So Solid Crew star Ashley Walters’s career goes from strength to strength. After bouncing back from a jail sentence for firearms possession, via roles in a string of movies, including 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’, as well as landing a role in the prime time BBC TV series Hustle, rapper Asher D is now starring in British urban thriller Sugarhouse.

Everyone's looking for a way out, and that's why they get involved in stuff like crack. But the way I see it is that there's only three ways you can end up: dead, in jail or on it yourself. — Ashley Walters

Ashley plays the role of a crack-addicted drug dealer. I asked him if this had been his most challenging role to date. He told me that it had caused him to come out of his comfort zone. “I had to do a lot of research. The director, Gary Love, did not know if I could carry off the part, so I had to convince him I could do it. I went on a strict diet for one and a half months, lost a lot of weight, and went without sleep. This was my first real crack at method acting; it wasn’t just playing myself. Being with the other actors really helped. It made me step up my game, but I really think it’s moved my career forward.” I asked Ashley what his message to young people was. “The key message is to stick to your goals. You need a plan of action to turn your dreams into reality. Stay away from peer pressure. It’s not about keeping friends happy, but sticking to the task.” When I asked him about the influence of rap music on young people, particularly in relation to recent gun and knife crime, he told me: “Every aspect of media has a part to play. It’s not just music. I remember seeing Kilroy (a daytime talk show) where an armourer brought this whole load of weapons on. Music can be inspirational to kids. It takes their attention off the streets, and puts it into making music. It lets them express how society treats them. It gives black kids in particular a voice; they’re not listened to by society. Adults and teachers need to be asking them ‘why do you want to do that violence?’”

I used to say that music didn’t have any influence on kids. That was at a point in my career where I was at my peak. I was making lots of money. I was in the media hype all the time and they were always asking me that question, and if I said ‘yeah, it does’, I’d be killing my own record sales. But a lot of things happened since then, a lot of life-changing experiences that made me realise it’s not just about promoting your own thing. It’s selfish to think that you’re not influencing anyone out there. I know for a fact that when I was young I used to listen to records and actually be moved by what people were saying on the tracks. If they were talking about a situation that I may be going through it was an even greater influence — I might even do what they were saying to do. You’ve got a responsibility to be saying something decent to your people. — Asher D

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Sugarhouse An affluent city boy called Tom finds himself in a predicament that necessitates him buying a gun. Tom decides to buy a gun from drug addict D and meets him in an abandoned warehouse in a deprived area of east London. However, unbeknownst to Tom, the gun he is attempting to purchase is a murder weapon stolen from Hoodwink, a violent criminal. As the delicate negotiations between Tom and the unpredictable D continue over the snub nosed gun continue, the psychotic Hoodwink attempts to get back the one piece of evidence that could send him to prison. Sugarhouse is the debut film by director Gary Love, based on the play Collision by Dominic Leyton. A gritty, powerful urban thriller, the film features outstanding performances by its three main actors. UK

Asher D: My Dangerous Life With So Solid Crew Few bands have had as significant an impact as south London’s So Solid Crew. Asher D first hit the headlines as one of the leaders of So Solid Crew. He hit the headlines again when he was arrested for allegedly threatening a traffic warden with a gun and sentenced to eighteen months imprisonment. Complex, talented and stylish, his exploits have landed him on the front page of every newspaper — and into the hearts of his millions of fans. Now, in his own words, and with hundreds of never-before-seen photographs, Asher tells his whole, amazing story. UK

Life And Lyrics A South London crew battle rap their North London rivals in order to obtain supremacy in the city. However, the leader of the South London crew falls for a woman who is involved with the rival collective. The Motion Crew are a group of south London rappers led by DJ Danny 'D-Biz' Lewis (Ashley Walters). For Danny, his music is everything and his crew are like family. But loyalties are put to the test when Danny falls for the beautiful Carmen, whom he soon finds out is related to a member of their most hated rivals, the violent and arrogant Hard Cash Crew. Both crews seem certain to face each other in the rap battle finals of the prestigious Mic Masters competition, a thrilling event that will offer a final chance for Danny to beat his rivals and make it big. Life & Lyrics is an exhilarating story of love and loyalty set against the backdrop of London's vibrant urban music scene. UK

Bullet Boy There are thousands of guns on our streets. This is the story of one. Ricky (Ashley Walters, aka So Solid Crew's Asher D), just out of a young offenders' institute and heading home to Hackney, is determined to go straight. Instead, he heads into trouble when he becomes involved in a street clash and sides with his best friend Wisdom against a local gang member. The trouble escalates into a series of incidents that threaten to spiral out of control. Ricky's 12-year-old brother Curtis, adores Ricky but seems smart enough to know he doesn't want to follow his example. However, despite the warnings from his mother, Ricky's bad boy appeal might prove to be too attractive for Curtis to resist. With a sound track by Robert Del Naja (Massive Attack), Bullet boy is a gritty and realistic look at life in the violent world of Britain's gun culture. UK

It seems that in recent months it has not been possible to open a newspaper without reading about another young person being shot or stabbed. Many people are blaming the music that young people listen to, but UK artists Aggro and Mems have decided to take a stand again gun violence. Corey: There must be an alternative

Kidulthood is described as a new kind of British film. Set to a blistering UK hip hop and grime soundtrack, the movie portrays 24 hours in the life of inner-city adolescents. Kidulthood, a harrowing, shocking story that finds humour in its narrative, claims to be based on real kids, real stories, real life. Kidulthood

Is it all too easy for politicians and the media to blame gangsta rappers for the fact that young people carry guns and knives? Could it be that the alienated youths that do so have been far more influenced by other factors such as poor education or family breakdown? Taking the Rap?

For many young people who want to listen to grime and UK garage their main source is pirate radio. For many, the pirate stations are a breeding ground for new talent waiting to break into the mainstream. The authorities take a different view; they say that pirate radio is a public nuisance linked to crime. Pirate Radio: Raising Talent or Funding Crime?