So Solid Crew: Being the only woman gave me what I needed – Lisa Maffia

For many growing up, Lisa Maffia was the very picture of a strong, independent Black woman. 

Often flanked by the male-dominated grime collective So Solid Crew with members such as Ashley Walters, Romeo and Megaman, Lisa stood out as the only woman in the group but also one who could absolutely hold her own.

Last year was the 20th anniversary of So Solid’s breakout – the year was 2001 and their hit single 21 Seconds was everywhere whether being played every hour, on the hour, on radio stations or causing an excitable frenzy in nightclubs whenever those familiar opening bars dropped.

For young millennials in inner cities such as London and Birmingham, So Solid became the first Black British heroes for the new generation and their legacy remains cemented.

Lisa was in the centre of it all, enjoying fame both as a member of So Solid and later a solo artist.

As we come to the end of Black History Month in the UK, Metro takes a walk back in time with the woman herself.

So Solid Crew had an incredible run, what about that time in particular stands out to you? 

21 years of 21 Seconds! I think that’s the most difficult question I think I’ve been asked because there’s too many memories. I just remember that we were part of a genre that was British, everything about it belonged to us and we even managed to make our own So Solid sound.

I just remember being quite proud of ourselves that we managed to have the public believe in the music we created and that was a phenomenal feeling.

What was it like being the only woman in the crew?

It was awesome because I didn’t aspire to be a musician, I had just loved music so when I got the chance to become a musician it was all quite a shock to the system because I was actually doing this as a singer and I’m actually getting paid for it, this is mad.

I feel like being the only woman gave me what I needed to become a musician because the boys looked after me, they nurtured me. Girls can be a little more b****y and a little more sensitive about things but guys are more straight up and down the line so I learnt how to become a musician and a businesswoman from being in So Solid Crew.

You all came into money very quickly at such a young age, did you have any expensive splurges? 

Babe, of course I did! At one point I had three cars on my drive and just me [laughs]. I don’t know why I did that. I wanted every car there was. I think because I was around boys and boys are into their cars, I was such a tomboy that I fell in love with things that usually the male species kind of like.

I had lots of cars, jewellery and lots of things but I was very smart and invested in property so that’s what saved me.

A lot of celebrities say they wish they were given money management lessons after suddenly acquiring all this money… 

That’s one thing we didn’t ever get taught. We were kids coming into this and millionaires at such a young age that we wasn’t helped to manage in that way, and I think personally we wasn’t managed by our culture, we were managed by richer people of other race and they didn’t understand our upbringing and what we had not come from.

A lot of my family – I’m Italian and Black so I’ve got two sides of the coin, I’ve got a predominantly white-looking family and then my Black side as well, so with me, my grandma had a mortgage but she was the only one who did, my Black side, no one had a mortgage or knew how to invest well, they were from more deprived areas so I didn’t learn these things and I was being brought into this industry by people of other races that didn’t look nothing like me, so I feel I wasn’t coached and nurtured the same way perhaps I would have been if it were by someone who was successful and Black because they would have understood my upbringing and where I had come from.

I was just a girl from Brixton doing my thing with my boys but really with all that money I could have invested a lot smarter and bigger before I wasted all them thousands – because I really did. I wasted a lot of money but I also had a lot of fun [laughs].

21 Seconds truly took on a life of its own and reached number one on the UK charts, how did you deal with the song’s popularity? 

It’s going to sound crazy but I actually didn’t realize how famous I was because I was actually doing it. You’re so busy and in-demand by all these people but fans you only get to see when you step out onto stage. We didn’t have internet and social media handles like we do now so we didn’t see our fans growing daily.

I think myself and the rest of So Solid probably would have been on eight or nine million followers on social media if we had it the day we started. I didn’t realize until we went on stage how much people loved our record.

The only other thing that told us our records were liked was our chart position but other than that, there wasn’t actually much to tell that you were famous so I took it in my stride because we were so busy being taken to radio station to school tours to magazine shoots, all the things to promote us, but it wasn’t sit back and watch your climb of YouTube views. We had to do all those other things… before we could see our success.

The only other time I felt it was when I used to go shop or drop my daughter to school, it became impossible because kids would mob us on the way.

I also wanted to protect her a little because I didn’t want her to be constantly reminded that her mum was famous, so I kind of used to stay away a little.

I didn’t confront it until I was quite late in my career.

Were there any other women in the industry that you became good friends with and could rely on amid the whirlwind of fame? 

Not really rely on because I’m quite independent so I stood on my own, I can hold my own weight.

I did grow attached to different [singers] and they’re like my sisters. That would be Shola Ama, Kele Le Roc, Ms Dynamite, Sue-Elise from Mystique, Mutya Buena, probably Estelle back in the day, she was a really good friend of mine.

Gabrielle was another good friend of mine, she lived on the same estate as me for a while.

Do you still speak to the other members of So Solid? 

I do! Myself and Romeo have toured together for 15 years. I’ve actually got my own agency IMG (Iconic Music Group) and I’ve been booking people for years – one of Chip’s first gigs was booked by myself, Aitch, his very first festival was my own in Coventry.

It’s been rewarding to be a part of their career and their success but I take no credit for it because they’re all awesome. It’s been nice to be on both sides of the coin and understand artists needs and give back.

You’ve done some reality shows in the past but would you be interested in mainstream ones such as I’m A Celeb? 

I would love to! I don’t mind doing reality TV with a reason and focus. I hate those ones where they’re literally just selling themselves, sitting round in a bikini looking hot. Great you look hot, great that’s fun for you, but it would look really tedious for me so for me I would need a challenge on TV if I’m going to do it like the jungle or Strictly Come Dancing.

Christmas has come early for you as you’ve recorded an episode for Trace Xmas, what was it like getting into the festive spirit? 

It was so much fun! This is my second or third time and the first was in lockdown. When you go through all the tracks you’re going to pick, you realise how many memories each song holds. It’s such a joyful time, I love doing it.

Trace Xmas is available on Sky channel 359 from 1st September 2022 @ 6am, with the first celebrity takeover at 11am being the All Star Xmas Takeover – featuring TJ Jackson, Tia Kofi, Amelle Berrabah, Kieron Richardson and loads more