A Grand Don't Come For Free

Shite

I think this is an album you actually do need to listen to. After all, it's important to know what really bad music sounds like to understand what makes good music good.

Oh, no thank you to British rappers.

Not for me 😬

This certainly was an experience that's for sure. Never heard of this album or artist so this was a complete new adventure for me, and I didn't enjoy it at all. Now, I can see what it was trying to be in it's more rough and imperfect styling and off beat weird flows as it fits the albums concept. But it just doesn't work, I like imperfect weirdness in my music but this didn't spark anything in me. Maybe if I was British it might speak to me more but as of now I wouldn't relisten. Fav Songs Dry Your Eyes Fit but You Know It Blinded by the Lights Is it Top 1001 Worthy (is it essential)? Not really, pretty rough and kinda shit record however it might be worth a listen if you're really curious or British. It's not as bad as the Kid Rock record but it's still not for me.

Is this a joke? Am I being pranked? A Grand Don’t Come for Free by The Streets is definitely not an album I needed to hear before I died. I’m trying to dig deep for the perfectly worded insult about how terrible this album is, but I keep getting distracted by how terrible this album is and coming up with nothing. This album isn’t even worth enough of my time to properly make fun of it. What really baffles me is that critics associated with this book apparently felt that an LP dedicated to the whitest British “hip-hop artist” imaginable—and the trials and tribulations of everyday life, like trying to return a DVD, make a withdrawal from an ATM, or use his phone before the battery dies—was somehow worth my time. It wasn’t. This feels like a colossal waste of my mother-fucking time.

Holy fuck. Why did no one stop this before it got recorded and released into the world? Did this guy watch Boogie Nights and think "if they can do it, I can too?" He even invited guest rappers and they are just as bad as he is. Get this mother fucker a metronome for Christ sake. I guess it's time to wipe the dust off the 1-star and get it ready for deployment.

Not a fan.

(Un)fortunately, I have heard this before which means I don't have to listen to it to tell you I thought it was shit long before I found out, from personal experience, that Mike Skinner is an absolute cock!

I just cannot take British rap seriously. I’m so sorry.

Thank goodness I read that this is a concept album. I won't be listening to this while I work because that makes no sense to me. I'll listen while I'm doing some yard work tonight and can actually focus. The first song is... something. This album was not my vibe in any way shape or form. Too man, too British, too 2004 mentality.

Not for me

Every time I think I've found the worst album on here, this list continues to prove me wrong

You have to be fucking kidding me. Like, oh my fucking god.

1/5

679 679L070CD (Europe reissue) CD rip: Um, what? It's like I'm trapped in a Guy Richie film. Cheap beats, off-key vocals, but the lyrical theme is okay though. Like a precursor to Lil Dicky. Borderline UNLISTENABLE. Is this supposed to be so poorly made that it's ironically good? Ban the British from rapping FOREVER.

I initially read "Styles: UK Garbage"🤭 (at least that would have been honest 🤨)

Nope. Repetitive and annoying.

This was a wierd one. Mike’s talk singing is unique and takes a bit of time to get used to. I loved Original Pirate Material but this was a struggle. Mike is singing even stranger than on OPM and the music doesn’t make these songs fun to listen too. The subject matter is just depressing and Mike comes off as a scumbag which isn’t a bad concept for a record but it doesn’t work here. I won’t be back

no. what is this shit. i am writing this review in lowercase because that is how he talks. and he doesn't deserve any uppercase letters. pretty shitty. the parts where he doesn't "rap", where the girl sings, are ok, but he makes everything unlistenable.

This is what I assume Essentially Simon sounds like. In an effort to maintain my sanity, I spent most of this album coming up with derogatory nicknames for British rappers. These are my favorites: 50 Pence Lil Waynker Kid Crumpet Steal the Jewels Tea Pain

Just no.

3 / 10

Rap opera sounded somewhat interesting as a concept so I was ready to give this a chance. But fucking hell, this really is on a different level of terrible. All the worst things about the early noughties on one single album. Edit: have to come back several hours after listening to this just to say that I still cannot fathom such an album exists and is on this list of all things. I'm genuinely baffled.

I remember this. It was shit then and it's shit now.

Nah this is gonna be a 1. But it's a soft 1, it's more like a 1.9 but I can't give it a 2.

You know, I think this list is actually an exercise in the author's personal nostalgia. I was hoping for more critically acclaimed and influential albums, and there are a lot of that. But you hit a record like this and are like why is this on here? When the Score by the Fugees is too?! Certainly I don't have to hear this type of rap when there are much better rap albums on the list? I do have a bias against British rap. It's really just not for me. This album gets old quickly, with the guys style.

Wow, I really didn’t like this. Hard to finish. Terrible flow and the whole premise was not relatable or something I could empathize with. Maybe if I was British I would get this but I don’t.

Unnerving stuff, very British. He raps largely without flow or rhyme, it feels like he's telling a story unaware of the background music. The story isn't very interesting or funny and the music is very monotonous. The hooks are repeated over and over and over and really get on my nerves. This is pretty original, I have to give him that, but I can't stand it at all.

fucking ass

was lauft do gad. narrativ hiphop? ok im zweite song flirtet er und verliebt sich aber wiso fühlt sichs ah als wär afoch en engländer mir am sache verzelle? und nöd sooo guet? es isch wie e parodie irgendwie. hä nöd addicted isch insano nervig? instead of betting to win the football ill bet to lose the cricket???? was? blinded by the lights isch no guet. innere monolog vomne dude im klub wo sin kolleg und sini fründin suecht woner glaubt dass öpis hend und denn chli z viel ecstasy nimmt und z viel suuft. guet beschriebe. es isch mir alles zu dr seuss und z wenig musig? aso zu narrativ z wenig hip hop? s flowt chli weird? ich bin nöd happy. bin am das lose anstatt wm luege. nai. ich bin miiiinimal invested id story aber finds for real nöd guet. ES ISCH EWIG LANG. eis vode erste woni mer überlegg nöd fertig lose. fick. nööööööd guet. oook bin bitz unsicher gsi e ziit lang aber sorry das isch es 1. jo es verzellt e gschicht und jo d produktion isch zum teil no cool. aber aaaalte ischs nöd guet grappt und afoch au langwilig über langi strecke.

RAP OPERA OMG IVH HAN MICH GFREUT ABER WAS ISCH DAS wie isch die stimm uufgno??? es tönt insane scheisse ok blinded by the lights isch en suuuper beat und d bgvs sind suuuper er redt immerno eifach chli aber s isch ok WISO ISCH ALLES SO ABGHACKT get out of my house isch richtigi chatzemusig e leeri, RICHTIIIG WACKE beat und drüber verzellt mier irgenden brit öppis fit but you know it isch iwie dumm aber macht na spass such a twat git en automatische pluspunkt will twat es lustigs wort isch AHH ICH HAN GWÜSST, DASS ICH DE BEAT VO BLINDED BY THE LIGHTS KENNE! wegen dir vom kontra k hahaha dry your eyes isch easy cute au empty cans hani eig na gern gha hmm finds schwierig. paar lieder hani echt gern gha aber en grossteil vode lieder isch WÜRKLI chatzemusig es tönt teilwiis amateurhaft und das mein ich negativ (hüfig find ich das ener positiv hahaha) ok nope jz uf boxe tönts nachli schlechter, sorry bby

This guy played the best trick on a record label ever. Well done getting them to publish the musical equivalent of a flaming bag of dog shit.

trash

An album so bad the ad breaks were a relief for me. Everything about this album is bad, the flow of the rapper is bad, the features sound like they were rapped by a five year old, the beats are garbage truck noises, there are literally zero redeemable qualities to this album. And the lyrics, oh the lyrics. Like I could freestyle better than this guy can rap, and I don't even know what to say about the actual content, it's like he tries to make a concept album but he has no concept other than being a broke British boy. Never pass the English the aux if this is what they put out. And the accent, while I know he can't control it, becomes grating after listening to it for an hour. How did this get on the list, how do critics actually like this. I genuinely can't comprehend how somebody can think this is good when it's just a bunch of nonsense. If this is underground music then we should keep it there

1/10. I could hardly keep a straight face while listening to this album. The accent makes it even more hilarious. Too bad I didn't like the music.

Like what are we doing here

Wat is dit in godsnaam

Complete and utter crap from beginning to end. There's no way this is an album I have to listen to before I die. If anything I feel like death is closer and I've gained nothing.

I love the ambition, I just wish they landed it better. I'm not a fan of this smooth R&B voice chorus they got into. I guess it feels very of its time. Sometimes this narrative thread feels a bit heavy handed too - really hammering home the story in parts and I think the ending(s) are even trying to be moralistic. Like the streets generally and there are a couple of good songs here, but altogether I don't enjoy listening through it

My mum often plays Fit but You Know It and has done throughout my childhood, so I feel a sense of nostalgia for that song. It's probably the reason why I think it is slightly less shit than everything else on the album. Guy can't rap. Beats suck too. Horrendous album.

Holy cow this was terrible. White British rap should be shot into the sun. Well at least this album.

It’s funny with albums that I have saved to my library but have no idea about before I hit play… And then it all came flooding back. Hit me like a Mack truck, actually. And you know to die by your side, well the pleasure, the privilege is mine… oh sorry wrong kitchen sink realism steeped Brit band. The thing is, the Smiths have lyricism, musical competence, and wit. The Streets want those things, and seemingly have them here and there, but rarely together all at once. I remember the first time I heard this album, probably a full decade after it came out. I really wanted to like it at the time. But as it went on, and dragged me with it, I began to have a serious sinking feeling. The weight has not lifted after another decade. I’m not sure I can even go 2. 1 Boolean: false, nope, really didn’t need to hear before I die. Not the first time, not the second.

This was so bad. He sounds white and I mean that in the worst possible way. I will NEVER listen again

”White guys can also do hiphop” especially if they are from the north? Or maybe not. I think not.

Man what the hell 1.2/5

Ugh fuck I hate this sub genre of hiphop

Dizzee Rascal and Slick Rick are proof that the Brits can into Hip Hop and make worthwile stuff, The Streets are proof that they can't. Goddamn what an insufferable and mopey sounding album. Monotone British voice with boring ass beats. The Britishness and Hip Hop of it all mix like oil and water. 52 minutes I'm not getting back, at least I now know better what I don't enjoy.

I had completely forgotten about the time that my nephew and niece decided to play piano and sing for the family. He couldn't play a note and she couldn't sing to save her life. The I listened to this crap-fest and that cringe memory came back like ptsd. Time to call my therapist. Zero stars

Dude has no sense of pitch or rhythm, the backing tracks sound like cheap keyboard presets, and the writing is like a bad student film about nothing The features are even worse The rhymes are simultaneously obvious and forced They constantly put the emPHAsis on the wrong syLLABle to fit the awkward meter Dictionary Corner-ass flow At its absolute best this album hits an occasional 2.5 but it's endearing in a weird B-movie sorta way

This is the worst album on the list. It's actively insulting to place this alongside To Pimp A Butterfly or Me Against The World. It's a meandering, sing-songy waste of an hour from a guy with no flow, no pitch, and no way with words. I have grown to love it the same way you love a bad movie. This was a fun experience and I am oddly glad to be exposed to this but if I could rate this lower than one I would.

absolutely not

i really wasn't a fan of his flow...

1.5 - very bad but there is some charm to it

i feel like i was pranked

This is my 844th album on this list, and I think it is the worst so far. Indeed, if a score of 0 was possible, that's what it would get.

Very creative, pretty heartfelt. That being said, it's more like a spoken word story than a real album. As a storytelling exercise? 2/5, as an album, 0/5. I'll meet in the middle at 1.

que porra é essa filho kkkkkkk caralho que ódio desse site

se esse mano não fosse britânico (e branco) esse álbum entraria na lista? ruim demais. dizem que a narrativa salva, mas é difícil quando tudo nele ficou datado bem rápido.

UK garage and hip-hop built from shuffling beats, cheap keyboard textures, muted samples, and half-spoken vocals unfolds like overhearing someone narrate a minor personal crisis while stumbling between pubs at closing time—mundane and awkward. And while I am used to hearing stuff like that as a psychotherapist, my thoughts for this album are: your whining is putting me to sleep.

This was easy to rate

Good God, this is awful.

Thickest accent that has ever accented, and cant sing for shit

album #57 me when my year 3 short story project gets turned into an album. this is a crime LOL. mans is dodging rhythm and tempo like his life depends on it. ꩜ average track rating: 1/5 ꩜ favourite track(s): fit but you know it ꩜ least favourite track(s): everything else LMAO ꩜ album rating: ★☆☆☆☆ ꩜ number of albums left to review: 1,032 ꩜ number of albums from the list that i agree with being on the list: 31 ꩜ albums from the list that I would consider on my list: 12 ꩜ albums from the list I won't include on my list: 45

The whole package: out of tempo, out of tune, out of rime, annoying repetitive samples, flat lyrics. 1/10

“Wow this sucks” - Me during every single track.

Not sure what this guy is. I think it may have worked better as poetry.

1/5

1.5/5

Das übliche HipHop-Rap-Gestottere! Nein!

From previous reviews it is obvious that I'm not a hiphop enthousiast, so given the very boring musical parts, it is an easy one star album. But this album just sucks on another level. It is amateuristic and even I can hear this man sucks in his rap and singing skills. Not sure what the reason was to add this to the book, but I think somehow the grand from the TV ended up at the author of the book somehow...

This is….trash

Worst british rapping ever.

1 out of 5. Genre aside this album just doesn't do it for me. The rapping felt out of time with the beats.

Damn, that was horrible. I'm so disappointed because I watched a record pick with my favorite Twitch streamer and she recommended this. Oh god, my opinion on her has definitely changed after this. I hate, hate, HATE 'Get Out of My House.' I can't stand it. 'What Is He Thinking' is also a shit song. I can't tell if I hate the instrumental, the vocals, the lyrics, the Britishness of it all, the enunciation, or all of the above. 'Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way' was fine. I actually enjoyed that one, but I could barely get through the rest. 'Dry Your Eyes' borders on listenable, but I don't know if I'm mentally there to actually say that. 'Blinded by the Lights' is another okay song, but that's the most I can compliment this album. I hope I never hear this again. My opinion ranges from 'this is shit' to 'horrible' to 'okish' to 'utter crap' to 'bullshit' again.

Such a weird album. The only good thing about it is the remix of Blinded by the Lights that Nero did…I was finkin’

Whatever humor there might have been did not translate for the simple fact that the music and especially the rapping was like nails on chalkboard. My least favorite of this project so far.

Bollocks, innit?

Wishes they were eminem

This is a hip hop hate crime.

The rap sounds like ramblings most of the time. The instrumentation is decent on a few songs, but then it's still really simple and repetitive. Even the singing is awkward some of the time.

I enjoyed Original Pirate Material when it came out. It was fun and had a certain mockney charm. This however is dog shit. It feels like a parody of Mike Skinner.

Ten seconds into the first track and I already take back all the other 1 star ratings I’ve ever given. I don’t know if I can listen to this whole thing. Halfway thru Fit but You Know It and I’m starting to wonder if this isn’t the rap version of Bad News (the lads from Young Ones doing a Spinal Tap version of the worst rock band in the world). Like, it’s gotta be taking the piss, right? It can’t honestly be this bad accidentally. Can it? Yeah. No. This is pure garbage. Holy shit.

Stayed for “Fit but You Know It” but that’s it. Not my fave.

Did not like any part of the music, voice, lyrics, mixing. I didn't make it through a single song

I’ve still yet to listen to a British male rapper that’s actually good. These lyrics are just so eye roll-able. What is his obsession with being off beat? It gets annoying when he raps off beat the whole album.

Honestly I was contemplating giving it a 2 for the better half of the album but the story ended up going nowhere in my opinion- and it’s not nearly as good as dizzee rascal!! This is like boy in the corner with LESS flow and LESS cool

I'm hungover and wish that this album would "Get out of My Ears". Yes, you see what I did there. Blinded by The Lights is the only saving grace about The Streets' sophomore album, but it's not enough to reward it with two stars.

This is hands down one of of the worst albums I have heard in my entire life... I cannot begin to fathom how this got added onto this list. It sounds like a shitpost, or like a garageband demo track your friend made in an hour. Every song is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO slow, they are usually only around 4 minutes long, but they are so boring they all feel like they are 8+ minutes. Blinded by the lights has some of the most annoying synths and no song structure, progression, or climax. It is just verse -> verse -> verse -> verse -> end. In fact every song has this structure. OHHH MYYYY GOOOOOODDDDDDD!!!!! I CANNOT STAND THIS MONOTONE DUDE DRONE ON FOR ANOTHER SECOND!!!!!!!!!!! HE CANNOT RAP, HE HAS ONE FLOW, AND HE STILL FUMBLES HIS WAY THROUGH IT!!!!! HE IS BASICALLY JUST RHYTHMICALLY TALKING!!!!!!!!! IS THERE A SINGLE SONG ON THIS ALBUM THAT HAS A CHORUS?!?!?!?! IT JUST FEEL LIKE THE DUDE TALKS FOR TWO LINES AND THEN A GUEST VOCALIST WILL SING TWO LINES AND THEN IT REPEATS FOR AN ETERNITY!!!!!! WHERE IS THE STRUCTURE???? WHERE IS PROGRESSION?????? WHERE ARE THE DYNAMICS???????? Get Out of My House is baby's first arpeggiator. I can't believe this got onto this list, basically just because he is British, but there is no Death Grips, Tyler the Creator, or Mos Def. THE LOWEST 1 IMAGINABLE!!!!!!

It’s pretty mind blowing how horrible this is.

Hmmm, Brit rap/hip hop just ain't for me.

The best part of this album was when they weren't singing. I feel like this is either a parody album, or people are really into English people who can't really sing. The whole album was just all over the place - the instrumental was not too bad, and whenever they were talking, it was decent, but whenever people tried singing, it was not the most pleasant experience. I think that you would maybe get used to listening to it after tens of listens, but that's the same as saying that you'll get used to being underwater for longer if you just keep forcing it. Overall, very meh, and I can maybe imagine people back in 2004 appreciating this but they didn't really have a lot of proper entertainment back then.

An album made by a man who hates women. Also one Direction ripped off fit but you know it. Why do men only like women with poor self esteem? Oh wait…. This man also has no talent, genuinely difficult to listen to. The mix feels like a first attempt of a high schooler making music in his basement

1.5 - Bad

Not somgs

Pathetic- supposed to be hip hop but the guy has absolutely zero flow.

this was rather rough to listen to. didn't particularly enjoy it as a whole. lyrics were kind of funny, but everything else was grating.

This dudes flow is sus. He has no riz. Anti-aura. This album is more cringe than this review. No cap.

Meh!

If I sat down and tried to imagine the most annoying hang possible, he would probably end up being pretty similar to the narrator of these songs

not for me

I don't get why this is on the list and generally popular. Any arsehole can talk over basic backing tracks pretending to be a scum bag. Sure, you can make some statement about how pop songs focus on celebrity and fail to connect with the daily lives of their audience, but you can make that statement in a talented way (see large swaths of country, rock, blues, etc.) Fit but you know it and Dry Your Eyes are decent, but like once in a blue moon. Britain should sink into the ocean.

Nope, not for me

Rap, 2004 -> 1

British people should not be allowed to rap

My wife said there was a good song on this one, but I didn't really want to go back and check again

I made it to the end...torturous. 1 "was actually fewer" stars. Just horrid, banal, should not be on this list. (I am now listening to the Mountain Goats "Beautiful Rat Sunset" to wash out the aftertaste of The(se) Streets.)

Terrible flow, terrible hooks, terrible album

Huhhuh, tää oli ehkä paskin tähän asti, eihän tätä pysty edes kuuntelemaan. Jotenki aksentti oli vitutuksen kirsikka kakun päällä. Yyyhghh

Onpa kyllä melkosta kuraa, ei saatana.

That was foul, mate.

Definitely not my alley

More painful than listening to a voice text

Dreck. Gibt einen guten Grund, warum ich in meiner Jugend 40 Jahre alte Musik gehört habe.

Why do the British rap? Leave it to the professionals

The layered vocals that are hilariously terrible, the rapping that at times doesn’t know what rhythm is, the lyrics which are pathetically bad; it all adds up to an album that should be added to 1001 albums you must hear before you die🙄 Do you know how elderly people have been known to pass away after waiting for their family to assemble near their bedside when sick, or right after their spouse dies? The question is how does someone seem to will themselves to die. Well now I know. When I listen to this, I actively want to die as quickly as possible. I’m younger and still have a will to live, but repeated listenings to this would solve the will to live part.

Holy shit, this is awful...

"Must Hear Album" my ass... This was the most painfully British shit I've ever had the displeasure of listening to. I want my 50 minutes back. Awful bars, awful flow, such a nothingburger of a "story", mostly boring instrumentals but some of the strings were nice. Standouts: N/A. 0/5

I've heard one song of theirs before and I thought it was nice. This isn't music. This is something you end up recording as a gag after a night of drinking.

Madness inducing. I could only laugh through the pain.

British people are NOT real and you cannot convince me otherwise.

This is the worst album we ve gotten yet

Just sounds like a guy in a pub ranting

Never understood the hype, personally.

One of the few times I've been lost for words while writing a review. That first song, It Was Supposed to Be so Easy... what the heck? Who thought recording this was a good idea? Especially those dastardly vocals? The brass section is okay but feels bizarre when paired with the lyrics, which consist of some upper-middle-class kid complaining about losing a thousand pounds. Could Well Be In is better, though at this point I had begun to tune out Skinner's vocal part, which could definitely be a factor. Also, the chosen piano line is pretty satisfying and smooth. Same with Blinded by the Lights (The Weeknd did it better): the synths are a cool little nod to space-crazed 70s/80s rock, and the female vocal hook is pretty strong too. (In contrast, Get Out Of My House has terrible secondary vocals.) Fit but You Know It is great – very punky – It's perhaps a stretch to call this Skinner guy a rapper. During the melody-less sections (generally, the verses), it becomes clear that he has zero understanding of stress patterns, enunciating every syllable like the two of them have a personal grudge. Skinner's accent is also pretty heavy here, which I think reflects a bigger problem with rap in general: when you speak without singing, most (or all) of your accent-upbringing comes through. And when it's thickly south-British, it gets kind of distracting. What about the singing parts, the sections that have some melodic contribution? My judgement: incredibly messy. Like, as messy as you can get. I'm pretty sure he chose to use multi-track recording against his own voice to create the impression that he has friends who are singing/rapping along in agreement. But with all due respect, Skinny Boy, I don't think that's the case. 1/5 Key tracks: Could Well Be In, Fit but You Know It, Dry Your Eyes

's a bit rubbish, innit?

I couldn't quite pin this album down. At times it felt like parody and sounded like something I'd hear in an early 2000s flash animation. At other times there were moments where I could tell it was genuine and wasn't too bad. If it is a parody it isn't a very good one. Overall I think the bad greatly outweighs the good this is another album for the "Why is this on this list?" folder and a 1.5/5 rounded down to a 1

Oh hell nah…why on gods green earth would anyone want or need to hear this?? Complete dogshit. British people shouldn’t be allowed to rap.

After 911 albums, I’ve finally felt compelled to write a review. It’s to write the following: There is not a single redeeming sliver in this album. It’s like listening to an annoying co-worker who won’t leave you alone. With every passing second, you feel your blood pressure rising with aggravation. It is an unmitigated steaming pile of crap.

Can’t get past the corny flows and voice

I was excited to hear that it was hip hop at first, and then it got to the chorus of the first song. It’s like someone’s little brother got hold of their sound mixing equipment.

Ugh this was awful. I hated every second. It feels like a joke. I couldn't get past the 5th song. 1/10

This was one of the worst things I’ve ever subjected my ears to. During the first track, I thought “Okay, this is pretty bad but the whole album can’t be like this.” Boy, was I wrong. I don’t even know what was happening, but I know I hated it. I think there were maybe three tracks where we hear the ‘protagonist’ going on and on about his TV not working? That is some riveting source material. Maybe it was satire, but it still didn’t need to suck that bad.

What a load of crap. I really don't feel like writing another comment about this. 1/5

Nope. Nope. Nope. Not for me. Can't rap, can't sing, didn't even have any damn clever lines or impressive music to redeem this. I'm a fan of some seriously sloppy music, so I'm not saying people with less than amazing skills shouldn't make music, but this felt like deliberately half-assed mediocrity from start to finish.

The emperor has no clothes. Anyone claiming to enjoy this needs serious help. Total toilet.

Abysmal

Oh no no no. Who told this bloke we want this?

I won’t ding it for the heavy accent but I will for the lack of rhythm, the unimaginative beats and the lame lyrics. This album had one song I didn’t detest.

Wtf was that?

Ali G bars. Each track was funnier than the last. I'd give it a six if I could.

Oof

This was bad. It sounded like a whiny, drunk guy poorly rapping about all his troubles over a random drum track setting and constantly a step behind the beat. 1/5

Sounds like British blokes poking fun at rap 1/5

Didn't finish. The spoken word hip hop is not for me. Quite possibly the most British thing ive ever encountered.

The music is good enough, the concept is alright. But the success of a concept album telling a story needs a charismatic character, and this album just doesn't have that.

Almost 150 in, and this is the worst album I've heard on here so far. I saw "early UK Rap" and was interested, but this was horrible. I legitimately had to look up and verify whether or not this was satire. His delivery is awkward and the flow is nonexistent. The music sounds like he randomly picked a pre made tune that came with his keyboard.

strong dislike

I’m gonna start with something good to say - this album tells a story, and I appreciate the consistent through line in the album. I appreciate their commitment to this unorthodox music style. And, it did make me think critically about the importance of metronomes. Now, for the rest of my review. This album has all of the flow of a 5th grader’s poetry who need to make sure every line rhymes. The lyrics are laughably bad and painfully British. There is NO musical excitement - once a beat is established, it does not change or grow throughout the song. There is nothing cool about this album. Nothing even close. It’s kind of like they recorded the lyrics first and then found a backing track and used it without seeing if it fit with the tempo or rhythm of the rapper. This album is actually a ringing endorsement of bullying - someone really should’ve bullied these guys out of releasing this album. The only thing that would redeem this would be if they came out and said “guys this whole album was a joke”.

absolutely RUBBISH

very british, day in the life raps. kinda reminds me of atmosphere life gives you lemons but more British and less good

I’d heard a few songs by The Streets before and thought I didn’t mind them, but I can’t do a whole album. In fairness, this isn’t a style of music I listen to much anyway and I know people who love this. It’s just not for me.

Fy faen det her låter kjipt. Noe av den dårligste produksjonen jeg noensinne har vært borti. De fleste av låtene er også jævlig slitsomme. De små faklene som signaliserer gode låter brenner for svakt og for spredt til å utgjøre noen forskjell. Focken' shait, innit.

I might have to pay a grand for the amount of therapy I need after listening to this… album. I genuinely cannot fathom how this got on the list. If the beats are sampled, I feel sympathy to the original artists for their track being run into the mud for this. If they made these beats, I’d have to imagine their producer is a 5 year old making beats on GarageBand for the first time with how uninspiring and yucky the beats are. Bro can’t flow bro can’t rap the lyricism almost gets the album to comedic funny because of how bloody horseshit they are. I felt like IShowSpeed on that one iconic Fortnite gif the entire time, tryna not to laugh at it BECAUSE I LISTENED TO THIS AT WORK HELPPPPPPP. How tf 1.6 million people listening to this guy every month

What the hell is this crap? This guy is just rambling about his boring British problems. There's no flow throughout the whole album. At times, you can only laugh at this because it is that preposterous.

Shite.

1/5

The album has a funny storytelling and it is interesting at times but how this album could deserve inclusion in a list such as this one is beyond me. 5/10 [DROP]

DNF.

sounds like a teenager's journal read over a beat from a 1990's era drum machine. Shite!

what

I've heard Fit But You Know It somewhere, but I have no idea where. Dry Your Eyes wasn't too bad, but christ, my initial thought was that this was a parody of rap albums. Maybe I'm not cool enough to "get" this album...and that's okay.

לא אהבתי זה היה ממש מעצבן

I thought I might be in trouble when all Wikipedia had to say about this was "it is on the 1001 albums list." How so many people thought this was a 5 (the best possible rating) is really puzzling.

HOT, HOT, HOT Garbage

I was really hoping I would enjoy this, but boy did I not

This album is comically bad. My jaw was hanging open throughout the majority of the first track because how shit it was. The flow sucks, the beats are goofy as hell, and the lyrics are basic and repetitive. Every song repeats the chorus like 5 times and its infuriating. This is why this is my first ever 1-rated album.

Shit

Garbage

Worse than dinosaur jr., but slightly less aggravating to listen to than slint. 1.25 rounded up.

Loš album skroz. 1/5, 1/10

I didn’t really care for this album, I guess the concept was interesting but I just found the songs dull.

Not my thing at all

Highlights: Fit but You Know It Lowlights: Literally everything else Shit beats. Shit lyrics. Shit flow. Is this guy a nepo baby or something? This makes 3Pac sound like Kendrick.

It certainly sounds more interesting when somebody raps with a british accent. But it does not make it any better. And oh, hmmm ... wasn't it to be a list of albums you needed to hear? What, one of the albums you need to hear before you die? Really? Why? I can't think of one reason why this album is here on this list. Maybe because you should wander whether to have burger or chips? Or to teach you to first decide what to order and then stand in the queue? Or because you should be standing more often at the bar waving a ten pound note around? It is a joke, that this album is on this list.

I came into this thinking, I wont like it but I'll give it a go The it gets to Get Out of My House and its 50× worse than I could have imagined People must be pretending to like this absolutely shite shit shitness. Its embarrassing to listen to

yeah 10 sec was enough

wow this suuuuuccckks

I usually like British rap or grime. But I've tried to listen to this about four times now. I made it to Dry Your Eyes this time. Why not finish it you say? You're only one track away from the end you say? I just can't take it any more. I can't try for a fifth time. It's just bad. It's not good. It just isn't.

Cool this is the worst rap album i have ever heard. I love rap, and this is a mockery

Really not my thing. I've never enjoyed his rapping style and a whole album of this felt like a chore.

Favorite track(s): an album that left me truly flabbergasted as to its widespread critical and commercial success. I can't say I wasn't entertained, I was laughing damn near the whole way through. "Are you smoking crack or something? We cannot have that behavior in this establishment."

Pretty boring. The beats were generic and the flow was terrible. Most of the time he was just talking.

caramba mudou minha definição de horrivel

Truly terrible.

The Streets – A Grand Don't Come For Free On Day 42, the streak has been violently broken by an album that felt completely "ass" from start to finish. Despite the "narrative" promise, A Grand Don't Come For Free lacked any energy or "triumphant" momentum, making the storytelling feel slow and "unidimensional." For someone who doesn't connect with the UK Grime/Garage aesthetic, the "everyday" delivery lacked the "vocal triumph" or "immaculate" production needed to keep me engaged. It was a "soulless" experience that failed to hit the brain just fine, serving as a reminder that a good story means nothing if the music has zero energy. A definitive 1/5.

2/10 - Favorite song: Fit but you know it

I really did not like this. More like spoken word than rapping. I don’t care about the concept album and couldn’t really follow the story. Maybe the worst one

Really hated this. The sound of the vocals and delivery is so irritating. I cant understand the positive reviews for this record.

Atrocious (bro's British, that's all that u need to know)

What else can I say but...wow, no thank you.

british white boy rap is just not for me

mf british white boy rap... seriously???????

The vocalists tone is unbearable. Maybe it’s because I’m a “shtewpid” American, but it sounds like they are mumbling about nonsense.

1/5 Bloody hell.

no me gusta para nada este rap blanco uk cuando cantan, lo hacen desafinado y fuera de tiempo como si quedara bien malardo

Absolute shit

I don't like R A P ...

No me gustó

Ugh, Ugh Ugh and WHY?????

Como um fã de rap, devo dizer que isso foi a pior merda que eu ja ouvi na vida. 0/10

Vocals: 0/10 Lyrics: 0/10 Instruments: 1/10 Likely to Listen Again: 0/10 Overall: 0/10 Horrible song I never want to hear it again, he sounds like a robot and there is no style its like listening to someone talk in one tone forever hes singing like hes talking and just stretchin his words and his accent makes it ten times worse I HATE IT

I'm just not a fan of spoken poetry when its trying to be passed off as music.

Sounds like British middle school kids experimenting with slam poetry

Not good at all. Terrible rap!

Okay, when I said in a recent review for Q-Tip that I wanted to discover more good hip-hop...this is not what I meant. Am I being pranked?

I would give this -10 stars if I could. This is utter sh*te and the fact it’s in this list is mind-boggling

A good album doesn’t come for free, apparently.

This sounds like a demo tape some kids made when they were 13. The rapping is all end rhymes and extremely basic. He literally rhymes money with funny. And the hooks asker laughably bad. Is this supposed to be like the shags where it’s so bad it’s good or this is what passes for good hip hop in the UK?

Absolut nichts für mich 1/5

Glad this album is over.

this is so terrible i fear. the rhythm is just nonexistent. i cant fathom someone enjoying this.

Furchtbares Album. Ein Flow aus den Abgründen des menschlichen Geistes mit mehr Ecken und Kanten als ein Labyrinth. Rap Texte die mich an die Songs von Abschlussklassen irgendwelcher deutschen Berufsschulen erinnern, die in den 2000ern online gingen und wo die Anzahl der Aufrufe heute immer noch auf 'nem niedrigen dreistelligen Wert liegt. Manchen arroganten selbstverliebten Arschlöchern sollte man die Stimmbänder amputieren.

Dnf, horrible

What a joke, I can’t believe someone paid this group to make this album.

Udder shite. English rap always sounds this bad to me.

Ok wow, more British rap. And this one is a "rap opera". I actually find the idea of a rap opera interesting, but this is pretty bad. It's very amateur-ish, like someone just made this in their bedroom. Which there is nothing wrong with making music in your bedroom, but is this really a "must hear" album? My other issue is that the rapping doesn't really have any emotion. It all just sounds the same the whole time.

Just awful. The chart hits are just about listenable, but otherwise in the bin!

Shite

Not sure what this is…. Rap, rock. I’m not sure. Not crazy about music

Laughably bad. Blur's Parklife but rap and shite. Why on earth is this on the list? Really makes you question the guy picking these albums.

*an album totally RAP and with foul language.

Cool, another obscure British rap album from the 2000’s that took up a slot that could have been filled by Madvillany.

I was really feeling a 2 on this but haven't given many 1's. And this isn't really undeserving of it....

There are so many great records that were left off this list. No Chuck Berry, Tupac, or Jim Croce. No RAM from Paul McCartney or Damn the Torpedoes by Tom Petty. I have no clue how this made it over any of them. This is bad, and not in a cool or interesting way. Definitely one that has me scratching my head.

This album is embarrassing and I gave up at "Such a Twat." From external reading, this is an album that grows on you but Mike Skinner fails as an engaging MC with lackluster production tying it all together.

Someone find this man his box of money >:(

This is awful.

Technically hip hop, but imagine the narrator of Parklife doing a hip hop record about his daily life. That is this insanely bad record. A man with a thick British accent raps poorly about his boring life over some truly boring beats. I’m not sure if it's intended to be comedy or performance art or they’re just taking the piss. It doesn't work on any of those levels for me, and I'm clearly missing what makes this such a must hear record. I can only surmise that the Brits who wrote the book felt bad that their hip hop is such shit and they included this to irritate Americans. I didn't think anything could be worse than Slipknot but there I go tempting fate again. I'm sure there is something worse than this on the list. I just hope I don't have to hear it. 0/5

Absolutely not

#27 As soon as I heard the voice, I scrubbed through the rest of the album. ROUGH.

White British men are simply not made for hip hop.

Is… is it bad on purpose?

cool beats, and a nice flow. I just can’t rlly do the British accent

Politely, not my thing.

Not a fan. I liked the beats on a couple but that’s about it. His vocal style reminds me of Yard Act. The concept and music itself is just meh Rating: 1.4

This is #day484 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… maybe I'm just not a fan of British rap. Most of my childhood rap heroes were American, after all. This one, though? A genuinely steaming pile of crap. The flow is atrocious, the music is hollow. I didn't feel like finishing it. This is a 1 out of 5. Looking forward to #day485.

Shite!

Horrendous

You’re fucking with me right??? Lmao

Discordant and poor vocal performance over basic hip hop backing tracks. This is my first album and I enjoy a ton of varied music but this is a poor showing for albums you need to listen to before you die. The story being "sung" is somewhat interesting but completely distracted by the artists vocals.

Wow. So bad.

Crap, disjoined British rap. How on earth did this rubbish make this list? It's like old mate just wanted to ramble over stock beats. The mix is abysmal, and is quite possibly the worst album on this list so far. There's plenty of better ways to spend 50 minutes than listening to this crap: do a workout, go for a walk, watch a TV episode, even have a snooze: all are more interesting than subjecting yourself to this lazy rubbish. Best songs: There's no songs here, just rambles about being in British suburbia.

The stages of listening to this album: 1) good beat, this could be good 2) vocals come in. is this a comedy album? 3) wait, this is serious? 4) oh, FFS. WHAT DID I EVER DO TO DESERVE THIS. This is my 1,073rd album on this list so I've heard some 'interesting' music. But this is not only the worst album I've been subjected to while doing this list, it is the absolute worst album I've ever listened to in my entire 53 years on this planet. This is the first time I've ever wished for a 0 option on the rating scale - and I've found something positive to say about Steeley Dan. .5/5

Jazz rap is something I don't want to listen to ever again. 1/5

Can anyone explain to me why British males can sing - well - in a perfect American accent, but when they rap, they trip over their own accent and word vomit all over themselves? And yes, it's the men. There have been a couple really good British women on here that do interesting things (to my American ears) with the British accent. This is objectively bad.

British rap, I guess? It's a lot of talking off beat over rap instrumentals, it's very odd and not enjoyable.

I agreed with my colleague on this one...utter garbage. Neither of us can stand it!

Genuinely terrible. I have never listened to anything so unlike my own music taste.

Absolute shit

Started laughing after a minute or so in the first song. Thought it might be a parody album. Found out it was not.

Fuck. English rap again. I'm a firm believer in the value of diversity but that doesn't extend to letting Brits try to rap. (Review posted 45 seconds into the first track.)

i dont think this aged all too well. sounds somewhere in between soundcloud and flight of the conchords.

not good mate.

I might be too American to enjoy this. He raps so conversationally that it sounded more like spoken word much of the time. Concept albums are cool and I like a good story but man, this did not work for me. I acknowledge its ambition but will not revisit. The critical rapture around this album is actually baffling to me. I guess some of the hooks are fine. But boy howdy are the raps rough and beats inert.

This is more or less unbelievably bad. If it was a satire, I wouldn't be surprised. The beats are derivative, and the rapping is terrible. I will give it two stars because they clearly put some effort into it, but this is bad bad bad. I save one stars for things... well, actually, I'm giving this one star.

I love hip hop, but that's not what this is. This has no flow and the storytelling on this "concept album" is sad and ridiculous. Do yourself a favor and listen to Prince Paul’s A Prince Among Thieves if you want to hear a “day in the life” hip hop concept album executed and performed 1000 times better. And that came out in 1999. Any chance The Streets heard it and was “inspired”…? For the life of me, I can't see why this is on the list... 1⭐️

I thought I had a video playing in the background while this started but nope. just completely off beat 😐

It’s a concept album

I kept thinking that this album was a joke they were playing on us. This was terrible

Only enjoyable if you imagine Roy Kent rapping this. Awful. Whiny. Terrible flow. One of the worst things I’ve heard.

This British fuck! Couldn’t do it.

Not opposed to comedy/parody, but this did not get a lot of laughs from me. Maybe this is some super cultural humor for the brits

It’s kind of crazy this has a 9 on Pitchfork. What is going on over there?

Had a rough time getting through this one.

whose idea was it to put british rap on this list

this person is not very good at rapping.

0.4 I think I said out loud, "this is fucking dogshit" at least three times and skipped at some point in every song. If that doesnt make it a 1 star, I dont know what will

"A Grand Doesn't Come For Free" by The Streets is a rap opera. If you now expect a comprehensive story line or at least songs that build upon each other you will be badly disappointed. Basically, all the songs are about a guy that's mostly either drunk or stoned and thus is not sure whether the girl he's dating is into his buddy. Oh, and his savings fell behind the TV, damaging it. That's about it. Mike Skinner calls this shallow story a concept and even manages to sell an album around this. Another admirable achievement from a commercial point of view.

Boy the beat was kicking his ass. He was chasing that damn best for the entire project smh. The flow is choppy, the background vocals are doing their best to carry, the content is regular but is terrible rapping is taking me out if it. Yea this is just not good.

This is commercially inaccessible "music" that critics see as "art" and want to be successful, regardless of how much people ACTUALLY like it. Cause, let's face it... no one really likes this shit. This is niche art-rock that's totally focused on a "vision" rather than making a good record.

k this ones gotta be joke. How british do you have to be to think this is at all good. Is this enjoyed ironically? Will I listen to again: 0%

Must be the 1001st album on this list. Woof

maybe its because I'm not british, but just not digging it at all

What is this? God awful hip hop. I’m not one to think that anyone should be discouraged to participate in any style of art, but maybe The Brits should stay out of hip hop.

1.

Bad rap with basic beats

# 569 : A Grand Don't Come For Free A Grand Don’t Come for Free - If this is what a grand sounds like, I’d rather keep the change. A two-line bio, an opaque album cover, and a wave of lukewarm reviews should’ve been the warning signs. Alas, I pressed play anyway. What followed was a masterclass in disappointment. This album doesn’t just fail to live up to its hype—it makes you question whether there are even 1,001 albums worth hearing before you die. The concept? Supposedly clever. The execution? Flat. The production? Barely there. The vocals? More diary entry than performance. It’s like someone tried to rap their way through a mundane Tuesday and called it art. When your only claim to fame is that you're on this list, then congratulations. One star—because I can’t give it zero. Verdict: When hype meets reality—and reality is a letdown. Best Track (if you must): [None worth mentioning.] Listened: 16/09/2025

I'm sorry, but this one is not at all for me. Both the main rapper's flow and the amateurish-sounding beats, especially combined, are like nails being driven into my brain, to the point I genuinely couldn't focus on any narrative beats. I had to keep my volume low just to not get a headache, which is REALLY rare for me.

This was awful, actually almost painful. I didn't like it at all

Laughably bad. The Streets has absolutely zero flow. Uninteresting lyrics The song with the most potential is Wouldn't Have it Any Other Way. The singing has potential but The beat has this sound throughout the whole song that is 100% a chicken pecking corn kernels off of a metal trash can lid. 0.4 outta 5

Day612 - everything about this is bad

Definitely a case of the wrong album being included. Original Pirate Material was far superior in every way to this album. A few good tracks but plenty that are embarrassing to listen to (the opener It Was Supposed To Be So Easy and Fit And You Know It which has aged very badly).

Bad

Wish we could leave 0s or half stars at least for garbage like this. Dude’s rapping sounds like a parody of hip hop, and not in a haha funny type of way, but in an absolutely insulting way. This has taken this 1001 album list to a whole new level of Brit bias, because there is no other way this album would have been included without that bias. Skip this excrement.

The bops bopped but the rest...meh.

Just bad, not even deserving of another listen. What significance could this album possibly have? None I say.

There was no flow at all and was hard to listen to. I may not like rap, but putting my feelings about the genre aside, this was still objectively terrible. 0/5

It is remarkable how bad this given the amount of coverage it got at the time. Perfectly possible to produce songs about mundane aspects of life but this is not the way 1.5*

Never mind the mysterious loss of £1,000, I'm more concerned about the mysterious loss of quality control following The Streets' promising debut. Sample lyric: "She pulls away my arms that tightly clamp around her waist Gently pushes me back as she looks at me straight Turns around so she's now got her back to my face Takes one step forward, looks back, and then walks away" Jesus - where to begin? There's an anecdote in Hunter Davis' Beatles biography where he sits in on a songwriting session and, long story short, Lennon and McCartney are stuck on a particular lyric, trying to make the phrase fit the melody they have written. Davis (I believe) suggests just padding out the line with the word "just" to give it an extra syllable, but the pair explain how they avoid words like "just" in this context because it is a redundant word, it adds nothing to the lyric. Well, every Streets lyric sounds like Skinner did the exact opposite, taking a load of redundant phrases and connective words to pad out simple ideas. And the lines often still don't marry up with the meter and rhythm of the music anyway. The results are cringe-worthy. One star.

I try to be conscious of the fact that not all music is for me, nor will I get it every time. With that in mind I found this a painful listening experience. I found it difficult to either identify with the content, or be curious to know more. It just sounded dumb, but not in a fun way.

That one fucking guy from your high school who tried to sell you his demo CD for $10. Before eventually dropping out. And then 6 years later you look him up on Facebook to see what the fuck happened to him. He's opening for someone else at a pop-up dive bar cabaret in Fort Collins. He also works a day job as an assistant manager at Buc-ee's. Fave songs:

firstly, the delivery is so flaccid. even if it's an artistic decision, it sounds so unenergetic. secondly, the lyrics are dogshit on so many levels. i know the 1001 list overrepresents british music by a lot but how did THIS make the cut?

This was… dumb. The whole “concept album soap opera” thing ended up feeling more childish than the children's movie soundtracks I was actually listening to back in 2004. Instead of clever storytelling, it just came across as flat, whiny, and juvenile. Not every journey is a hero’s journey—and certainly not every journey is interesting to others.

Nah

This must have made the list to remind the world that white British rappers are awful.

I was too weak to not listen to the whole thing hoping for something, but I'm strong enough to give this my first 1 star

OMG. Absolute trash. Why on earth is this on here. This may be the worst album I’ve listened to. 0 stars.

Not good at all, maybe "for the time" but not now

Not a fan.