg£ and Clipson. [6]

"Pow! (Forward)" eventually went on to become what music journalist Dan Hancox described in a Guardian article as the "unofficial soundtrack" to the 2010 student protests against a rise in tuition fees. [7] Lethal Bizzle, Ozzie B and Neeko reunited for a one-off performance of "Oi" at the GRM Daily Rated Awards 2017, during a medley performed by Bizzle as the recipient of the Legacy Award. [8]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ozzie B, Neeko and Seani B reformed the group for a series of 'More Fire Show' sets streamed on Instagram Live alongside special guests including Pay As U Go's Maxwell D and Aftershock's Bruza. Their comeback single under the More Fire banner, a collaboration with Doller and Fumin entitled "Tek", was released on 1 September 2021 via independent label Rosebank. [1] They have since collaborated with Maxwell D and Doller on the 2022 single "Timeless", [9] and have released multiple singles via independent label Rhythm Rollers, including "Local" in 2023 and "Rise & Bang" in 2024. [10]

Members

Discography

Studio albums

YearAlbum detailsPeak chart positions
UK
2003More Fire Crew C.V.
  • Released: January 27, 2003
  • Label: Go Beat
—

Singles

YearSinglePeak chart positionsAlbum
UK
2002"Oi!"8More Fire Crew C.V.
2003"Back Then"45
"What's the Point?"—
2021"Tek"
(with Doller and Fumin)		——
2023"Local"—
2024"Rise & Bang"
(with Mr Kelly-King)		—
"—" denotes that the release failed to chart or was not released in that territory

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lethal Bizzle</span> British rapper (born 1984)

Maxwell Owusu Ansah, known by his stage name Lethal Bizzle, is a British rapper from Walthamstow, London, of Ghanaian origin. He emerged in 2002 as a grime MC as part of More Fire Crew, with their grime single "Oi!" charting in the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart. His debut solo single "Pow! (Forward)" attracted attention for its aggressive content, charting at number 11 despite being banned from airplay and clubs. Although known notably for his single releases, Lethal Bizzle released his debut studio album, Against All Oddz, in 2005, followed by Back to Bizznizz in 2007.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "More Fire Crew's Ozzie B & Neeko Make Big Return With "Tek" Featuring Doller And Fumin". GRM Daily . 1 September 2021. Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Ozzie B". 9 December 2006. Archived from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  3. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 378. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  4. ↑ "Various - NME & Warchild Presents 1 Love (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  5. ↑ Archived February 18, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  6. 1 2 "Lethal Bizzle | Rapnews.co.uk UK rap, grime and hiphop culture resource!". Rapnews.co.uk. 9 March 2007. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  7. ↑ Hancox, Dan (3 February 2011). "Pow!: anthem for kettled youth". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 14 September 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  8. ↑ Pereira, Seth (26 October 2017). "Rated Awards 2017: Lethal Bizzle reunites More Fire Crew for his Legacy peformance". GRM Daily .
  9. ↑ "Maxwell D has dropped the video for his huge link up with More Fire Crew and Doller - called Timeless". Grime Originals. 26 November 2022.
  10. ↑ "More Fire Crew". Rhythm Rollers. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "More Fire Crew .co.uk". 7 April 2005. Archived from the original on 7 April 2005. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
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