"Oi!" is the debut single by

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

grime Grime may refer to: * Dirt, in the form of black, ingrained dust * Grime (music genre), a genre of music * ''Grime'' (album), a 2001 album by Iniquity * ''Grime'' (video game), a 2021 Metroidvania video game * "Grime", a 2022 song by Dallas Woo ...

group

More Fire Crew More Fire Crew is an East London-based English grime crew from Waltham Forest, whose 2002 single " Oi!" with Platinum 45 was widely recognised as the first grime song to reach the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number eight. Background While enr ...

, 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 garage songs to receive attention outside of London, peaking at number 8 on the official

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. 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!" ch ...

, 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 or a pirate radio station is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are received—especially w ...

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, but also incorporates elements from dance-pop, R&B, and jungle. It ...

sounds, incorporating heavy bass 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 (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of 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 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, "street c ...

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 garage songs to achieve mainstream success, entering the

in March 2002 and peaking at number 8 for the week of 16 March 2002.

Charts

References

{{reflist, e30m 2002 debut singles 2001 songs Grime music songs Songs written by Lethal Bizzle Go! Beat singles