So Solid Crew

Partly because they're a large, loose collective of varied talents, the London-based So Solid Crew is often tagged the "Wu-Tang Clan of UK garage." In fact, their sound is a dense-but-accessible blend of garage, house, and hip-hop, with some ragga, R&B, and grime thrown in. They released their first album in 2001, but their ventures quickly expanded to include running two record labels of their own, hosting So Solid releases, and side projects by the many members. Various members' skirmishes with the law stirred up controversy but did little to damage the crew's impressive chart standings.