Streets, The - Original Pirate Material

As legend goes...Mike Skinner apparently nicked most of the beats from some other Garage duo to create this record. So goes music. Master steals from protege as protege steals from other. This has been going on for ages. In any regard...this was one of the best 'pop' records of 2002. Combinging UK garage technique with lager lad lyrics and sharp wit and flow, Mike Skinner is an MC to be reckoned with. He puts his pulse on the heartbeat of the UK and counts out that pattern as a loop for a track. He got the pulse and timing right to capture a hundred thousand would be newbee ravers as well as the old schoolers too. He translated that 'get away from it all weekend' with tracks that made you feel pissed or off yer face on fungus in the 'Dam. Skinner also made softer tracks about young love and regret that balanced all the substance abuse with a little humility. This makes it a pop record to me and great at the same time... and pop isn't necessarily a bad word. In all regards, stolen beats or not, this is a pretty great record.

Alot of people are skeptical of Mike Skinner because of his delivery. In all actuality, the guy has more style and substance than any 10 MCs you can think of in mainsteam or underground hiphop today. On this album, he's brilliantly witty, his beats are diverse and interesting, and his subject matter is far from the norm in hiphop. Absolutely a classic release!

when i first heard this, i didn't know what to think of it. it was certainly different, but in a good way? i don't know, but it wasn't in a bad way; that's for sure. in america, i hear hip-hop a lot and it's usually from radio. most of it all of it is crap, so this was a good change of pace. unfortunatly, because it was so different and unique i didn't understand it initially. now, after repeat listens, mike skinner in my eyes has become one of the saviors of rap in its raw form. not necessary about the beats, but entirey about the lyrics.

groundbreaking release, artistic & experiemental to the fullest. As branded it carries certain degrees of Garage & hip hop influences but with that we aren't talking 2Pac meets The Artful Dodger. Its like The Prodigy were to the dance scene, can't just be labelled with one genre - maybe best described as a unique sounding, pure form of material of the future.