His curly ginger locks are gone, replaced with a bald head and bushy beard. Months earlier, So Solid Crew, the amorphous garage group from Battersea, had emerged from pirate radio obscurity into the mainstream thanks to the relentless patter of their hit single 21 Seconds. Currently he is still involved in the entertainment industry and works as a music manager for ESG Management. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Blazin' Squad had six top 10 singles and a number one single, Kenzie has undergone a huge transformation, Marcel went on to star in 2017's edition of Love Island, Flava and Strider joined forces to write songs for artists such as Sam Smith and Leona Lewis, Freek has a tattoo of the date the band got their number one single Crossroads, Melo-d became a window fitter after the group split, Blazin Squad then & now Sam Foulkes (Spike E), Blazin Squad then & now Tom Beasley (DJ Tommy B), Despite their success, the group disbanded in 2006, Where Blazin Squad stars are now unrecognisable transformation to surprising career change & tattoo disaster, Olivia Attwood praises best pal Georgia Harrison as 'brave and dignified' after Stephen Bear jailed for sharing sex tape, Peter Andre reveals strict rule for daughter Princess's career after she teams up with fashion brand, Where cast of Flipper are now - from hilarious run-in with the Queen to Breaking Bad fame & star with 14 kids by 4 mums, Stephen Bears fiance Jessica Smith vows to stick with him 'through thick and thin' after shamed reality star is jailed, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Like his old pal Lee, Tommy also turned his back on the heady world of showbiz. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Members Flava, Plat'num, Strider, Freek, Krazy, Tommy-B, Melo-D, Spike-E, Reepa, and Kenzie all met at Higham Park School in Chingford, London where they bonded over a love of . Their comeback single 'Let's Start Again' peaked at No. Melo-d seems to be the member who's proudest of his Blazin' Squad roots, remaining a solid member of the band and appearing up and down the country at various reunion gigs for a bit of a 'Crossroads' sesh. The star has also dyed his natural dark locks peroxide blond and is rocking a nose and facial piercing. "Here 4 One" was issued as the third single from Now or Never in early 2004, peaking at #6 on the UK Singles Chart, but sales failed to be strong enough to warrant a third album deal. He still performs with the band when they get together for reunions and still lists himself as a member on his Instagram, but he's ditched the gelled hair and shaved eyebrows in favour of grown-out locks and stubble. "Its [sic] been a lot of fun & we're and looking forward to sharing what we've been working on for 2022. The album was released on 20 November 2003 in the United Kingdom, and peaked at #37 on the UK Albums Chart. He now has a. He also correctly tweeted that Wispa is the best chocolate bar on the market. "Flip Reverse" was subsequently used to re-launch Top of the Pops, with a special performance recorded outside the BBC Television Centre with 100 or so hooded back-up dancers. The UK pop charts had proved themselves ready for an influx of urban music, and East West Records, an imprint of Warner Music, snapped up teenage rap group Blazin' Squad a year earlier. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Reepa's spiked hair has now been replaced by luscious long locks instead. He and partner Bayley Hatson share a daughter. Actually known as Stuart Baker, the spiked hair has now been replaced with soft, brunette locks. In a complete Flip Reverse, Oliver Georgiou went into banking after the group disbanded. In 2005, Strider, Flava and Kenzie signed a record deal with Polydor records, and began recording an album under the name Friday Hill, named after a location in their hometown in Chingford. Admittedly, only half of them scraped the Top 40, but the group also landed seven Top 10 hits in three years. There's too many to tag but you know who you are. But thanks to the unexpected arrival of Marcel aka Rocky B on 2017's Love Island - and his constant need to subtly mention his prestigious musical past - the squad is back in our lives in a big way, and we've rediscovered the need to Flip Reverse things every now and again. After Blazin' Squad, they became the successful production duo Mojam. The ten members of 00s' boyband Blazin' Squad are living very different lives as it approaches the 20th anniversary of their debut single Crossroads topping the charts. While he's back to being close with the boys these days, he also previously performed as a solo act called The Lee Bailey Project, which is still visible on MySpace. At the end of 2021, they posted on the Mojam Instagram: "In a year full of ups and downs, somehow we had one of our best years to date. Jamie McKenzie is now a very sculpted personal trainer, Marcel Sommervile welcomed his first child earlier this year, Freek carried his love of music through to his work as a band manager, Strider now runs a successful songwriting company, James Murray ( pictured) and his old bandmate worked on Naughty Boy and Sam Smith's huge hit La La La, Sam Foulkes has partaken in a few Blazin' Squad reunions since they split, Chris now has platinum blond hair and works as an engineer, Lee Bailey has retreated from the limelight, DJ Tommy B: he's still working as DJ these days. In 2005 the Chingford lad came second on Celebrity Big Brother aged 19, and made headlines that same year when he began dating former glamour model Jodie Marsh, 43. Where are Emmerdale's missing Bartons now? Following the show, Marcel and Gabby were together for almost a year before announcing their split amid reports of infidelity on his part. Despite this, however, their debut album, In the Beginning achieved gold status in the UK and spawned two further top ten hits, "Love on the Line" and double A-side single, "Reminisce/Where the Story Ends". Family Life. Since then he has continued to appear on television and radio shows, including appearing on Celebrity Come Dine With Me last year. He is now dad to daughters Wynter and Wyllow, who he shares with his girlfriend of 10 years. 51 in the UK and basically ended it again. Back in 2002, the young lads dressed in matching white tops, sported blingy chains around their necks and didn't scrimp on the wet look gel to keep their spikes in place. The limited UK success of Crossroads, a number byUS hip-hop group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, gave them inspiration to do a loose cover. The former Squad member has also gone under the aliases Primetime Pro-Juice, Plat'num and Bezzle (to his friends) in recent years. Unlike many of his former bandmembers, Lee retreated from the limelight after Blazin' Squad ended. Arsenal fan Sam Foulkes now works in the import and export industry, while re-teaming with some of his bandmates for the odd Blazin' Squad show. Here, we've have taken a deeper dive into what the original Squad members have been up to over the past two decades. He has had quite the career change and now works in the import and export industry. They co-wrote and co-produced Sam Smith and Naughty Boy's tune 'La La La', and also worked on Jess Glynne's debut album. The boyband/hip-hop collective, made up of 10 fresh-faced teens, went straight in at No.1 with their debut single, a cover of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's Crossroads, exactly 20 years ago today (August 31). He now appears to have completely disappeared from the spotlight. Blazin' Squad's popularity had a brief resurgence in 2017 all thanks to Marcel's appearance in one of the most popular series of Love Island to date. It reached the top of the charts in August 2002, a year after So Solid Crew gained their Number One. Strider, Freek, Krazy, Tommy-B, Melo-D, Spike-E, Reepa, and Kenzie all met at Higham Park School in Chingford, London where they bonded over a love of hip-hop. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Even the BBC gave them one star for their debut album. He is now in a new relationship and welcomed his first child called Roman at the end of January. While he's back to being close with the boys these days, he also previously performed as a solo act called The Lee Bailey Project. However, after their showbiz careers stalled the Squad wound up on very different paths. After enjoying a close friendship with Flava (aka James Murray) in the band, they teamed up to form a song writing duo called Mojam after the group disbanded. But Blazin' Squad proved they weren't just a Noughties novelty act - producing a number one hit, six top 10 singles and two top 40 albums. Their album, entitled Times Like These, was also released in February 2006, but only peaked at #67 on the UK Albums Chart, and such, were soon dropped from their label.[8]. Reepa's spiked hair has now been replaced by luscious long locks instead. The Squad's Reepa tells Leigh Mytton all about it. Back in The Squad's glory days, Olivier got the date of his band's first number one and the date they signed their record contract on his arm. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. As well as becoming a household reality TV icon, Marcel Sommerville works as a producer and founder of an independent music label called Dmode. However, he's not given up on music altogether. BLAZIN' Squad are fondly remembered by nostalgic noughties pop fans. After the end of the group, he pursued a new career as a window fitter and is still close to his former bandmates. The rapper hilariously tried to keep his. The 31-year-old faced controversy after he allegedly cheated on Gaby Allen while the pair were on holiday together in Mexico. He is from England. Eating their greens? He. Viewers have been taking the Mickey out of him for constantly mentioning that he was in Blazin' Squad. Easily the most high-profile member of the band after their split, little Kenzie transformed into a beefcake after his stint on Celebrity Big Brother in 2005. Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Twitter account and you're all set. As well as becoming a music mogul writing tracks for the likes of Leona Lewis, Emeli Sande and Professor Green, Strider also now has a wife and a cute baby son too. She says that she feels strange when she sees teenage girls screaming over her son, but knows that he enjoys it! ), but we haven't heard a peep from them on the chart since 2009. After leaving the music industry and his zany nickname behind, Freek - better known as Oliver Georgiou - embarked on a career in corporate banking. The single fared slightly better than the previous single but could only peak at #51 on the UK Singles Chart. Answer: False. Oliver wanted to update a tattoo on his left bicep which depicted the date the band got their first number one song and the day they signed their record contract. We take a look at what the likes of Kenzie, Strider, Freek and Rocky B are up to now One of the most recognisable members of the group ( who could forget that gel-slicked hair ) baby-faced Kenzie went on to become a tabloid favourite after the band split thanks to his high profile romances. James Murray stayed close with his bandmate Mustafa Omer (Strider). Despite ditching the hair gel and growing a beard, the 36-year-old does not look too different from the group's heyday. He is reported to work in the import and export industry. Kenzie of Blazin Squad and model Jodie Marsh attend "FHM's 100 Sexiest Women In The World Party" hosted by the men's monthly magazine, at Umbaba on. Mostly, appear in "What happened to Blazin' Squad?" But, he is also a father to daughters Wynter and Wyllow with girlfriend Frankie Evans. Strictly's Karen Hauer teases future judging role, Creed 3 star talks building intimacy with co-star, EastEnders reveals big twist in Eve and Suki story, Emmerdale star shares future of Paddy's dark story, Sims 4 Growing Together 28% off in pre-order deal. These days, Kenzie, a dad to Wynter and Wyllow, is still active in the music industry and is a UK and International DJ according to his Instagram bio. The Crossroads hitmakers have announced a headline show at KOKO London on 26 November 2017 with seven members of the original line-up returning. While Melo-D real name Chris McKeckney has worked as a window fitter in recent years, he's also kept one foot in the music biz. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. Blazin' Squad's popularity had a brief resurgence in 2017 all thanks to Marcel's appearance in one of the most popular series of Love Island to date. These days Freek - aka Ollie Georgiou - is back in the music business but as a manager behind the scenes, along with the occasional nostalgic performance with the boys. His debut single "Crossroads" with the Blazin' Boys hit the #1 spot on the UK music charts when he was 15 years old. Kenzie has certainly grown up since his band days, Reepa has ditched his spikes since the '00s. Some members valiantly carried on, and with limited success. He got Blazin Squads first number one and the date they signed their record contract on his arm but after spending time with experts, the ink was updated to a more spectacular tribute to their efforts - complete with a smoking microphone. Twelve years on from his boy band adventure, Marcel Sommerville is taking part in the2017 series of Love Island. Lat year Marcel revealed vile trolls had targeted his son with cruel racist remarks. ", Well no, of course not. View our online Press Pack. Since the Squad broke up, he's also appeared with some of his old bandmates in nightclubs. Unlike many of his ex-bandmates, DJ Tommy has completely shunned the showbiz life. Artists including Professor Green and Leona Lewis have used their songs. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Melo-D is a member of the band, but 'Melody' isn't. Strider, Rocky B, and Krazy are all members. Blazin' Squad biography and history on AllMusic including birthday, best songs, existing and new album information, and more. Last month he revealed he and girlfriend Mia Marley are expecting a baby boy - a little brother for their British bulldog Dre. Marcel and Rebecca are set to share the details of the pregnancy and the birth in new MTV show Celebrity Bumps: Famous and Pregnant. Friendship goals. Having lived it large in the early 2000s with the boys, Tommy now prefers the quieter life and doesn't appear in the showbiz world much anymore. Before lockdown, Tommy worked as a DJ. Ten teenagers from Chingford who enjoyed a brief, but indeed blazing, time in the limelight in the early Noughties. With the facial hair and jawline structure came a very sensible and grown up job, too. Melo-D, or Chris McKeckney, still dabbles in the music biz, uploading rap tracks to his Soundcloud page. The tricky second album. Well, the 10 mates are all from London and they met at school. Confirming the reunion in August 2017, the band told fans: "We're back, and this year's gonna be ours.". As you may have noticed from the past and present picture comparison, Krazy literally looks exactly the same as he did back in the day, with his long blonde hair still in tact. When they started, they had an average age of 16 and were known by a string of ridiculous nicknames:Kenzie (James McKenzie), Freek (Oliver Georgiou), Melo-d (Chris McKeckney), Reepa (Stuart Baker), Krazy (Lee Bailey), Spike-e (Sam Foulkes), Flava (James Murray), Tommy-B (Tom Beasley), Plat'num (Marcel Sommerville)andStrider (Mustafa Omer). The 10-piece boyband from London went on to achieve seven Top 10 hits in various flip-reversed line-ups (remember the Friday Hill reboot circa 2005/2006? As you may have noticed from the past and present picture comparison, Krazy literally looks exactly the same as he did back in the day. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. The remaining few (Rocky-B, Reepa, Spike-E, Melo-D and MC Vyper, who had changed his alias from Danny-B), announced they would be reforming as Blazin' Squad in the summer of 2006. Stuart has now ditched the gelled hair and shaved eyebrows of his youth in favour of a grown-out locks and designer stubble. Flava is the second half of Mojam alongside Strider, and the pair are enjoying some serious success in the business. After recording a demo, "Standard Flow," at a nearby . He's now working as a BBC media manager, but does also still pop up at a reunion gig every so often. [3][4], For their official debut, the band released a cover of the Bone Thugs-N-Harmony song "Crossroads" for Warner Music's East West Records label. [5] The song was highly re-recorded and hardly contained any lyrics of the original. Poznali si w wieku 14 lat i od tamtej pory zaczli tworzy muzyk. The burning flame at the heart of Blazin' Squad continues to flicker, however. After the short-lived comeback in 2009, Freek known as Oliver Georgiou to family and friends founded his own music management company. Speaking to Manchester Evening News way back in 2004, Lee said he'd like to stay in the industry if the band ended. In July 2006, Rocky-B, Reepa, Spike-E and Melo-D made an announcement that they were going to reform as Blazin' Squad, and record and release a new album under Peach Records. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. What ever happened to the Blazin' Squad boys? He's also engaged though, so try not to let your early 2000s. Watch: Take a look around the Love Island villa in 2017. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. Hooray. A debut album In The Beginning was also a huge success and they went on to release a further six top ten hits. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. He is now married to Welsh-born wife, Zoe, and the pair are often seen jetting off abroad to exotic and mountainous locations. James appears to have ditched his infamous Blazin' Squad gold chain and diamond earrings for a more laidback look. Chris remains loyal to his roots as a Blazin' Squad original and still performs their songs at various reunion gigs. After Blazin' Squad's popularity dwindled, Strider and his best band pal Flava went on to form their own songwriting and production company. Ollie, or Freek as he was known in his Blazin' Squad days, embarked on a major career change after leaving the music industry and launched a career in corporate banking. And are they getting back together? He also worked as a window fitter after the band went their official separate ways. Lee has stayed away from the limelight since but judging by his social media posts, he has two sons and is also married. Is that Marcel, from Love Island? Cosmopolitan participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. After years away from the limelight, Marcel appeared on the third series of Love Island and came in fourth place with Gabby Allen. He's apparently working in the import/export industry now (similar to flipping/reversing) but still does the occasional gig with Blazin' Squad and has been showing his Team Marcel Love Island support online, too. The rapper hilariously tried to keep his time in the boyband a closely guarded secret, before choosing to disclose the revelation to fellow islanders one by one. Before Fame. Each portion of delicious takeaway buys a meal for someone in need - win-win! The optical illusion will leave you stumped as it's asking people to spot the ghost hiding inside the room. After their romance, Kenzie spilled the beans on their sex life saying: "Jodie definitely taught me a few things, being an older woman. They've had considerable success working on Sam Smith's hits 'La La La' and 'Like I Can', as well as songs for Emeli Sand and Naughty Boy. Its no surprise that Blazin Squads only DJ is still active in the music career as he still works as a DJ. The most office-based of the lot is Reepa,who works as a media manager at the BBC. He is still involved in the music industry, however, as he works as a DJ. Kenzie arrives at the UK Premiere of new animated film "Valiant" at the Odeon West End on March 20, 2005. He also still has those majestic eyebrows. Pop Idol judge Pete Waterman chokes up over death of friend Darius Campbell Danesh, Beatles' star Paul McCartney devastated as brother-in-law John Eastman dies. We've not heard much from Lee Bailey after his solo musical effort The Lee Bailey Project failed to take off. Heres what Wednesday Addams looks like now! In his Blazin' Squad days, it's fair to say Kenzie wasn't exactly hench - but he is now! Their break up turned bitter when he in turn accused her of cheating with Towie star Dan Osborne, a claim she's fiercelydenied. Another member of the band who has had a change in career is Sam Foulkes, aka Spike-E.