Target is continuing his stream of Tuesday night grime conversations with the OG’s of the game. He’s already chatted to Ghetts and Lethal Bizzle, and this week he’s got So Solid’s own Megaman.
It’s safe to say there would not be grime without garage. As a major player in the garage game, Megaman is an important part of our history. In the clip, Megaman breaks down the history of garage, the BRIT awards and how So Solid rose to nationwide notoriety.
Below are seven of GRM’s highlights from the clip, check them out then watch the full interview above.
He wanted to be a singer at first
Megaman explains that when his generation was starting out, producers were actually musicians. It was a time when all their parents were listening to jazz at home and they grew up “surrounded by music”. When he was younger he didn’t even think about rapping and thought he’d become a singer.
He would turn up to raves with dubplates and hand them to the DJ
When starting out, Megaman would turn up to the raves with his dub and hand it to the DJ who would play it there and then for the first time. He credits Neutrino and Big Kid as the DJs who would put him on. As Target say, “it’s like the equivalent of uploading to Youtube now”.
Neutrino actually made “Dilemma”
With the help of Big Kid.
He grew up in a strict household
He was never a bad yute and hated bullies. “I would still going church,” he explains, when talking about his strict upbringing – which people don’t necessarily realise.“I had to play outside the house! Because my Grandma said if I went any further I was getting beats.”
Going to jail broke his heart
Megaman was 17 when he went to jail, but he’s quick to clarify that “it wasn’t gang affiliated”. Instead, he was just doing what his Grandma and Dad had always instilled in him, “I have to defend my brothers and my cousins because my grandma told me.” Luckily he was found innocent and didn’t serve any time on that occasion. To this day he says he has “no violent criminal convictions”.
So Solid poured champagne on the floor to celebrate “21 Seconds”
Target remembers a night at Ayia Napa’s infamous Insomnia nightclub the week after “21 Seconds” hit the number one spot in the UK Charts. Apparently, there was “about 20 bottles of champagne getting opened and were poured them on the floor and [So Solid] were just gliding on the champagne.”
His iconic bowler hat was a road ting
Megaman says when he started making music he didn’t want to wear Moschino or Versace because that’s what everyone was wearing in the clubs. He felt like he needed something different to stand out. “I wanted a suit!” Instead he settled on his now trademark look – the bowler hat. However, as he explains, the hat had a deeper history. “The bowler hat was a certified gangster ting on road. If you were a certified yute… real dons wear a bowler hat”. The tradition refers to replicating the city businessmen as if “you’re about your business”.
Who knows what legend Target will have next week, but at the rate he’s going it’s definitely not going to be one to miss.