SO SOLID CREW | | MC HARVEY
| So Solid with the South West |
The 'enfant terribles' of the Garage music scene - So Solid Crew have been making headlines since their first release. We take a look at one of the crew - MC Harvey. So Solid Crew are both the face of the urban Garage music scene and unlikely pop divas. The loose collective of around 30 artists, who perform together under the So Solid name, have risen from South London's underground clubs, radio stations and sound systems. They generate sensational headlines in the popular press with news of gun-toting and gang violence surrounding them.  | | Harvey and grandmother Norah relax in front of the TV |
But for one member of the crew, MC Harvey, his roots can be traced back, past the urban sprawl of South East London to the South West of England. Harvey is only 22 but he has already been a professional
footballer for Chelsea before MCing for the So Solid Crew. Now he is adored
by his teenage fans and has been voted the sexiest black man on earth.
Away from the limelight Harvey can often be found paying a visit to Plymouth with his fianc茅e, Alesha from Mis-Teeq, to see his grandmother Norah. In the 1950s Norah was waitressing in a cafe in Plymouth's Union Street when a young merchant seaman from Sierra Leone called in. Abu looked lonely - she felt sorry for him. Soon they were dating and in love.  | | Norah and Abu struggled against prejudice for 30 years |
Norah's father was against the multiracial relationship, but they married anyway, and had two children together in Plymouth. But prejudice made their life impossible. Abu found it hard to find work or somewhere to live. Norah was called names and spat on in the street. Eventually they moved to multiracial Tiger Bay in Wales and raised four more children, making six in total. The marriage lasted nearly 30 years, but when Abu and
Norah decided to split, Norah moved back to her beloved Devonport, bringing
with her daughter Jennifer. And Jennifer gave birth to Harvey or 'Junior'
as his grandmother calls him! | So Solid Facts | Harvey spent four years as a professional footballer with Chelsea The name So Solid was originally used by the group to promote Garage parties In August 2001, the band hit number one in the singles charts with '21 Seconds' The group have scooped both a MOBO Award for Best British Act and also a Brit Award for Best Video |
Harvey adores his grandmother. He and Alesha shunned
the limelight to spend this Christmas with her and the rest of his family
in Devonport. Sadly, Abu died four years ago and never got see his grandson's success. But Harvey says he believes Abu is watching over him. Of his gran he says, "She is a good woman and she deserves respect 'cos everyone who meets her thinks the same. I love her to death, man". Norah can hardly believe the positive legacy of her and Abu's struggle. She says; "to think that we, despite all the prejudices we went through, could produce a grandson who became famous. It's wonderful".
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听听Inside Out - South East: Monday
27th January, 2003