So Solid middle-class upbringing

Walters had a bright future as an actor

So Solid Crew lays claim to "ghetto culture" but Ashley Walters' upbringing was strictly middle class.

His mother is a personnel officer. As a boy, he spent his Sundays playing in the parks that surrounded his doting grandmother's three-bedroom maisonette in Peckham.

When Walters decided to dedicate himself to the garage group last year, he left behind a promising career as a television actor.

Walters joined the cast of Grange Hill at 13

He earned critical acclaim and early fame for his roles in British television programmes and films.

Walters first entered the world of drama at the age of seven, when his mother began taking him to the world-renowned Sylvia Young Theatre School in Marylebone.

Teachers were quick to spot his talent, and by the age of 13 he was making his television debut in the role of Andy Philips in the long-running series Grange Hill.

He also appeared in three episodes of The Bill.

Storm damage

But his career really took off when he landed the part of Stefan in the award-winning BBC TV film Storm Damage.

The true tale of life in a south London children's home starred acclaimed Shakespearian actor Adrian Lester and actor/playwright Lennie James.

In a recent Observer article, James described the actor as a "smart, unassuming, respectful young man".

He received critical acclaim for his role in Storm Damage

The playwright also credited Walters with academic success. During the filming of Storm Damage, he got his GCSE results, passing all 10 with good grades.

Walters went on to play Stephen Lawrence's brother Stuart in the critically-acclaimed docudrama, The Stephen Lawrence Story. In 2000, he tried his hand at comedy with a role in Born Romantic.

It received accolades - and so did Walters.

Career shift

Throughout his years of work in television, the young actor had also been performing with the founders of So Solid Crew.

When the group rose from obscurity to produce the number one single 21 Seconds, Walters quit acting to focus his energies on the group.

Walters abandoned his acting career for So Solid Crew

It was a move that would set him on a collision course with fame, fortune and, ultimately, jail.

The rapper said his new-found wealth attracted envy - and violence.

He claims to have been the victim of "numerous robberies" in the area near his Brixton home.

The "last straw" was said to have come when a gang of youths ambushed him in his car, hurled bricks through the rear window and held a gun to his head.

"It is not good to live around there if you are doing the sort of work I am doing," Walters said.