A Grand Don't Come For Free

Big two fingers to all the Americans that don’t get this. British staple album here for me and one of the greatest of all time at that. I don’t really love the streets’ other albums.. but this one just scratches an itch so perfectly. 5 stars.

We recently bought tickets to see Mike Skinner performing this album in its entirety, so I suppose I could say I like it. When it came out, it was a completely fresh take on rap/spoken word/whatever and so I'm happy that it's on this list and the fact that I had the opportunity to listen to it again.

British version of Eminem, which is already not my taste. This is really not for me. Stupid raps about a bored teenager who lost a grand and finds it back in the TV he finally tries to repair after spending 50 minutes of stupid raps about the fact that his TV doesn't work. Get a life. I have really no clue why this should be in the book. Luckily it is the only album of this "artist" in the list.

To be honest, there is little music here, the rapping is not melodic one bit, and the rythme stays far too consistent for my liking. I don't know, there are some interesting lirycs, but musically the beats behind are so simple and repetitive I didn't vibe

The storytelling on this is next level. It's like a rap opera/concept album. It follows the protagonists relationship with a girl (love interest) as well as the issue of a missing 1,000 British pounds (hence, the "grand"). It's such a narrative, it's captivating. I don't really know what else to say, this was incredible.

I love this album. It falls into the "haven't listened to it all the way through in a while and appreciated the chance to" category. Although I think I maybe like Original Pirate Material better this one's still great.

I didn't initially give this enough attention, but by track 2 I was sold. Funny and sad, way more entertaining than I expected. Would definitely listen again.

I thought this was some independently wealthy persons vanity project at first because I have never heard worse rapping in my life than the first track. It took me til that was over to realize what this style is, and after that it got more listenable. I still don’t really think it’s that good, and the proper grime or UK garage artists getting shoved out of this list for this album makes me a bit mad, but it does have a sound unlike any spoken album I’ve heard before. The story isn’t that interesting or memorable, but it’s mostly relatable to the average young dirtbag. It’s presented in the way that kind of person might execute a rap album as well, and maybe that’s the point. Unique and short enough to be tolerable, but barely. Really not for me but I can see why someone might enjoy this.

did not listen, so many words in a single song

I get it, but realistically I'm not gonna listen to it much.

I'm sorry, I just can't get on this wavelength. I can't help but compare this to Ren and find it *extremely* lacking. To these ears, this might be the worst commercially-released rap of all time.

Rap version of that Arctic Monkeys album, the British humor left me a little cold (of course, I’m from Manchester)

I didn’t get The Streets back in the 2000s and now it just baffles me.

is this a joke

Is it incredible, or something I'd recommend to people? Not really. Is it an iconic artist / album / collection of songs in the UK? Yes. His vocals aren't perfect by any stretch but they're distinct. The album tells a story. 'I Could Well Be In' is decent and new to me, where 'Dry Your Eyes', "Blinded by the Lights", and 'Fit but you Know It' are the well-known. A stupidly endearing bit of a childish nostalgic album.

dreadful

Guys, listen, this is the worst album on here. It's Eminem if Eminem grew up in London and was middle class, and didn't have talent. Whoever told this man to rap was the same person to tell Diana to get in that car with that driver. He has done more to destroy British culture than George Washington, Ghandi, and line cutters. I can't find anything redemptive about this album. His name is the streets, the album belongs in the sewers. I spent more time writing this than I spent enjoying this record. Why is this "1001 albums to listen to before you die"? Because you listen to this, and death doesn't seem so awful. The saudis flew two planes into the twin towers and this album is more offensive than that. If you put this album on a roof next to a homosexual in Iran, they throw the album off. I want to resurrect Alexander Hamilton to have him fix bayonets and skewer whoever produced this monstrosity. Simon Cowell would sooner talk in a Chicago accent rather than be associated with this Briton. The Irish would have immediately invited the landlords to their land if it meant this album never was played again. Hitler would have enjoyed this. This album would have been approved by Stalin for use in the Gulags. We didn't have all those crusades to just prevent the Persians and Arabians from preventing this album. How did the Queen, god rest her soul, allow this to happen? Freddy Mercury, would have came back from the dead, immediately married Margaret Thatcher to prevent this album from happening, if he could. It's that bad.

I was ready to side with the many negative reviews as soon Mike Skinner started rapping on opener "It Was Supposed To Be So Easy". He is not a natural vocalist by any stretch of the imagination. I was soon endeared to this project by the time I heard Skinner describe his feelings for a crush on "Could Well Be I'm". He's a likeable working class lad and his direct language paints a vivid picture of the scene he is rapping about. This record is a rap opera that tells the story of a young man's trails and tribulations as he tries to find his lost wad of cash whilst having a few nights out and falling in love along the way. The singers who pop up on the choruses of the song help the songs feel more digestible despite the beats and rapping sometimes feeling amateurish. This thing is filled with charm and plenty of heart to make up for any of its shortcomings.

It's amateurish in a way that's almost charming. Like early 21 pilots or hobo johnson. The guy's lack of rhythm and inability to hold a tune make it a tough listen though. The teenage boy lyrics also hold it back. As a piece of art I can almost appreciate it.

the measured delivery of conscious rap clawing at the walls of the inescapable thematic pitfall that is "london kid raps fast". it feels so strangely earnest that i want to patiently sit there and listen, that way the british lad doesn't feel embarrassed at his secondary school year 10's A levels talent show. then the performance ends, and the relief is palpable. i liked Blinded by the Lights

What is this? I'm not a fan of spoken word, and this did not change my mind. A couple tracks had some fun beats, but that's about the extent of it. Side note, I've always found it interesting that it's hard to hear someone's accent when they're singing vs talking where it's super obvious. Anyway, no thanks!

Nicht meins

This is probably the stupidest bullshit I've ever had to listen to.

mas que malardo

I'm sorry but I just can't take this dork seriously. Might be the worst flow I've ever heard from a rapper. He either sounded like a stiff robot or sounded like a random dude who stumbled into a recording booth and the producers just went with it. 2/10

Production: 3.2 - Mix is balanced, bass, instruments and vocals appear to be on the same level and words are audible - On the first song the vocals do not sit perfectly on top of the mix, it’s actually a mess; beat does not match the rappiung and vocal layering is awful at first BUT it actually does get fixed throughout the album - Uses low qaulity patcvhes and texture which gives the album a quite, “I just started this” feel but manages to make it work - Album is polished and holds up acoustically - A bit of a messy dynamic depth as the build up to the chorus and back to the verse is a bit meh Enjoyability: 1.5 Grabs your attention within 10 seconds, the mix might actually make you want to turn it off but the lyrics and songwriting are well written, deep and personal which I love; Makes the listener reflect - Very little replay value for me - Would not fit into modern playlists or radio unless it’s a local radio - Melody and groove do not get stuck in your head due to the messy mix and production Songwriting: 4 - Uses strong literary devices and clearly tells a personal story - Lyrics match the the song, mood and uses some contour - Belive sections stay at the exact same volume and intensity the whole time but has some form - Lyrics grab you quickly as they are quite descriptive perfectly allowing you to imagine the scenes presented Cohesion: 2.5 - Each songs sticks to a clear emotional story arc from start to finish - Choice of sound and instruments DO NOT belong in the same universe and has too many mismatched insturments and beats which do not support the rapper - Successfully leans into grime / uk rap - Handoffs between sections feel ok, has room for improvement though- it’s kind of like picking up the phone from a friend who’s life just doesn’t seem to have a break Songs liked: 2/11

🤢

Uppskattar alltid ett gott konceptalbum!!!! Länge leve formen

Album : 46/1089 Songs known going in : 0 favourite song : Fit but you know it album cover : actually sick really dynamic it looks british rating : 2/10 notes : his flow and the beat tend to clash It sounds british tbf the start of not addicted has that scaryspoon numberjacks beat the story is a bit immersive i will give them that but that doesnt mean its good, reminds me of musical theatre Ok its the beat the beat is the issue because I actually really like fit but you know it. its got jamie T vibes

I can get behind the concept here. Guy loses £1000 and hijinks ensue. Cool. The rapping, though, is pretty bad. I’m admittedly not well versed in UK rap, but the flow is just not what I’m looking for here. It’s less rapping and more close to spoken word. Fit But You Know It was the best of the bunch, but still not my cup of tea. In the end, I think this would function better as a music video film rather than a pure audio format.

Boy I larfed and larfed and larfed at this one. First at them, I thought the rap was mad and not in a good way but in the end, I was laughing with them. They have captured UK grime life so perfectly you can smell the greasy burgers and stale ale. Though that has got to be the most photogenic bus shelter I have ever seen.

Overall, this is a good album. The beats are fun and I like the off-kilter rapping style enough to forgive that it sometimes feels clunky. But this deviates - in a bad way - from The Streets' amazing debut in so many ways. The brash, UK garage-heavy beats are replaced by generic ones. The songs feel more like pop songs, with sub-par hooks that repeat way too many times. The album goes for a concept that's really just meeting a girl and losing her, and the debut's clever lyrics are replaced by mostly straightforward storytelling. It's a shame, because this ends on two amazing songs. "Dry Your Eyes" is touching and tender and yet manages to avoid feeling sappy. And "Empty Cans" is a masterpiece, conceptually unique, funny, and poignant all in one. Those two songs just can't make up for the rest being unremarkable.

This is pretty terrible, actually. It just sounds like a British guy reciting slam poetry over some fairly basic beats. There's literally no reason anyone would ever need to listen to this.

endlich wieder einmal rap! mit dem englischen akzent erfrischend anders als aus den staaten. melodie und beat gefallen ebenfalls.

Cooler Rap

Yeah I can't stand this guy talking, beats are boring most of the time too with a couple exceptions

Again, another album that’s good, probably very good, but not quite my thing. Certainly more fun than the one from yesterday. Favourite track: Blinded by the Lights

This album really represents a step on in the development of UK hip hop and it's an album that reflects this country in the millennium perhaps more than any one leading up to the mainstream appearance of Grime. I recall not really liking 'Dry your eyes' at the time, but I was unaware that it was part of a concept album set in the day of someone who loses a grand and each songs is part of a narrative. Fit and you know it is entertaining and I confess that, despite this being light years away from my musical comfort zone, I was diverted by the album and might listen to it again.......at some point.

A ne znam ni kaj da kazem, bas me nije dojmio album, nisam ga ni poslusao do kraja, ali mozda ne jer je los, samo jer mi se bas i nije dalo.

This was…really odd and funny and REALLY took me by surprise. I had never heard of this before and I am really intrigued by this being on this list.

Big fan of Original Pirate Material but I've actually never listened to this album end to end. I know some of the tracks that came out as singles. Look, I don't love this as much as OPM but I appreciate the story arc and Mike is funny and incisive as ever. Oi.

genuinely horrific, how is this an album i have to listen to before dying? what a horrible opening song and it definitely doesnt get better throughout. i cant wait to never listen to this again

TL;DR: Shit but you know it. Don't bother. BEFORE: Fine, I'll listen to it. I really don't like what little I've heard of The Streets. AFTER: Sounds like a drunk chav trying to explain an Eastenders episode over middling instrumentals. Bro cannot rap or sing. The lyrics are inane, cringey and needlessly misogynistic. There are no actual hooks and Skinner's mockney horseshit only gets more embarrassing over time. Some of the instrumentals would have been fine - maybe even good - with different and/or no vocals. It was bad when it came out and now it's bad and dated. There is plenty of good British hip hop out there. This has no reason to exist. HIGHLIGHTS: Blinded By The Lights would almost be a coherent song if Skinner could just get out the way. Some of the other tracks are decent until he opens his mouth. LOWLIGHTS: Pretty much all of it. VERDICT: Utter shite. I couldn't wait for it to be over. Not enough bright spots to redeem the rest.

As good as original pirate material

Loved this album in my early 20's. Does it hold up? Yeah it fucking does. A concept album that has a wonderful ending. I love a grand don't come for free.

What can I say, this is a 1-star album. The only good thing I can say about this album is the talent he got to sing on the album is pretty decent. That said, I feel like this album only got picked because at the end of the day the author of this book realized they had 1000 albums and needing to be different than other lists, decided to add one more song. So, they let a computer do a mad lib and it choose this album for the "Name of an Album from 2004" blank and the author was okay if it is popular enough to get picked by a computer, in it goes without ever listening to the album itself. This is almost certainly number 1001, right? RIGHT!??

Kinda endearing.

I feel like this was a misfire after the debut. Loads of ideas but no tunes.

i remember thinking that 'Has it come to this?' was one of the worst things I'd ever heard when it came out, so I had no interest in listening to this album when it came out, although ended up hearing the singles obvs. at some point I heard Blinded by the Lights and it really got me and eventually I did listen to the album. turns out I really enjoy the narrative and the fact that's it's obviously a CRT telly. feel like I was there with Mike. I finally get the hype sort of. although outside of the narrative some of the songs don't stand up. can't imagine what the American participants will think though 😆

Always loved Blinded By The Lights because it's sort of spoken word poetry and the backing is so nice but the rest is fucking dreadful.

It was supposed to be so easy - 2 Could well be in - 3 Not addicted - 2 Blinded by the lights - 1 Wouldn't have it any other way - 2 Get out of my house - 2 Fit but you know it - 3 Such a twat - 2 What is he thinking? - 3 Dry your eyes - 3 Empty cans - 1

o flow desse mano é só muito estranho, tem umas rimas meio nonsense, mas algumas músicas tinham ritmos legais.

Really just not good.

See, I reckon you're about an eight or a nine Maybe even nine and a half in four beers' time 4.5 it is then

Fine. Not quite my thing.

I honestly don’t know. Like, I’d heard of this group, and I’d heard some people love them and some hate them. But I don’t know. So much kinda lackadaisical rapping, almost more like mumbling to himself. I’ll go three stars, I feel like this is the kind of thing I could come back to and love or shut off immediately.

I liked this in parts, but when he tried to sing was pretty hilarious. Not great overall.

This shit pissed me off

good kid, m.A.A.d city for British stoners (I mean that as a compliment).

Legitimately might be the worst album on this project. Hard to believe this isn't a joke.

I have gone back and forth between a 2 and a 4 a couple of times. In the end, love the concept but don't like the music. If I'm not going to listen again, it's a 2. But I really think this album had a place on this list.

Like Ian Dury but without the charm or wit. Couldn't finish it but wouldn't go as far as 1 star.

dieses album ist besonders

Gross

Ein Rapper mit Cockney Akzent

Oh. No. Well, we can’t win them all. This is the third time through this for me. I am very clear about why I don’t like it. But this time after I heard it, Original Pirate Material came on. THAT album is the reason I was familiar with The Streets before this project. It’s SO much better! Without the burden of the concept of this album. 2 Boolean: true, but it should be that earlier album

absolutely unlistenable

Dumb album about sports betting, not understanding women, and acting like the victim. Then a deus ex machina bailout at the end. It’s like a right wing origin story.

Wow! This was really bad! I think I'd rather listen to Kid Rock again. "Fit but You Know It" is clearly the most listenable track; no wonder that's the only song I know this band for.

Wow this... sucks! He is so tone deaf. The songs are just bad, the flow and pace is strange in most songs. I thought I was finished giving out 1 stars but you're never really safe I guess..

bro i laughed at this first song for 5 minutes and then put real music on what a fuckin joke

A Grand Don't Come For Free is an album that i feel like tries to do something special but it just doesn't feel like it works as an album very well. I only really knew one song before listening to this album in full and that was Fit But You Know It but to my horror, the album is pretty much follows the same formula as that song. This album sounds as if it was originally gonna be a movie but Skinner was told last minute to make it a Hip-hop album and just rushed to make changes but didn't refine them enough. This leads to the vocals and music and the talking to constantly be at odds with each other. I won't be giving it a 1 since the music and vocals are okay when they are there for the most part but I just don't think i can praise this album like a lot of other people do. Best Song: Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way Worst Song: Get Out of My House

3/10 Absolutely pathetic. I mean, it's embarrassing, right? This was pushed down our throats as innovative and the sound of the future, when actually it is really talentless garbage. I really dislike it BUT I've messed up the scoring and it isn't as bad as the hell that resides under 1 star. Needs to count itself very lucky indeed

Three of the songs are truly listenable. I think it’s a 2, maybe because it gets a point because of the accent (and I feel a wee bit homesick just now).

2004 rap opera, more of a short story Blinded by lights Get out of my house Dry your eyes

2/5. I respect the ambition of this album, being a rap-opera about a dude having a bad day, losing the $1000 he had saved up and getting broken up with and trying to get that money and love back before coming to acceptance on “Dry your eyes.” The Achilles heel of the album is that it is really annoying a lot of the time, which feels weird to say because I actually like the Streets debut album “original pirate material” well enough. The conversational speak-rapping really just doesn’t work for me at all, and the production feels noticeably weaker than Original Pirate Material as well. The one exception is the closer “Empty Cans” which I actually quite liked narratively.

So I know that rappers will often play with time to make the song more interesting. But this Streets guy doesn't seem to be behind the beat on purpose; the rhythms he uses are way too simplistic or that. His "flow" is a complete joke, really. Just listen to the hook for the very first song. "It- was- sposed- to- be- so- EEEEZEEE" Good God. And the rest of the album is not much better from here, though the first song might be one of the worst. I don't actually mind the "day in the life" approach here. Maybe I'm a sucker for drama, but even the little situations offered up here drew me in. I wanted to know what happened with the girlfriend! And the money! But here's the thing- between his wayyyy behind-the-beat conversational flow, his lyrics about the most inane and mundane things, and his brain-dead actions in the stories he's narrating - I have come to the conclusion that The Streets is actually mentally disabled, and it feels rude to listen to this album. TWO STARS

I like it

The was the first time I had heard of the Streets and I can see why now. The flow of this album is awkward and with very slow delivery on the lyrics. Most songs are just repetitive nonsense of the same statements of sitting on a couch and smoking weed. I mean it is the same theme plenty of rappers and hip-hop artists have made millions from, but they at least make sure it is worth listening to. Whether this album was supposed to be a story or not, it missed the mark terribly. I was being generous giving this album 2 stars.

Having a really hard time rating this one. In some ways, I can see what it was going for, assuming it was supposed to be a slightly comedic take on some mundane British slice-of-life... and I think it does a pretty decent job of that? However: Did I enjoy it from a musical perspective? No. Would I want to listen to it again? No. Did I _need_ to listen to it? No. Going to settle on a 2 because I think the album deserves some recognition for being a unique concept album. It's just that I don't see the point in the concept.

Current Davie gives this a 3. Past Davie gives it a full 5. Quite sure he bought and loved this on release. It's got some great stuff but some awful shite too. Still got a wee buzz when there is the replay of the last song gives the happy ending version. Past Davie deserves a win cause his 'could we'll be in' girl never became his, so 5 stars it is. Unrelated to a point but there is only 1 Streets album on here and it absolutely should be Original Pirate Material. It's a better album and is definitely more interesting from a sound perspective considering what else was going on at the time. Not really sure why this is the Streets album chosen but see above for the high mark.

"Fit But You Know It" is one of the few good tracks on this album.

This was unlistenable babble, with one redeeming quality the song "Fit but You Know it", which sounded familiar. 1.5 just for that song, everything else was 0.5 to 1

This is so unbelievably bad by any metric in any culture and no matter how good or bad your teeth are. Mac Miller if he was a cheeky wanker from sussex. Super Hands would make a better record

I'm honestly trying to figure out how much of this is intentionally bad and how much of it is just bad. Like, it is clearly making fun of chav culture, but I can't tell if the spoken word "raps" and the poorly written/metered refrains are intentional or just due to lack of talent. If it's intentional I'm inclined to give it a little more grace than if it's just a bad album. But either way, I didn't enjoy listening to it.

Haha. Absolutely not. Nothing worked for me here.

Its not a 5* album by any means but the 1*s seem harsh when this is exactly what belongs on the list. Like it or dislike it. I like The Streets, the singles released from this album are stand out. 3.5/5. Raising to 4.

I hate it, but I guess it's pretty unique.

It was fine.

After like the second track I was like "what in the innit spoken word bullshit is this" and was getting really annoyed but I realized this is an album was put together by a bunch of 20-somethings just having fun and figuring out what they were trying to say. So I softened on it a bit. The beats and the bars are elementary but I can respect the approach. Highlight: Fit But You Know It

Shite

I don’t know if you guys know this but I love this bloke… this album is not GREAT to me like Original Pirate Material is, which I kind think is perfect lol, but I enjoy it still

when i was a kid i hated this album so much but now im like pretty mild on it! it's honestly not bad at all but its pretty unusual, the vocals

The 2 singles are nice and the accent is lovely, but it's just not my cup of tea.

Do you ever just feel dumber after listening to something? I did like "Fit but You Know It" however....

This is like British talking wrap rock. I don’t know but it’s not my thing. The song about a girl being fit but she knows it is on here

With this book you’re just gonna get some albums because it was written in 2005 by English people

Aside from a few musical highs, that was a stupid concept for a rap opera. The whole thing wasn't as funny, nor as clever as it thought it was. 1.7/5 -> 2/5

More of a spoken record album. Really liked the feel of this album. First album I've heard that really sounded British.

I've never listened to most UK hiphop acts. The overall style that's popular there just doesn't hit for me. But this dude I enjoy. Reminds me of Aesop for some reason. Something about the casual complexity, disregard for standard rhyme patterns, the beats? Whatever it is, I'm in.