"Oi!" is the debut single by English
grime
Grime may refer to:
* Dirt, in the form of black, ingrained dust
Music
* Grime music, a genre of music
* ''Grime'' (album), a 2001 album by Iniquity
* "Grime", a 2023 song by Macklemore from ''Ben''
* "Grime", a 2024 song by Kittie from ''Fire
...
group
More Fire Crew, taken from their debut studio album ''More Fire Crew C.V.'' It was first released as a promotional single in 2001, and later released commercially on 4 March 2002.
"Oi!" became one of the first grime songs to receive attention outside of London, peaking at number 8 on the official
UK Singles Chart with over 80,000 sales in 2002. It also received widespread airplay on
Channel U after its launch in 2003, becoming one of the most well-known songs in its genre.
Background
After forming one of the first grime collectives in the early 2000s, childhood friends
Lethal Bizzle
Maxwell Owusu Ansah (born 14 September 1984), known by his stage name Lethal Bizzle, is a British rapper from Walthamstow, London, of Ghanaian origin. He emerged in 2002 as a grime MC as part of More Fire Crew, with their grime single "Oi!" c ...
, Ozzie B and Neeko quickly became one of the better-known acts in the emerging genre, thanks to their appearances on
pirate radio
Pirate radio is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license, whether an invalid license or no license at all. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are rec ...
stations, particularly Deja Vu FM, one of London's biggest pirate radio stations at the time.
They began working on their debut studio album and collaborated with producer
Platinum 45 on their debut single, "Oi!". The song takes influence from both the grime and
UK garage
UK garage, abbreviated as UKG, is a genre of electronic dance music which originated in England in the early to mid-1990s. The genre was most clearly inspired by garage house and jungle production methods, but also incorporates elements from ...
sounds, incorporating heavy
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Wood
* Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
and numerous elements of
garage music. Because of their relationship with Platinum 45, the song was released through some platforms as Platinum 45 featuring More Fire Crew.
Music video
An accompanying music video was included on the
CD single
A CD single is a single (music), music single in the form of a compact disc (CD). Originally the ''CD single'' standard (as defined in the Rainbow Books, Red Book) was an 8 cm (3-inch) "mini CD" (''CD3''); later on the term referred to any si ...
release as the 4th track, and shows More Fire Crew in a house party, with all three involved in different scenarios. Lethal Bizzle is standing outside of the apartment block where it is taking place, Ozzie B is inside the party surrounded by women on a couch, and Neeko is playing
craps
Craps is a dice game in which players gambling, bet on the outcomes of the roll of a pair of dice. Players can wager money against each other (playing "street craps") or against a bank ("casino craps"). Because it requires little equipment, " ...
on the roof. The video received a significant amount of airplay on the newly launched
Channel U throughout 2003, becoming one of the channel's most popular requests during its early years.
Track listing
*CD
#"Oi! (Original Mix)" – 4:33
#"Oi! (L Stone Remix)" – 4:45
#"Oi! (Instrumental Mix)" – 4:38
#"Oi! (Directors Cut)" (music video) – 4:38
*12"
:A1. "Oi! (Original)" – 4:33
:B1. "Oi! (Slim Ting Remix)" – 4:45
:B2. "Oi! (Instrumental)" – 4:38
*Cassette
#"Oi! (Radio Edit)" – 3:20
#"Oi! (L Stone Remix)" – 4:35
*CD (promo)
#"Oi! (Original Mix)" – 4:33
Chart performance
"Oi!" became one of the first ever grime songs to achieve mainstream success, entering the
UK Singles Chart in March 2002 and peaking at number 8 for the week of 16 March 2002.
Charts
References
{{reflist, e30m
2001 songs
2002 debut singles
Grime music songs
Songs written by Lethal Bizzle
Go! Beat singles