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Pay As U Go

{{Short description|UK musical group}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}{{Use British English|date=September 2022}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Pay As U Go

| image =

| caption =

| alias =

| origin = London, England

| genre = UK garage

| years_active = 1999/2000–2003

| label = {{flatlist|

}}

| website =

| current_members =

| past_members = * Wiley

  • DJ Slimzee
  • Flowdan
  • Breeze
  • Target
  • Maxwell D
  • God's Gift
  • Geeneus
  • Major Ace (deceased){{Cite news |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/41548813/grime-pioneer-major-ace-dies-from-brain-tumour |title=Grime pioneer Major Ace dies from brain tumour |work=BBC News |date=9 October 2017 |access-date=2019-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408020622/http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/41548813/grime-pioneer-major-ace-dies-from-brain-tumour |archive-date=2019-04-08 |url-status=live }}
  • Plague
  • Riko Dan
  • Bubbles
  • Dogzilla
  • Dom P
  • Lady J

}}

Pay As U Go or Pay As U Go Cartel was a UK garage crew formed in late 1999 and 2000. In 2002, the collective achieved a No. 13 UK hit with "Champagne Dance". After Pay As U Go disbanded, Wiley went on to form the grime crew Roll Deep with fellow Pay As U Go members.{{cite book|title=Eskiboy|last=Cowie|first=Richard Kylea|date=2017|publisher=William Heinemann|isbn=978-1-785-15159-0|location=London|pages=65–69}} Roll Deep would eventually include prominent artists such as Dizzee Rascal, Tinchy Stryder and Skepta.

The crew has been credited for paving the way for grime music, alongside So Solid Crew and Heartless Crew.{{Cite web|url=https://www.anothermanmag.com/life-culture/10370/a-brief-history-of-grime-as-told-by-dj-target|title=A Brief History of Grime, as Told by DJ Target|last=AnotherMan|website=AnotherMan|date=12 June 2018 |language=en|access-date=2019-11-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913222453/https://www.anothermanmag.com/life-culture/10370/a-brief-history-of-grime-as-told-by-dj-target|archive-date=2019-09-13|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://trenchtrenchtrench.com/features/pay-as-u-go-cartel-crawled-so-that-grime-could-walk|title=Pay As U Go Crawled So That Grime Could Walk|website=trenchtrenchtrench.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190614160557/https://trenchtrenchtrench.com/features/pay-as-u-go-cartel-crawled-so-that-grime-could-walk|archive-date=2019-06-14|url-status=live}}

History

In 1998, Maxwell D and his friends Carl, DJ Target, and Wiley began performing on London pirate radio station Rinse FM. Together they formed a group called 'The Ladies Hit Squad'. Major Ace, Plague, God's Gift, and DJ Slimzee also hosted their own show on Rinse FM every Sunday. In the summer of 2000, the Pay As You Go phone network was experiencing network errors coincidentally every Sunday coinciding with their show, allowing everyone to call into the radio show for free. After three weeks of this, Plague dubbed the show the "pay as you go show".{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HzVADwAAQBAJ&q=%22pay-as-u-go-crew%22&pg=PT69|title=Grime Kids: The Inside Story of the Global Grime Takeover|last=Target|first=D. J.|date=2018-06-14|publisher=Orion|isbn=978-1-4091-7954-2|language=en}}{{Cite web|url=https://i-d.co/article/danny-weed-and-dj-target-discuss-the-history-of-grime/|title=danny weed and dj target discuss the history of grime|last=Staff|first=i-D.|date=2015-07-07|website=i-D|language=en|access-date=2019-11-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191120204922/https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/a3vbk5/danny-weed-and-dj-target-discuss-the-history-of-grime|archive-date=2019-11-20|url-status=live}} The pay as you go radio show and Ladies Hit Squad's show on Rinse FM were the most popular shows on Rinse FM at the time, leading to the owner of Rinse FM suggesting that Ladies Hit Squad and the pay as you go show merge, leading to the official Pay As U Go crew being formed.{{Cite web|url=http://www.payasugocrew.co.uk/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010819084219/http://www.payasugocrew.co.uk/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2001-08-19|date=2001-08-19|access-date=2019-11-20|title=Pay as U Go Crew }}{{Cite web|url=http://www.garagemusic.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/payasugo/targetslimzeeint.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021211070141/http://www.garagemusic.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/payasugo/targetslimzeeint.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2002-12-11|title=Pay As U Go Crew|date=2002-12-11|access-date=2019-11-20}} Flowdan, Riko Dan, Dom P, Breeze and Bubbles later joined the group.{{Cite web|url=http://www.so-urban.com/payasugo/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050920073029/http://www.so-urban.com/payasugo/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2005-09-20|title=PAY AS U GO - official website|date=2005-09-20|access-date=2019-11-20}}{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}} The group released a dubplate, "Know We", in late 1999. The song was officially released in 2000 as their debut single.{{Cite web |url=https://www.thewire.co.uk/in-writing/essays/p=14844 |title=Essays - in Writing - the Wire |access-date=2019-11-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925150047/https://www.thewire.co.uk/in-writing/essays/p=14844 |archive-date=2019-09-25 |url-status=live }}

In 2001, Wiley, Flowdan, Bubbles and Breeze recorded a song entitled "Terrible", which record stores perceived to be a follow-up to "Know We". Wiley decided he did not want to release it under the Pay As U Go name, so Flowdan suggested the name Roll Deep; a homage to the phrase "rolling deep", popular within bashment songs. Following the creation of Roll Deep, Dogzilla and Lady J joined Pay As U Go in 2003.{{Cite web|url=http://www.payasugocrew.co.uk/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030621124210/http://www.payasugocrew.co.uk/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2003-06-21|date=2003-06-21|access-date=2019-11-20|title=Pay as U Go Crew }} Flowdan cited the introduction of Dizzee Rascal to Roll Deep and his subsequent popularity as the reason why Pay As U Go eventually disbanded and Roll Deep rose to prominence.

Discography

=Albums=

=Singles=

  • "Know We" (2000), Solid City
  • "Be Real" (2000), Relentless
  • "Champagne Dance" (2001), Sony Music/INCredible - UK #13{{Cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/12056/pay-as-u-go/ |title=PAY AS U GO | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company |website=Official Charts |access-date=2019-03-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915012024/http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/12056/pay-as-u-go/ |archive-date=2018-09-15 |url-status=live }}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{Discogs artist|Pay As You Go Cartel}}

{{Wiley}}

Category:English electronic music groups

Category:English hip-hop groups

Category:Electronic music groups from London

Category:Musical groups established in 2000

Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2002

Category:UK garage groups

Category:INCredible artists

Category:Relentless Records artists

Category:Sony Music UK artists

{{UK-band-stub}}