2nd Verse

Looks like whatever didn’t kill So Solid Crew has only made them stronger. A couple of years back, when they achieved the kind of public enemy status not seen since the days of the Sex Pistols, the chances of them actually playing a gig – let alone making a second album – looked decidedly slim. Yet back they are and sounding mightily impressive with it.

From a cover that sees the crew posing in caps and gowns, holding graduation certificates instead of guns onwards, 2nd Verse is very much a contemplation of their tumultuous recent times – acknowledging both their rage and reflection. Mainstay Megaman aside, the high profile big hitters of last time around (Lisa Maffia, G-Man, Asher D, Romeo, Harvey) are either absent or make only brief appearances, yet this is much more than just a So Solid second eleven.

Musically they’ve raised their game an incredible amount, taking the rather amateurish garage stylings of their debut and fleshing them out with hip-hop and R&B beats, smoothing over a few of the rough edges. With tracks ranging from solo pieces to the ’21 Seconds’ style mob handers, it’s a surprisingly varied affair. ‘So Solid (Angry Beat)’ is full of fire, while ‘Colder’ and the insightful ‘Ghetto Anthem’ swing with a new found funk.

The sceptics might argue that for a group with such a troubled recent past to preach of increasing the peace is a touch hypocritical but, as that cover suggests, this has been something of a learning experience for all involved and – if they can turn some of their negatives into positives – we should be listening to what So Solid Crew have got to say.