More Fire Crew
| Company type | Collective |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Headquarters | Waltham Forest , England |
| Products | Music singles and albums |
More Fire Crew is a grime collective originating from Waltham Forest, England, recognized for their 2002 hit single "Oi!" featuring Platinum 45. This track was groundbreaking as the first grime release to enter the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number eight.
Background
Ozzie B and Neeko first crossed paths during a sound engineering course; at that time, Neeko was affiliated with Mad Dog. They established More Fire Crew, a name inspired by a recent album from Jamaican dancehall artist Capleton. The group expanded with the addition of their school friend Lethal Bizzle and DJ Seani B, who was associated with Amy FM. They gained initial recognition by hosting a show on Deja Vu FM, one of London's leading pirate radio stations.
Their major breakthrough arrived with the 2002 release of "Oi!", which climbed to number eight on the UK Singles Chart, marking it as the pioneer grime track to achieve such success. The following year saw the release of their debut album, More Fire Crew CV, alongside their contribution to NME & War Child Presents 1 Love. This featured a production by Sticky that incorporated a sample from Gabrielle's "Dreams." However, 2003 also brought challenges as their record label dropped them; Lethal Bizzle responded by founding his own label and embarking on a prosperous solo path.
In 2004, Lethal Bizzle collaborated with Ozzie B and Neeko on the track "Pow! (Forward)", which reached number eleven in the UK despite facing bans in clubs due to its violent content. Disagreements between Lethal Bizzle and Neeko concerning this song ultimately led to the dissolution of More Fire Crew. Following this split, Lethal Bizzle and Ozzie B formed Fire Camp alongside other MCs such as 2Face and Knowl£dg£.
The track "Pow! (Forward)" later gained unofficial status as an anthem during the 2010 UK student protests against tuition fee hikes. The original lineup briefly reunited for a legacy performance at the GRM Daily Rated Awards in 2017.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Ozzie B, Neeko, and Sean Bartana revived More Fire Crew through Instagram Live sessions that featured guest appearances from artists like Maxwell D and Bruza. Their comeback single "Tek," released on 1 September 2021 via Rosebank, marked their return to independent music releases. Subsequent collaborations included "Timeless" (2022) with Maxwell D and Doller, followed by singles such as "Local" (2023) and "Rise & Bang" (2024) featuring Mr Kelly-King, released under Rhythm Rollers.
Current
- Neeko – MC
- Ozzie B – MC
- Sean Bartana (previously Seani B) – DJ
Former
- Lethal Bizzle – MC
- Commander B – DJ
- Gappy Ryder
- Twister
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK | ||
| 2003 | More Fire Crew C.V.
|
— |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | "Oi!" | 8 | More 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) |
— | ||||||||||||||||||||
| "—" indicates releases that did not chart or were not issued in that region | ||||||||||||||||||||||