Artwork by Take Me Back Pirate Radio Archives. Ricky D and Teebone had supported the Pay As You Go Cartel and Roll Deep signing their early productions to Solid City Records and pushing the early Grime sound, releasing tracks like: Terrible - Entourage Crew Featuring Wiley, Flowdan, Breeze and Bubbles (2001), Roll Deep Crew - Terrible (Teebone Remix),
Know We - Pay As U Go Kartel Featuring Wiley, Major Ace, Maxwell D & Gods Gift (2001), and many other presses.
Wiley had the grand idea of building bases on other platform all across London to popularise and familiarise London audiences with Roll Deep, their members and their music. In all honesty his plan worked. Roll Deep were doing sets on Raw Mission FM, Freeze FM, Deja Vu FM, Heat FM, Delight FM and many others pirates.
In 2003, UK Garage began to branch off and with it came the emergence of Grime and Dubstep, but nobody had a crystallised name for these new sounds and at raves and in record shops this music was still considered as UK Garage, but 2003 was a pivotal year in the transformation of the scene. Jon E Cash was calling his beats Sublo, Wiley was calling his beats Eskibeat. DJ Hatcha, Benga and the Big Apple Records crew started calling their sound Dubstep around 2003. DJ Zinc, Mark One, Darqwan (Oris Jay), DJ Hype, Zed Bias, Shimano & Wesley, Stanton Warriors, Beatfreaks, had their 138bmp beats classified as Breaks/Breakbeat. Producers like El-B, Roxy (RIP), Blaze and J Da Flex were still calling their music UK Garage. Skepta had recently emerged on the scene with his 'D.T.I' (Pirate Station Anthem). It was an interesting time where UK Garage had started flirting with Drum & Bass, Dancehall, Hip Hop and Breakbeat influences.
One thing was certain that UK Garage had taken a dark turn with new emerging producers and established producers contributing to the evolution of the sound: Wiley (Wiley Kat Records), Jon E Cash (Black Ops (L.D. Cats Records)), Youngstar/Musical Mob (DDJs Productions), Danny Weed (Roll Deep Recordings), Dizzee Rascal (Dirtee Stank Recordings), DJ Target (Dump Valve Recordings), DJ Wonder (Wonderland label), Terror Danjah (After Shock label), Skepta & PJam (Dice Recordings), DaVinChe (Paperchase Recordings), Alias (Tempo Records Incorporation), Geeneus (aka Wizzbit)(Rinse Recordings), Ruff Sqwad (Ruff Sqwad Recordings), Big$hot (Southside Recordings), DJ Eastwood (Black Majik Recordings), Jammer (Jah Mek The World Productions), DJ Tubby (Brain Dead Entertainment), Darqwan & Mark One (Texture Recordings), Sirus (Harry Lime label), Beatfreaks (Underground Artists label), J-Sweet (Sweet Beetz Recordings), Agent X (Heatseeker Recordings), El-B (Ghost label), Benny Ill/Horsepower (Tempa label / Vehicle label), Benga & Skream (Big Apple Records), Macabre Unit, Plasticman (Plastician) and others.
In 2003, Wiley dominated London record shops with his productions he overran their shelves with his releases which he pressed up and distributed himself cutting out the middle man, with productions like: Wiley Kat - The Morgue, Wiley ‎- Igloo, Wiley & Danny Weed ‎- Blue Rizla, Wiley Kat ‎- Ground Zero, Wiley Kat ‎- Ice Rink Vocal EP 2, Wiley & Danny Weed ‎- Thai Weed, Wiley Kat - Summer Jam / Temptation, Wiley Kat ‎- Eskimo 4 / Shanghai, Wiley Kat ‎- Bang Bang / Reasons, and other big tunes.
Grime had now adopted Dancehall music's influences of having an instrumental dub with many different vocal versions. We saw tunes like Wiley's 'Ice Rink' with several vocal versions of the same tune with different MCs over them like: Dizzee Rascal, All In One, Sharkey Major (Nasty Crew), Scratchy, Crazy Titch (Boyz In Da Hood), Durrty Doogz (Durrty Goodz), Riko Dan, Neeko (More Fire) & others. MCs started sending for one another. The culture of clashing and MCs recording 'War Dubs' became the norm. It was the making or the breaking of an MC. It changed the vibe and clubs did get a bit rowdy. Sadly, we can recall the days of many youths getting stabbed and even dying at events with venues like: Palace Pavilion, in Clapton Hackney closing down because of it. Clubs were refusing to play Garage and UKG nights were even banned from some venues. However people choose to see it, it was primarily symptomatic of social and economic issues in London and the UK, it wasn't because of music, the mood inner city had changed and there was more social problems and gang culture was on the rise.
That year the Wiley and Flowdan had split from the Pay As You Go Cartel continuing their Roll Deep Entourage crew with Breeze & Bubbles and recruiting the likes of Dizzee Rascal, J2K, MC Jamakabi, Tinchy Stryder, Dom P, Danny Weed, DJ Karnage, DJ Maximum, DJ Bionics, Pitbull, Manga, Scartchy, Roachee, Jet Li, Ricky Nek and in the years that followed also recruiting JME & Skepta (Meridian Crew), Riko Dan, Syer Barz (OT Crew). Towards the end of 2003 Dizzee Rascal would leave Roll Deep after he fell out with Wiley.
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