Image Text:

SOUTH LONDON CHAMPION: MC Megaman

BRITISH MC Megaman has praised Battersea for the “crazy talent” it boasts.

The founder of garage collective So Solid Crew, who hails from the area in south west London, says his hometown – and surrounding south London areas – have historically been known for spawning talented music artists.

“Battersea has got crazy talent and it’s got crazy business-minded people too,” Megaman told The Voice.

“Only a few years before So Solid came out, [British MC] Monie Love transcended to the States and blew up in hip-hop. She’s straight from Battersea.”

The MC, real name Dwayne Vincent, added: “And look at the soundsystem days, from Brixton right through to Battersea – Saxon Sound and all of them – I grew up in that.”

Crediting his area for providing the inspiration for his own vision of forming a successful music group, Megaman said he then shared his thoughts with his friends – fellow aspiring MCs – to see if they too would be interested in pursuing music success.

“My thing was: ‘Do I stay in the clubs [emceeing] or can I be on TV?’,” the 21 Seconds hitmaker said. “I pitched the idea to my friends to see if they were interested. Some were interested but some were skeptical, because it wasn’t something that seemed realistic to them.

PIONEERS: So Solid Crew

“So in the end, it was some of us – from Battersea – who soldiered it through and built the core of So Solid. Then, everybody else on the outside, from different areas of south London, were like: ‘There’s something nice going on there – I wanna be a part of that.’”

He added: “When we all came together, it was a blessing.”

Credited for launching the careers of the 30-plus members of Brit Award-winning So Solid, Megaman says that growing up in a large family meant he never had any reservations about managing a collective with such large numbers.

“I grew up in a house where all my aunties and uncles lived together. My mum and her sisters had kids when they were young and we all lived together in one house.

“So when we went to school, we had to look after each other. My cousin Kaish, my brother Swiss, we all looked after each other. So I always grew up with that mentality, group mentality – always sharing.”

Read the full exclusive interview with So Solid MCs Megaman and Harvey in the next issue of The Voice, out tomorrow (Sep 12)