2-step's Deprecation
2002 saw an evolution into two main directions: the first being that, 2-step was moving away from its funky and soul-oriented sound into a darker direction called grime (now a genre in its own right - generally no longer considered or classified as UK garage but retaining BPMs which usually range from 138-143 beats per minute, a common element in modern garage). During this period traditional UK garage was pushed back underground amongst the bad publicity emanating from the tougher side of the genre, and publicised violence surrounding members of the So Solid Crew.
Notable early grime artists around 2001-2003 include Pay As You Go Kartel, More Fire Crew, Dizzee Rascal's debut album Boy in da Corner, Roll Deep's mixtapes Volume 1 and 2 which were never released commercially and Wiley.
Read more about this topic: UK Garage