After the end of the group, he pursued a new career as a window fitter and is still close to his former bandmates. These days Freek, 35, continues to work in music as a music manager, but after initially leaving the band he had quite the alternative career working in a corporate bank for a few years. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Twelve years on from his boy band adventure, Marcel Sommerville is taking part in the2017 series of Love Island. But the world had moved on: guitars were ruling the airwaves and there was little nostalgia lurking for the formerly teenage group. Alongside his various stints on reality shows, James McKenzie now works as a personal trainer. What Blazin' Squad look like now: here's what the 10-piece boyband did next, DIGITAL SPY, PART OF THE HEARST UK ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK. Their representative told The Telegraph: "There are no major plans apart from the band performing a few shows up and down the country". "I might become an actor or do something similar - I've always wanted to be an entertainer from being a small boy. 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 . After years away from the limelight, Marcel appeared on the third series of Love Island and came in fourth place with Gabby Allen. But perhaps it'll all. The single was heavily criticised by the media, some of whom claimed their rap skills were 'not to be taken seriously', and others sidelining them to a younger audience. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. After spending some time with the experts, the inking was updated to a more spectacular tribute to their efforts - complete with a smoking microphone. James appears to have ditched his infamous Blazin' Squad gold chain and diamond earrings for a more laidback look. He now has a. Unlike many of his former bandmembers, Lee retreated from the limelight after Blazin' Squad ended. He was vocal about supporting his pal Marcel when he appeared on the third series of Love Island and proudly declares his membership with the 00s boyband in his Twitter bio. This content is imported from YouTube. The year was 2002. Reepa is still in the media industry as a manager at the BBC. . "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 man sacrificed his adolescence to the slings and arrows of the pop industry's outrageous fortune only to wind up as an unrecognisable and, seemingly, unfanciable contestant on ITV2's dating reality television show, Love Island. 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. 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. He. 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? Fans may be shocked to know that the likes of Reea, Freek and Melo-d have gone back to their birth names. Much like some of his other band mates, he still gets involved in music; working as a DJ. A live recording of a concert in Liverpool was released on DVD for Christmas 2003 but failed to achieve any commercial success. He's also married, referring to himself as a newlywed on Instagram, where he shares pictures of their holidays to far flung and exotic locations. Marcel then got them all together for their first ever full reunion in early August 2017, and they all look incredibly different. James and long-term partner Leah Jade Stowell share a son and daughter, and he regularly shares proud snaps of his family on Instagram. Em maio de 2006, foi anunciado que Rocky-B, Reepa, Spike-E e Melo-D iriam se reformar e se apresentar como uma verso de quatro integrantes do Blazin 'Squad. Where are the Sabrina the Teenage Witch cast now? The star has also dyed his natural dark locks peroxide blond and is rocking a nose and facial piercing. Just by the law of averages, at least a couple of Blazin' Squad's 10 members should still be making music - ands they are. 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. Kenzie is still the best known member going on to star on Celebrity Big Brother in 2005 before coming back into the limelight in 2013 on The Big Reunion. "I might have a solo career or start to write. It's been a long time since we've thought about Blazin' Squad. It's been almost 20 years since Blazin' Squad were riding high in the UK charts with their debut single Crossroads heading straight for the Number One spot. MC Freek, Rocky B, Melo-d, Reepa, Krazy, Spike-e, Flava . He was a vocal supporter of Marcel during his Love Island villa stint. Despite ditching the hair gel and growing a beard, the 36-year-old does not look too different from the group's heyday. 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. But when the band disbanded, he retreated from the limelight - despite initially telling the media he would like to carry on with a career in the industry. While some of the fresh-faced group went back to their day jobs, others have continued to court the limelight. Clearly very proud of his achievements with the band, Sam, 36, still reminds people he is a member of Blazin' Squad in his Twitter bio - though these days he doesn't post often. 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. His curly ginger locks are gone, replaced with a bald head and bushy beard. After dipping his toe into the music scene hes now moved into imports and exports. BLAZIN' Squad are fondly remembered by nostalgic noughties pop fans. We caught up with Marcel over the summer, but where are the rest these days? We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. "We want to say a massive thank you to everyone we've collaborated with this year, from in the room, to behind the scenes, we're very greatful [sic] for all your passion & hard work. Now a father-of-two, he splits his time between London and New York. 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). Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. The album was released to general critical censure.[6][7]. Their catchy tunes including Flip Reverse and number one song Crossroads were dancefloor staples in nightclubs across the country. Outside the villa, fans were reliving the group's glory days which led to some members of the band doing the nightclub PA rounds over summer. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. 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]. As MC Reepa he is best recognized for having been a member of the rap group Blazin' Squad. According to his LinkedIn, Chris, who had a spell with peroxide blond hair and nose ring, has worked in double glazing. Newsbeat spoke to original Blazin' Squad band members MC Freek and Melo about reuniting and having their first headline show since 2004. . Where are Emmerdale's missing Bartons now? Love Island 2017: who are this years contestants. 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. Kenzie appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2005 and he was one of the youngest contestants to ever enter the house. Lee (Krazy) has gone solo and is currently working on his solo album in the US called the 'Lee Bailey project'. Stay up-to-date with all the news from the Love Island villa this summer with our regular newsletter. Even die-hard fans might have trouble recognising a now 35-year-old Kenzie given he's now a beefed-up personal trainer at Studio 23. 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. Peach Recordsin alla he julkaisivat ensimmisen singlens uudistuksen jlkeen, "All Night Long", keskuussa 2006. However, he's not given up on music altogether. They have been massively successful, writing for artists including Emeli Sande, Leona Lewis, KSI, and Naughty Boy. Blazin' Squad had six top 10 singles and a number one single Credit: . This is one Blazin' Squad lad who's hard to pin down. The most office-based of the lot is Reepa,who works as a media manager at the BBC. "Wishing everyone a very happy, prosperous new year.". Alongside James, Mustafa has penned some massive hits as part of their duo. Speaking to Manchester Evening News way back in 2004, Lee said he'd like to stay in the industry if the band ended. Di. 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. After some intense detective work and a lot of 'Crossroads' on repeat, we've gathered a roundup of where all ten of the Blazin' Squad boys are now - and some handy past and present photos to help decide whether you still fancy your fave. A new member, Joe-E, was added to the group in a failedattempt to revive interest. Since the good ol' days, Strider has gone on to even bigger and better things than Blazin' Squad. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. After bandmate Marcel's stint on Love Island, Oliver was invited to appear on E4 show Tattoo Fixers where he hoped to update the inking on his left bicep. Here, we've have taken a deeper dive into what the original Squad members have been up to over the past two decades. "Standard Flow" was remixed by Ras Kwarme and Origin Unknown, with a version available featuring Jamaican dancehall musician Elephant Man on guest vocals. Since then he has appeared in other shows such as The Games and Celebrity Come Dine With Me. Mustafa Omer aka Strider and James Murray aka Flava are still very much involved in music. The Blazin' Squad star often shares his love for Arsenal FC across his social media, and has more recently been sharing how he has been feeling during lockdown. Now or Never is the second studio album released by British ten-piece hip hop group Blazin' Squad. Following his very public but short-lived romance to Marsh, Kenzie has been with his current girlfriend since 2012 with whom he now shares daughters Wynter and Wyllow. 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. Kenzie arrives at the UK Premiere of new animated film "Valiant" at the Odeon West End on March 20, 2005. Watch: Take a look around the Love Island villa in 2017. He's also now a father to two daughters, Wynter and Wyllow. Blazin' Squad did consist of Marcel (MC Plat'num), Stuart (MC Reepa), Sam (MC Spike-E) & Chris (MC Melo-D). Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. But, he is also a father to daughters Wynter and Wyllow with girlfriend Frankie Evans. [5] The song was highly re-recorded and hardly contained any lyrics of the original. Poor MarcelSomerville. Like his old pal Lee, Tommy also turned his back on the heady world of showbiz. 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. He also dated former glamour model Jodie Marsh around the same time. The baby faced member of Blazin Squad travels the UK as a DJ. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. The tricky second album. Desperate Housewives: Where are they now? Some members valiantly carried on, and with limited success. For the past five or so years, though, he's worked as an engineer for Virgin Media. After Blazin' Squad's popularity dwindled, Strider and his best band pal Flava went on to form their own songwriting and production company. Viewers have been taking the Mickey out of him for constantly mentioning that he was in Blazin' Squad. 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. But Blazin' Squad were infamous for their pretentious attempts to seem "street", their love of oversized clothing and enjoyably preposterous interviews at the hands of Simon Amstell, then-co-host of T4 showPopworld, who famously asked them, "So, how's puberty going? The former Squad member has also gone under the aliases Primetime Pro-Juice, Plat'num and Bezzle (to his friends) in recent years. Real name, Chris McKeckney, he's believed to be working as an Engineer these days after leaving the music world behind. Teachers Dear Diary: Blazin's Reepa hits the clubs Updated 25 October 2002, 11.58. In 2003 they were considered so relevant that their rendition of Flip Reverse was used to relaunch Top of the Pops. Since the good ol' days, Strider has gone on to even bigger and better things than Blazin' Squad (if that's actually possible). Actually known as Stuart Baker, the spiked hair has now been replaced with soft, brunette locks. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. And are they getting back together? Since then he has continued to appear on television and radio shows, including appearing on Celebrity Come Dine With Me last year. FRET NO MORE. Comeback The hair gel loving lads resurfaced in the spotlight when Marcel Somerville, aka Rocky B, went into the Love Island villa and was at the centre of reality romance. Their comeback single 'Let's Start Again' peaked at No. Since his days in the band, he has certainly grown up and is now a personal trainer, inevitably still making fans droll over him. THEY burst onto the music scene with baggy clothes, excessive hair gel and a crew that would put the biggest Stateside rapper's entourage to shame. Chris remains loyal to his roots as a Blazin' Squad original and still performs their songs at various reunion gigs. 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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". Their debut album featured three hit singles, including Love on the Line and Where the Story Ends, and their follow up, Now or Never, had another, Flip Reverse. He's uploaded a handful of original rap tracks to his official Soundcloud page, and still tours nightclubs with half of the Blazin' Squad crew. 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. After recording a demo, "Standard Flow," at a nearby . Tell us about your album, In The Beginning It's got an R&B, chilled-out vibe.. A detailed history, The ending of Sex/Life season 2 explained, Here's what Buzz from Home Alone looks like now. Also known as Tom Beasley, the former boyband member is still working the decks up and down the country as a DJ. 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. At home he hashis own record label but occasionally performs on stage with other bands, andspecialises in electronic and house jams. You may have been watching Love Island this year and thought where do I know that guy from? . What do the Hocus Pocus cast look like now? The singer is now married and has a baby. Before Fame. Melo-D is a member of the band, but 'Melody' isn't. Strider, Rocky B, and Krazy are all members. That's all we can tell you really as he's kept away from the big Blazin' reunions. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. Blazin' Squad also had a number two single, the really quite rude chat-up banger Flip Reverse, in 2003. 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. 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. He is also on a Podcast called Its Not All Dad with co-stars Jamie Jewitt and Jake Quickenden. They have worked with artists such as Emilie Sande, Sam Smith, Ella Eyre and Professor Green. he said. Lovely jubbly. He also worked as a window fitter after the band went their official separate ways, but is currently enjoying retweeting a LOT of support for bandmate Marcel on Love Island. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. The group had six top ten hits, including "Crossroads", a cover version of the Bone Thugs-n-Harmony original. Can this young prodigy bring back the age of the wild virtuoso violinist? As always you can unsubscribe at any time. They also joined Kenzie, Rocky B and Freek to form a five-piece Blazin' Squad reunion in 2009. His corkscrew curls have been ironed out and now Sam Foulkes is all grown up. After their romance, Kenzie spilled the beans on their sex life saying: "Jodie definitely taught me a few things, being an older woman. Reepa - Stuart Baker Reepa - Stuart Baker from Blazin Squad then and now Stuart has now ditched the gelled hair and shaved eyebrows of his youth in favour of a grown-out locks and designer. Flava is now seemingly married with two kids. 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. Turn on your telly at 9pm and you'll currently find Rocky B / Plat'num (depending on your Blazin' era) starring on the new series of Love Island. They released a single, and their the group's fourth, and final, record deal dumping followed. They had hits including Baby Goodbye and One More Night Alone, but they were dropped from the label the following year after their album Times Like These peaked at number 67 on the UK Albums Chart. Find yourself among people of a certain age today and chances are they'll be able to sing the chorus of Crossroads. And the Love Island gang were often caught singing Crossroads in between their dating dramas. Lat year Marcel revealed vile trolls had targeted his son with cruel racist remarks. It features the rap version of "We Just Be Dreamin . He's also grown biceps bigger than the average human head, and is a father of two daughters called Wynter and Wyllow, splitting his time between New York and London while working as a personal trainer. The huge success of the gelled-haired, shaved-eyebrowed teen heartthrobs spawned RnB inspired album The Beginning and a further six top ten singles. He is now married to wife Karina and the couple share two kids. Blazin Squad released two albums in their original line-up (Picture: PA) In 2005, members Kenzie, Flava and Strider formed Friday Hill and released two singles - Baby Goodbye and One More Night. The optical illusion will leave you stumped as it's asking people to spot the ghost hiding inside the room. 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. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Answer: False. In May 2014 Kenzie was injured in a "serious car crash", but escaped with injuries. He is still involved in the music industry, however, as he works as a DJ. If you watch reality TV, theres a chance you already know what Marcel has been up to since the band split. 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. Kenzie, who is also a personal trainer, shows off his toned figure and shredded abs on the social media platform as well as posts featuring his daughters. . Critics' main complaint was that Blazin' Squad posed as the next threat on the garage scene, but were actually more like East 17, the Nineties boy band who hailed from the nearby ends of Walthamstow. In February 2006, they released a second single, "One More Night Alone", which reached #13 on the UK Singles Chart. James Murray stayed close with his bandmate Mustafa Omer and performed together as MoJam. 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). The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). He's now working as a BBC media manager, but does also still pop up at a reunion gig every so often. What ever happened to the Blazin' Squad boys? Many members appear to enjoy a variety of careers, ranging from underwear line designer (Kenzie) to D-list celebrity personal trainer (also Kenzie). 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. His stint instigated a mini reunion as three fellow Blazin' Squad members made an appearance to perform Flip Reverse. The pair welcomed their first child - a son they named Roman - at the end of January. DJ Tommy, who is a fan of cycling, has not been seen with the group during any of their reunion gigs. . From Blazin' Squad, that's where. He has been pretty quiet of late since his solo career, dubbed the Lee Bailey Project, failed to hit the big time. Home: TV: Radio: Talk: Where I Live: A-Z Index: Games: Chat: Vote: Win: Quiz: Club . Keeping well? He's eating ice cream in his Twitter picture though, so he must also enjoy some occasional dessert based snacking. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. They then stormed the charts with their debut single Crossroads - which reached number one in 2002. We met them at the crossroads back in the early noughties, and their catchy RnB songs were stuck in our heads for days, but what happened to the 10 members of Blazin' Squad?
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