by: Sun-J
The popular television show Who Wants to be a Millionaire was originally food for thought from Britain that us Americans chewed up and spat out with our own twist. Craig David, and his "two-step" sound evolved from the UK as well, but now dominates many American made pop hits. The whole Drum-n-Bass/Jungle/Garage scene was said to have originated across the pond. Though, as usual, we Americans will duplicate anything that can translate into, well, as the hip hop culture would put it, "chedda." The "bling bling." "Scrilla." Well, you get the point, and perhaps so do the British. Now, as a hip-hop fan (whom appreciates all forms of hip-hop) for about ten years now, I can definitely admit to some ignorance. I would have never believed that a Brit would be able to create something a true "head" could enjoy. The British just never seemed to have that gritty, street slang that fits so perfect over the gutter bass lines and head nodding beats. Their speech just seems too fixated on pronouncing every syllable with accuracy. Enter twenty-two year old Mike Skinner. A garage-head, and jungle influenced DJ, who somewhere along his brief Earthly existence, had decided to create hip hop under the moniker, "The Streets." The solution to the British linguistics problem? Well, it's simple, instead of rapping over hip hop beats, The Streets raps over hip hop infused Drum-n-Bass/Garage beats which are occasionally blessed by a soulful sultry vocal sample. As a matter of fact though, it's not even rapping. More like spoken word, or rather spoken rap. Mike Skinner's debut, Original Pirate Material is as fresh as it gets these days. Focusing on "the day in the life of a Geezer," the album traverses through the everyday habits, actions, and feelings an average teenager goes through. From politics to lust to fast food to playstation, Skinner covers all key aspects. The opening track, "Turn the Page," has Skinner doing his best American hip hop imitation, as he exhumes a cocky flair and boastingly spits "You can't do half, my crew laughs/ at your rhubarb and custard verses…" The following track, "Has it Come to This" displays Skinners ingenious ability to correlate teenage temptations and peer pressure as he discusses sex, drugs, alcohol, and video games among other things, or in his words "Sex, drugs, n' on the dole," and "Deep-seated urban decay." "Let's Push Things Forward" is a politically encouraging track with lines such as "You say that everything sounds the same/then you go buy them," and "As London Bridge's burning down, Brixton's burning up/ Turns out you're in luck." "Geezers Need Excitement," is a clever song that describes the bubbling, bruiting anger that every male teenager has built up inside of him, "Carry on cutting the finest cuts of chicken from the big spinning stick / Then over flies a chip, flips, and hits you on the back / You spin round on the attack / F*** you playing at?" Skinner also brings comedy to the table on the track "The Irony of it All." Based on a story about a football fan and a pothead, Skinner intertwines characters in ways only Guy Ritchie could fathom. "Weak Become Heroes," is track tribute to the rave scenes back in the day. Skinner seems to become lost as he reminisces "All the commotion becomes floatin' emotions…" Though we find him back in present day reassessing the true value of his choice to move on from his ever dangerous raving ways. You'll notice, I have yet to comment on the instrumentals, this is because they are so simple compared the intricate lyrical tirades and stories Skinner comically blurts out. An extremely strong debut, it looks like the Brits have notched up a point, and taken a page out of our history, but engulfing a form, digesting it, and re-presenting it with a pleasant twist. give it a couple listens, and I guarantee you'll be using phrases such as "bloody," and "oi." And maybe, instead of referring to your friends as "dogs," perhaps you'll begin calling them "geezers."
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