Reviews (page 8 of 9)
I am not a fan of this kind of thing. I just don't like it.
A classic entry from The Streets, and genre setting music style. It drags a bit, though.
3/10. So, the sound of this is like a 1/10 for me, just felt like spoken word over beats that were usually pretty irritating to me. That said, I enjoyed the rambling, moralizing story of the lyrics, and I enjoyed the humorous tone. But goddamn I never want to hear this again.
https://youtu.be/EHUeUk9dJc0 3/10
Not really bad. It is listenable, but I did not like it.
Bri'ish
Gar nicht mal so gut gealtert, auch nicht das damals allgegenwärtige Fit But You Know It.
This sounds like an album Naboo and Bollo would make together
So relieved he found the money in the end
this is terrible, lyrics don't even line up with the beat or flow... how is this on the list
I don't think it's great musically, except for Dry Your Eyes, but it's a great statement and social commentary on he early 2000s. Very nostalgic
Lite jämntjockt, men ett extra plus för att ge sig på att göra ett temaalbum och berätta historier. Låter en aning brittiskt.
Not as good as Orginal Pirate Material
Would never have discovered this without the site. I wasn’t sure what I was listening to at the start but by the end I loved it. 5/5
This album is absolutely terrible in the best possible way, definitely one of my new favourites!
I imagine this is the equivalent to Rebecca Black learning to rap from Peppa Pig’s brother. Horrendous. The beats, which are not too bad with their piano focus, cannot make this easier to listen to.
Rather painful to get through, the rapping skills were essentially non-present
I've never heard of The Streets before or any of the tracks on a A Grand Don't Come For Free. I made it through the album. I was not a fan of the talking, talking, talking over slow beats. I quickly began to ignore the lyrics as much as I could - so many f-bombs and content that I couldn't relate to. I can't imagine deciding to listen to this again. ¿I didn't hate it?
This is clever, thought provoking, sometimes funny and spot on with its idiomatic English (from 2004). I admire it, and I hate it.
Chav Macklemore without the benefit of good beats
Further exploration of chavs
I get the storytelling part, but the music itself is not my kind of taste.
Surprised I’ve never heard of this. Good fun from overseas lol
Um..wut? Wow this is bad. I’m not entirely sure I’m not being punked by some sort of awkward cringe comedy bit by Sacha Baron Cohen…or maybe this was a group project by some middle schoolers?
Fucking awful
2/11, 18%
Oh the memories. The style is still a bit jolting but once you get your head round it I liked the journey it took me on.
C'est rien c'est les rues
sont ils de grande bretagne ? difficile a dire
This album is really difficult to rate. On one hand it's one of the worst things I've ever heard. The vocal melodies and lyrics sound like they were written and delivered by an absolute dimwit and the music is overall terrible. However, there is something somehow charming about this massive simpleton character trying to communicate his very basic thoughts and feelings by recording noises and sounds. Rating: 2/5 Playlist track: Dry Your Eyes Date listened: 21/03/23
phenomenal story & listen
Hip hop alternativo. Me ha hecho gracia. Un 4.
Es hip-hop, pero me ha gustado bastante.
Listened on NME 500. Not my fav.
Það tók ca 30 sekúndur að húkka mig. Alveg fín plata!
Hip hop. No está mal del todo.
There are a lot of different styles of music but I did not know there were rap concept albums. Half way through, I came up with a name for the genre: "art hop". Then I checked wiki and the genre listed is "rap opera". Yeah OK that's a good one too. Rap is spoken word and words spoken with an English accent always sound a bit more sophisticated. But only a bit. If I wanted to invest time understanding this my rating might be higher, but I just don't want to invest in this one. Now if the genre was called art hop, it would be a different story.
I was quite dismissive of this at first. The combination of the Cockney accent and sparse production didn't do it for me. I decided to give it another chance since the Rap opera genre is unrepresented in 1001, haha. At least he's ambitious.
This is an interesting concept, and I hear the roots of dub step forming. Unfortunately I didn't have the time or patience to listen carefully to the story that he was weaving so I let it play in the background. As background music it got pretty boring fast though as there's not a lot of variety going on here.
People from England will defend this album until their last breath. Neither the music nor the story arc were interesting at all though. Favorite track: What Is He Thinking?
So this is what happens when British people try to rap, huh?
A Grand Don't Come for Free is the second album by English rapper and producer Mike Skinner, under the rap music project the Streets. This is a rap opera concept album that tells the story of a man losing his £1,000 (the grand), as well as his relationship troubles with a girl named Simone. Every song paints part of the story and the final track has two alternate endings depicted. This rap opera concept actually made the album a little more fun to listen to and kept me engaged the entire time. The album is critically acclaimed and has been certified 4x platinum in the UK. It's also considered the first hip-hop classic of the new millennium. The concept album part might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's not totally overbearing where you can't just enjoy the album for its music. You'll either love or hate the concept, but the UK rap will grow on you - even if it takes some getting used to. If you're not used to UK rap, then this album might sound a little weird to you at first. I ended up actually enjoying this album and there's a few songs I would listen to again - without needing to replay the whole album for the rap opera story. Good beats, great rhymes, and an awesome concept characterize this album.
Some individual songs are great (Dry your eyes, fit but you know it) but overall its just too similar for me to enjoy more than 1 song at a time.
I had forgotten how enjoyable The Streets were. What fun. Could Well Be In, Fit but You Know It, and Dry Your Eyes are all stuck in my head now.
Eh, I don't rate this. In theory narrative-focused hip-hop with a regional UK accent should be right up my alley, but in practice it's just not done well enough. The rhyme schemes and rhythms are basic, and not because it's elegantly simple. (Also, the chap is from Wolverhampton but sings in mockney 😠 ) I have no enthusiasm for giving this a second listen. Fave track - "Blinded By The Lights" for the storytelling, I guess...
What is this amateur hour sounding shit? Why is everyone here talk-singing? Maybe if these guys were the singers of Cake this would be more enjoyable, but this is lame, obnoxious, and whiny. The "concept" he came up with was interesting as an idea, but in execution the concept came across as just pissing me off as much as possible. There's a track here called Such a Twat - super fitting, dude!
nope
A unique album. Did make me realise my tastes have changed since Uni a little bit though
Not my thing. Just don't get the vocal style at all.
Did not get any joy from these blokes.
creative and honestly moving
i love being british
Tykkäsin kyllä. Ei mitään tajunnan räjäyttävää, mutta symppis ja hauskoja juttuja.
Kuuntelin tätä aikoinaan muutaman kerran ja totesin, et niitä kahta hittiä lukuunottamatta aika lame
We used to listen to The Streets in college and I definitely dig The Streets, but if this Rap Opera is considered influential, then Prince Paul's A Prince Among Thieves better be on this list, since Paul did it first...and better.
I don't get this album at all. I'm glad some people like this album, but the whole thing felt off to me. A lot of the music was grating and annoying and his singing didn't make it any better. Every song pissed me off at some point. I totally get why this has the rating it does. I guess my favourite song was Dry Your Eyes because it pissed me off the least.
What? I think I like it
Cooler than I thought
This talentless twat talks about "songs." How can you call those things, songs? He burps out this incredibly boring story of some loser doing things that nobody cares about. It has the same beat that a thousand other "songs" inflicted on us then he makes it even more grating by totally missing the beat while he talks. Not raps. Talks. There is no flow, no poetry, just nothing. Meanwhile this charlatan actually has people parting with their hard-earned to own this drivel or go to his shows. There's a sucker born every minute. Surely the creator of this list got payment for including this shit on the list.
I absolutely hated this when it came out. I can still see why, but i've definitely mellowed on my hatred over the years. much smarter and on point than i ever gave him credit for. fair play
Nah
An absolute crime that Original Pirate Material isn’t on this list. A Grand Don’t Cone for Free might have an overarching concept, but I’d argue the songs don’t hold together so well; I like most of them off their own merits, but altogether a full listen can be taxing.
Bri’ish innit
First impression is dogshit. Has a bit of naive art charm but the beats are horrible. The last song is decent - maybe the terribleness of the beginning of the album is meant to show character growth? Not gonna give it the benefit of the doubt - 2 stars
the storytelling surpassed all the terrible rap and made it all worth it
2004. What a time. I listened to this album a bunch when it came out. Being Canadian there wasn’t much exposure on the Streets or Mike Skinner but I remember they played the video for Fit But You Know It on Muchmusic once and I had to find out who this was. This thing is about being a cringy 20-something in the 21st century. I have to rate it 5 stars as I was one of these people!
This was very creative and a lot of fun to listen to. I immediately put it on to listen to again. Two nitpicks, though: (1) It's so over-the-top English that it almost sounds like an American doing a parody or caricature. It's like if one of us told a bunch of stories about eating hot dogs and destabilizing Central American governments. A bit daft, innit? (2) It's the kind of art rap where they repeat the chorus way too many times on every song. Best track: Dry Your Eyes
Really weak. Very little to like
When this album started, I thought it was going to be painful. It was difficult to get through the accent, combined with rap and I thought oh shit..... Listened at work and thought, not for me. Then later in the day, I found myself humming one of the later songs and thought, not that bad. Then I was telling Mindy about, Fit, but you know it. Decided to take a few hits off the peace pipe, fired up Mario Kart and gave a good listen. Well shit, I think I like a lot of this. Favorite was Fit, but really liked Wouldn't have it any other way. The backup singer was awesome, really made the song. Also enjoyed Get out of my House, What is he thinking, Dry your eyes, It was suppose to be so easy and Such a Twat. Probably not for everyone and may take a few listens to adapt to the accent, but I thought this was a good album. Not Lou Reed good, but I'm sure I'll put this on again, at least several of the songs I have mentioned. First thoughts were 1, then went to 2.5. Hell, I'm giving it solid 3. Maybe the weed, maybe I took the time to soak it all in, who knows, but I liked it.
The British really do everything better. Love this. 4
2.5 What? What is this? It sounds like a British AI attempting to rap. I think there’s supposed to be a narrative to this album, but the dude’s vocals are so distracting that I can’t even focus on that - though something tells me there isn’t a whole lot of substance in there anyway. There are a couple tracks with really solid beats that feel like they’re juuuuust on the verge of being good, and right when I’m about to be sucked in, the vocals pull me back out again. That’s the album at best though - there are also some really grating beats in there as well, like on Blinded by the Lights and Get Out of My House in particular. Really, most of this album is an awkward mesh of robotic vocals and beats that just don’t seem to pair well together at all. Anyway, those were my thoughts after my first listen, and I was prepared to give a fat 1. But after re-listening, I’ll admit there’s a certain charm that grew on me, and a couple of the tracks are actually kind of catchy despite their quirks. Yeah, it still has a lot of bad, so I’m not sure I could go higher than a 2.5, but I miiiiight give Could Well Be In and Fit But You Know It a re-listen. Maybe a little more if the mood strikes. Hell, this album may grow on me more to be honest. One of the more interesting ones I’ve heard thus far for sure.
It's like a Jim Jarmusch film - a complete story rooted in the events of a normal everyday life (if your life involves going on holiday in Spain, losing money, and trying to gamble on football in an attempt to get that money back). This concept album somehow effectively blends dark comedy with real emotional resonance of love, loss, heartbreak, and tragedy without it being a complete parody of itself. Amazing record. I was a fan of Original Pirate Material and for whatever stupid reason never really gave this a proper listen. Glad this came up on the list because I'll be returning to this frequently.
I was a big fan of this record when it first came out.
I don't know if it was just me, but the beats and the lyrics just never fit in my head. There were moments where it did, and I think on "Dry Your Eyes", there was something my ears could kind of understand. Otherwise, I was often left confused regarding delivery vs. the beat. Rather than stop to listen to the goodness, this album made me stop and say, "what?". As someone who loves lyrics, I picked up on some lines that I thought held some merit. However, it was difficult to pay attention with the music the lyrics were set against. I was thinking of giving this a 1, but I'm going to go with a 2 because there were moments I didn't absolutely hate.
I’ve never really understood The Streets. I really don’t get it. I don’t like Mike Skinner’s delivery. It’s not my cup of tea. I couldn’t get through it. I got to Fit But You Know It. Half the time it just sounds like he isn’t trying to write lyrics. When he doesn’t rhyme, when he doesn’t even rap on beat, it sounds like he’s just saying words to me — words I don’t really seem to care about. I feel like there are way too many choruses in each song and the choruses aren’t good. The instrumentals are mediocre at best. It kind of just feels like parody. Like MC Chris or something. Lyrically there are far too many references to English slang which, sure I could look up, but I honestly don’t care enough to. Maybe the point is for me to hate this character? The production quality is meh, the beats are repetitive, the song structure is repetitive. There are very very few moments where Mike’s got an impressive rhyme scheme going but then he just goes back into yapping about some mundane story arc. If I were to sum up this album in one word it would be “annoying”. I really REALLY don’t get it. Am I taking crazy pills?
Had a few redeeming songs, so I wouldn’t mind listening to parts of it again, but overall pretty bad. I think I just do not like British accents and this form of a more spoken “rap”. Beats were not as bad though
64 albums generated and this is the first rap album we’ve done? Hmmm. Something seems off. Which editors put this list together anyway? Ah…I see now that 1001AYMHBYD is edited by one Robert Dimery, an *English* writer and editor. That explains some of the more obtuse English albums we’ve gotten. Not that A Grand Don’t Come For Free is necessarily one of those… BUT, the first edition of 1001AYMHBYD was published in *2005*, just one year after Mike Skinner’s sophomore LP as The Streets. Which explains why some selections from the early aughts/late 1990s—including Skinner’s—might retain honors despite not aging all that well. But I digress. This is not a bad album. I would have liked this if I knew about it in high school, I’m sure. A time when I was listening to a lot of Atmosphere, Eminem, and Australian rap for some reason. Now, it sounds dated. The half-singing sounds…kinda bad, but in a charmingly amateurish way I guess. I appreciate the simplicity of the production. Skinner’s inclination and knack for melody too. I half-heartedly appreciate Skinner’s flow. How focused on the storytelling he is. On rhythm, inflection, and simple patterns between words rather than braggadocio. His rapping would be nice at, like, an open mic poetry night where you have zero expectations and are just happily impressed with your fellow citizens. But here? Very mid. However, I am a sucker for storytelling in music. So my ears perk at the idea of a rap album with a “Plot” subsection on its Wikipedia page. My plan was to listen to this album twice: once to listen, once to read and follow the plot. Listening: By the time we get to track 7 I’m a little tired of this sound. And track 8’s called “Such a Twat…” oh, joy. I’m skipping a few songs now. I am not digging this angry stuff. “Dry Your Eyes” gets back to the stuff I like a bit more. Like the beginning stuff. The stuff I would have liked in high school but that sounds dated and amateur now. Definitely don’t care for the 8-minute closer. Despite some mid highs, not a lot here to keep me engaged. Mostly lows. 2/5 on this listen. Reading: Honestly, I couldn’t muster another listen. But reading the lyrical plot summary on the Wiki page, I don’t think I missed much. The storytelling seems incidental and slice-of-life. Which isn’t bad, just isn’t exactly what I had in mind when I read “rap opera” and “concept album.” Still 2/5.
Finally had a breather after a crazy week to review… a funny album. The Streets’ “A Grand Don’t Come For Free.” An album I’m already a little endeared to. Perhaps unreasonably attached. I kept thinking “I’ve heard this before!” But I just couldn’t remember where. I think it was midway though a heavy alt hip hop phase I had. Here’s what I’ll say. It’s an ambitious concept. Some blending of musical theater, lyrical storytelling, multiple characters, etc. And all about such a mundane life and characters, with mundane problems, that it’s pretty funny. I actually like the cheap 2000’s production… you get the sense that the main character is so strapped for cash that he could only afford the absolute cheapest sampler and a Casio keyboard. A few of the songs sound basically unmixed. Something about it kind of works. It’s a pretty unique album because you get the sense this could have almost been cleaned up to be a… musical? Maybe it just wasn’t the right time. With a good editor, maybe broadening the other characters out, I could see it. But I mean, some of the lines are just grating to hear… after a while, are you sympathetic to the main character, or just annoyed at his stupidity? I guess that’s kind of the point. But it doesn’t make you want to return to the album a ton. But yeah, this kind of storytelling is kind of normal for hip hop, you hear some version of this everywhere. Mundane problems, gossip, axes to grind. Which is all really fun if the music grooves. This music is intentionally not tight and almost low effort, which again, fits with the story, but makes it less of a fun listen. I’ll still feel vaguely affectionate to it if it were to come on randomly, but I don’t think I’ll be returning by choice. 2/5
Love The Streets.
an entertaining album. At this point, I learned that I actually like rap music more than I thought. I enjoyed listening to this. The accent makes it better too. 3.2/5 stars
Fine
Not for me. "I'm English, I rap, and my phone sucks". That's what I got from this album. The rhymes here are decent, but the lyrics itself are confusing. At some points, this album makes me think this is a satire album. But he seems to take himself pretty seriously.
Do I like this or hate it? I’m still not sure. Maybe I like it. Do I? Boring it certainly is not.
Yeah, great.
It's an odd fish this album - many reasons I shouldn't like it, but I do.
Dogshit
Def not my style
Truely iconic. Does an excellent job of capturing life for a lot of brits.
This was not great. I find British rap to be a bit unbearable, listening to the lyrics is like hearing to someone read a bland novel out loud in an annoying accent. The track "Get Out Of My House" is borderline unlistenable. I'll give a point for storytelling, as there is an alright story woven throughout. The issue is you have to hear a British dude rap it at you.
So shit it’s funny
I love this album, love a concept album, think the story highlights some really interesting points about gambling and I love that the story has two endings. It has some really nostalgic bangers like Blinded by the Lights, and Dry Your Eyes. I like the artwork, which does conjure up images from the album and stories. I never listened to the whole album as a story before this, it's cool! The only thing is I think Mike Skinner seems a bit arrogant and into himself but I don't know him so...
Its funny with the streets because it's a bit shit but it's kind of meant to be! Luke says they all really liked it as teens as it was different and silly but we agree we're not sure it has aged well..of a time! It has my respect. Certainly very catchy
A fantastic album, a classic. The whole things feels so mid 2000s and although we were too young to understand a lot of the context of it it still transports me straight back to those days at school. The whole sound was so fresh for me then and so different I just love it.
Didn’t realise it’s all one narrative, kinda cool even if I usually find lower class English stories depressing af
Britischer Rap geht mir nicht rein. Davon werde ich wsl. kein Fan.
I really don’t like the streets, but can appreciate this was an important 00’s album so it gets more than 1 star
Dit album ken ik! Dat kan ik niet elke dag zeggen hier. Vreemd en grappig. Hiphop met een mengelmoes van UK muziekstijlen als dubstep, grime en garage. "Blinded by the lights" en "Dry your eyes" zijn voor mij wel ondergewaardeerde klassiekers. Het is geen album wat ik lekker op de achtergrond aanzet, daar is het te maf voor.
Well, this is one of those albums that will undoubtedly be lost on anyone who's not from the UK. I think it has a setting and subject matter that just plainly won't make too much sense to people elsewhere in the world, and I suspect that's why the global rating on this one is quite low. While I really like The Streets, I hadn't listened to this in its entirety before, though I'd certainly heard almost every song, just out of order. I'm generally a little more familiar with Original Pirate Material, and Has It Come To This? remains my favourite song of Skinner's. I was just a child when this was released, so I was far too young to understand or appreciate anything of this album, and that's why I was honestly totally caught by surprise to discover that this was a rap-opera concept album. It was clear that every song I'd heard before had a story to tell, but I never realised that they all went together to form an entire tale. Mike Skinner just has a way with words, lyricism and music production that makes the whole thing just excellent, both as a compelling story to follow and an album of absolute bangers. It's not just a good rap album with some bangers though, I feel it really did push the bar in some cases, with elements of early dubstep in Blinded by the Lights. I promise I'll eventually stop rambling, but I felt that I needed to give Empty Cans an honourable mention. While it's not really my favourite *song* on the album, it's definitely my favourite parts of the wider story. I really liked how it essentially had a bad ending and a good ending in the form of basically two tracks that start exactly the same and branch off in two directions, leaving the true ending up to the listener. Overall it's an amazing album and I definitely want to seek out more concept albums now. It's worth noting that I am EXTREMELY biased, due to being just about as British as this album. Favourite: Blinded By The Lights
Skinner is a fucking tool (the character, not the musician). I always feel an uncomfortable Englishness when I listen to the streets (idk how else to describe it) and I’m not sure if I like it but man can this guy create an atmosphere. 7.5/10 Fave: Blinded by the lights
Relentlessly clever and wholly original. Simple, to the point of basic beats and effects and very talky rapping seem like they should not work but somehow they do – largely because they suit the mock-heroic, quotidian epic of the rhymes (has a rap record ever so glamorized or got more from watching [or repairing a] television?). There's a humor and even a sweetness that not many other rappers could deliver.
мне симпатичен концепт рок-оперы, рэп-оперы это классная интересная тема, но в данном случае некоторые треки звучат слишком забавно (а так не должно быть, судя по всему, хотя мне это даже нравится на самом деле) и вне контекста, наверное, совсем не работают (что минус альбома на мой взгляд, хотя, может, так и должно быть), мне кажется, что можно сделать круче (вообще я пока не встречала действительно удачного (гениального??) гибрида хип хопа с какой-то классической музыкальной формой типа оперы, балета, а жаль (но это я просто не копалась пока))
It’s pleasant enough - for this kind of music it tells decent stories
This is how rap should sound - musical. Tunes and soul as well as the words. Dry Your Eyes is heartbreakingly beautiful.
Pitäisi kuunnella useammin, että pääsisi sisään - selkeesti listauksen arvoinen albumi. Tosin joka biisi on tavallaan toisensa kaltainen, saa miettimään, mikä on se Streetsin biisi jonka tiedän jos se ei ole tämäkään. Fit but you know it on kunnon bilebiisi
Nuoren brittimiehen tutut koettelemukset, kerrottuna tavalla, jonka vahvuus on kekseliäisyyden sijaan kattavuudessa. Levyn tarinoita ei voi olla kuuntelematta, enkä voi olla pitämättä niistä.
No lo escuché bien
I thought it was a load of pretentious bollocks when it came out. Nothing's changed.
C’est fait avec beaucoup de légerté, et pas du tout à la fois. C’est très British comme album malgré qu’on parle plus ou mons de hip-hop. J’ai aimé le fait qu’il y ait une histoire du début à la fin de l’album.
Intéressant. Très champ gauche. Pas tout à fait ce à quoi je m'attendais, mais je savais que ce serait différent. On est un peu dans la veine de Buck 65 et parfois en territoire de Sufjan Stevens dans l'exploration. J'ai bien aimé.
I wasn’t entirely sure if this was supposed to be a joke or not. It’s like the very dumbest kind of hip hop. Some of the rhymes are so corny and stupid that I think maybe it is supposed to be a joke, but it would only be funny if he dropped the act halfway through. He never does. There’s nothing to recommend any aspect of this CD.
Absolutely amazing storytelling in a stunning way
A really experimental album, boring sometimes. The lyrics are great and the albums seems more like an excuse to have an audiobook with poems and a beat to "rap". Only two songs can be saved from the album, but even those are strange
Not for me
Worst album ever every song just keeps getting worse
british rap.
Brit talk rapping concept album Nothing I could get into
Nope. Can't listen to rap in any style.
found the worst accent
Nope
Cool idea, didn’t finish
"A Grand Don't Come for Free" is the second studio album by English rapper and producer Mike Skinner known as The Streets. This is a rap opera and concept album about a guy having a relationship with a girl named Simone and the mysterious loss of £1,000 (the grand). Skinner talks, raps and sings and is a strength as he tells the story. There is also a very nice job matching the music with the story. "It Was Supposed to Be Easy" starts things off with dramatic horns, a slow drum beat and tells how our man lost his Grand and found his TV broken. "Could Well Be In" has a piano and a soulful feel. More uplifting as he begins his relationship with Simone. "Not Addicted" gives a more rap feel as he tries to get back his money by gambling. The third-released single "Blinded By the Lights" has synths which create a pyschedelic and paranoid atmosphere. Our protagonist gets drunks, takes ecstasy and thinks he sees Simone kissing his friend, Dan. The second single, "Fit But You Know It," speeds things up with the music and more of a rock beat. He's trying to impress a girl as he was kicked out of the house by Simone in the previous song. "Dry Your Eyes" is my favorite song on the album. Strings, acoustic guitar. Great singing and lyrics. A sad song as Simone breaks up with him. The album ends very originally with "Empty Cans" and two possible endings. Very suspenseful synths/keyboard. In one scenario, he gets into a fight with TV repairman and that's it. In the other one, he entually finds his grand behind his broken TV. I liked this album quite a bit when it came out. It still sounds good. The music is focused to the story. It might not be as musically adventurous as other albums in that genre but it still works for me.
Buen álbum de rap británico con un interesante concepto e historia. En los comentarios se nota que muchos prefieren la historia contada a lo musical en este disco, pero, desde mi punto de vista, creo que es perfecta la combinación: una simple historia totalmente actual, real y creíble que Mike Skinner nos cuenta acompañado de pequeñas melodías y sencillos recursos musicales.
Listens: 2 Enjoyed I think so It was the most clear concept album so far in terms of storytelling and I quite like that. But the style just isn't for me. If you told me this was a skit I would fully accept it. Sort of feels like an early noughties version of 'People just do nothing' Fit but you know it' feels like the point Incel became mainstream 'Dry your eyes' is by far the best on the album. It suits his voice and is an excellent climax
Very good album, nice story being told, will listen again
Not really my thing. Beats felt boring, the singing was off in terms of timing and pitch, his accent is fun tho.
This album is Uber-cool for many reasons, not the least of which is that its best-known track is funny AF and I didn’t know that it was part of this rap opera opus. This album, like The Village Green by The Kinks or Different Class by Pulp, reflected British youth so dead-on in 2004. I want to give it 5 stars. It deserves 4.5 because not everything is a banger but it’s all so accurate. Aw, fuck it.
I really feel like I’m being punked here. How is an album of bri’ish guys talking over music tracks an album I needed to hear? I clearly have missed something I guess? All I know is that this was a painful listen that I wanted to give up on three “songs” in. I would rather listen to the Bob Dylan complete collection than anymore of “The Streets”. At least this has cemented what a solid 1 start looks like.
Enjoy the concept and execution
British hip hop, not my thing.
Quite a fun project
Made me fall back in love with concept albums. Doesn't have the bedroom tunes raw power of the first album but this is music as storytelling and I love it.
Curious
HAHA this is the most hilarious sounding opening track I've heard out of the last 200 albums. The beat sounds like its tripping over itself and his rapping is so strange and funny. The chorus is so bad. the "it was s'posed to be so easyyyyy" was another epic highlight. And that's just the first song. Y'know, at least 85% of my favorite music is from the UK. But UK plus rap just doesn't seem like a great combo... Definitely worth a listen if you want to laugh. He's about as good of a rapper as Ed Sheeran There were a few tracks I didn't hate, but the overall effect of the album for me gives a 1/5
didn’t hate it, but probably wouldn’t listen again.
What an album. Honestly the true successor to Arthur by the Kinks, or The Wall by Pink Floyd, except much more grounded in "Guy loses some money, meets a girl while pilled up, cheats on her on a lads holiday, loses girl, descends in to bitter depression/realises he's lucky to have his friends and finds his money again (yes there are alternate endings)". It's fantastic, and that it can go from bawdy humour on Fit But You Know It, to heartbreaking on Dry Your Eyes, to fully dark on Empty Cans is fantastic. Mike Skinner never topped this or his first album, but the first two are both ESSENTIAL.
Straight up bad at times; at times just boring.
It was behind the TV the whole time! Haven't listened to this in a while and it was nice to revisit. Mike Skinner was criminally underrated.
interesting concept, but vocals were often too annoying. "blinded by the lights" and "dry your eyes" were the best songs
Spoken word from a person I cant relate to. The beats are amateur. I will pass
Oh. My. God. This is terrible. After skipping the first three tracks due to the uncomfortable bleeding out of my earballs, I have decided that this is officially the worst album on this list, joining Jeff Beck and Bob Dylan in the accolade of being music that actively makes me want to injure myself to spare me from the putrid filth that's invading my head. I'm pretty sure that if I took the time to tell you how much I actively disliked this album, I'd have grown old and died before I finished. This. Is. AWFUL.
I fucking love this album. Never heard it before, but it speaks to me in so many ways. Obviously, it's got that British-angsty-goofy (but still melancholy) thing going for it. It's classic British story-telling too. It brought me the same level of joy I get from watching Snatch or Lock Stock and the rest of those brilliant movies. It's just so "every day / nothing special" but conveyed in a way that sucks you in. Plus, having the first song being about losing 1000 pounds and the last one about finding it gave a nice sense of closure - like I just lived through something with this guy. Love it.
Lyrics and production are do miserable. I must be missing a huge amount of contact for how many 5 trains this got. Lyrics don’t even go along with the beats in most songs. Feels completely disconnected. Sounds like someone making an ironic British rap song. Ali G vibes without the irony.
Jako kul priča al da fali neki flow da mi bude četvorka
Sviđa mi se koncept, ljubav, droga, općenito. No, problem mali je u tome što mu je flow dosta slab, nekako amaterski - valjda s razlogom jer više priča priču nego što repa, više vuče na tipa ono pričanje kao u Parklife od Blura. Nekad mi to zasmeta na albumu, beatovi su super, kažem, koncept je dobar, poput neke mini serije - moglo bi se zamisliti. 3.5/5 mi je. Dobar album, valja ga preslušati i definitivno zvuči britansko.
OK, when I heard the chorus I kneeeeeeew these guys were inspired by the group called The Shaggs! I like that, they do it well! Very interesting and I Love the heavy British accent. I get excited when I hear British singers allowing their accents to come through in their songs. Background music is a bit repetitive for me. I think it would be fun to learn all the words.
aww man, I fucking hate brit rap but you know what? this was way better than I was expecting I mean still kinda lame, but really good for a wanker, better than eminem to say the least I like the experimentation with unique flows and time signatures and the story telling was pretty fun for a normal day in britain 8/10
Overall the album wasn't terrible but it wasn't my cup of tea. The lead track from the beat to the lyrics seemed very basic. This definitely wasn't my style of rap. To be fair however, after listening to the album I read the album description on Apple Music and it seems that this is a concept album with one theme running throughout. I may or may not go back and listen more closely keeping that in mind.
Pretty annoying yet there were some elements that made me wish that I actually enjoyed this. Somewhere between bad and mediocre. Another album for the "I dont get why this is here" pile.
Now that’s a surprise, never heard hip hop like this. Really good!
Sounds a bit dated now. A couple of tracks were fresh and ok at the time. Just sounds a bit juvenile these days.
How did this get to #1 in the UK. This is terrible. Really Really don't dig it
Soooo bad... but nice to dust off the 1.
Not sure where I stand with this album. On one hand, I admire the documentary of a certain type of familiar lifestyle. Skinner manages to explore romantically, but critically the position of a man in his 20s, stuck in a teenage drug phase, comfortable in his uselessness, but clearly with an itch to scratch, knowing there is probably more, but not quite getting it. His petty dramas, are never more than that. That all said, at points the album feels badly constructed, both musically and lyrically. While the narrative is always entertaining, he often sounds like he's reading his words over beats that don't quite match.beats that are simple in an obvious way. On occasions this works, the warmth of the story and his delivery keeping us engaged, on others it sounds flat and awkward. I found it frustrating, wanting to like it more than I did. I found myself less critical the further I got, but not sure if that was because the content got better, or because the story had pulled me in.
I can’t believe we turned out backs on Diggable Planets, De La Soul and Arrested Development to listen to this. It’s not bad per se, but not as cool or innovative or musical or intriguing as any of that stuff. This hasn’t aged nearly as well as Massive Attack or Tricky, which I’m sure nobody worried about when it was new. Oh welll.
Loved it, loved the fact of a story throughout the entire album
2002, along with continuing the streak of every year of this millennium being utterly crap, saw the release of Original Pirate Material, the debut album by The Streets, a garage/hip-hop homegrown work by Mike Skinner, a talented emcee from Birmingham, who pretended to be Cockney to the bones. Now, I started university in 2002, and beforehand I spent some time in London, and I can tell you that Original Pirate Material was everywhere in the capital, for good reason. Original Pirate Material presented a recognisable portrait on contemporary youthful London life, both hedonistic yet somehow unsatisfied, loving the pub-club-spliff-takeaway treadmill yet wondering if life should be so shallow and focused on instant gratification. Mike Skinner proved a witty, incisive lyricist, a man steeped in that British tradition of the clever-beyond-his-class songwriter, and it demonstrated that UK hip-hop, oft a kicking-boy of British music, could foster an independent, worthwhile voice. This is not to say Original Pirate Material was perfect; many found The Streets grating and oafish with justifiable reasons. But I was not one of them, and I had moderately high expectations for what The Streets would achieve in the future, and A Grand Don't Come For Free could have cemented Mike Skinner as one the great British lyricists. I hated it. I found this album abysmal. It is the sound of a starving artist being offered a banquet, then pigging out and disgusting everyone by pouring custard onto a beef wellington and subsequently vomiting all down his front. Every decision made on this album proves to be exactly the wrong one, and I have no idea why this, instead of Original Pirate Material is on the list. Harsh, I know, but the deterioration from the first album to the second is palpable. For his second magnus opus, Mike Skinner deciding to make a concept album. That sound you just heard was you releasing the safety catch off your grandad's luger. So, a concept album about a poor young man who meets a girl, blows all his dosh on an ill-considered bet, gets drunk/stoned/pilled-up, loses the girl, then either sits in his flat resenting his bad run of luck, or finds a grand down the back of the TV (yes, that last part makes absolutely no sense). As a narrative, it sounds and is pretty banal. But the main issue with the story is that even though the chap goes through a series of common experiences, the listener doesn't empathise with him at all. He just seems such a twat. He goes through these experiences with little genuine reflection, almost like a philosophical zombie, an entity with no internal life whatsoever. The girl leaves him because she clocks that he is just a loser, an opinion with which the listener agrees. The albums second greatest weakness is that you just don't care about him. The biggest weakness? Mike Skinner's rapping. All his talent, all the lyrical flair on the first album has vamoosed. Try saying this couplet: I might ask my mates where they'll be drinking From the sofa giving them a ding Seriously, just say it. It feels awful in the mouth, because it is an incorrect use of metre. The entire album is constructed from similarly jackknifing lines, lines which invariably end in the worst rhyming couplets conceivable. Again, look at the cited example, which manages to be both lazy and laborious. And then Mike somehow succeeds in making it worse by STRESS-ING EV-ER-RY SYL-LAB BLE. Mike Skinner seems to be aiming not so much for Roots Manuva as Pam Ayres. A Grand Don't Come For Free is one of the most wince-inducing cases of second album syndrome I have heard. The biggest hit from this was Fit But You Know It, which was a huge song at the time. Fit But You Know It doesn't quite slot into the risible concept of the album, which can only be to its credit. But consider the song's half-life. Dapper Laughs was a comedy character by an already-forgotten estate agent-turned comedian, whose schtick was short skits on Vine depicting a wilfully crass lad (his catchphrase was "Proper moist!"). His routines consisted of 6-second bits where he would say, for instance, you shouldn't eat a banana next to a gay man, as he'd think you'd want to suck him off (ba-dum-tsh!). ITV2 (the number tells you it's crap in advance) gave him a short-lived TV show, where he tried to parody dating advice shows by granting his wit and wisdom to actual members of the public (such as shouting out "GET YOUR GASH OUT!" to show off your adventurous side). A few rape jokes down the line, his show got put out of our misery, and the comedian had to go on Newsnight and announce he was retiring the character. Anyway, the theme tune to Dapper Laugh's show was Fit But You Know It. That's what I now associate the song with: a pillock shouting at passing women to show him their boobs for proper bants.
15th May 2022 Listened in the morning and finished at work. Gareth came round in the evening to chat about Kate. Mike skinner and the streets have what every artist is striving for- a sound which is unique that you know immediately is them. Tracks the course of a relationship, but adds grandeur as well as grounded realism.
This one was both musically fun as well as an intriguing concept. I had to read a review on Wikipedia to understand the themes, which made the story clear. Very cool concept and well executed.
This is Hip Hop - a.k.a. "Thank you but no thanks." 1/5
Terrible flow and beats. I'm just awestruck by this album's inclusion here.
Sounds like a bored Stephen Merchant doing a shitty hour-long SNL sketch. BUT it also has a strange earworm quality to it. I can see this growing on me over repeat listens, but I don't want it to.
First of all, I love these songs about nothing. Honestly half of these songs could be episodes of Seinfeld. All the songs are weirdly believable slices of life. In some ways, the album kind of reminds me of a Philip K. Dick novel, in that it does a really good job of putting you in the head of a guy, - but you don't really like the guy and it's not necessarily a head that you want to be in. This gets 4/5. Not a 5, because I'm never going to listen to them again. It's like a really good movie that I never want to watch again.
The sound of my first year of grad school. It is a very unique sound and can sometimes be too much but I do generally enjoy Mike Skinner.
It felt like I was listening to the part in a musical where the music keeps going, but the lead talks and addresses the audience. Him being off the beat all the time really irked me.
Yeah, this isn't really my kind of thing, but it's okay, I guess. Some nostalgia value for Well Be In, for example. Blinded by the Lights is the main one I remember, and it holds pretty well, I guess. But yeah, this kind of slow, regular talking style of rap isn't my deal for the most part. Oh, Dry Your Eyes is good too. I'm glad he found his thousand quid at the end, even if this didn't totally do it for me.
Well this was kinda weird. Not a big fan, the rhythms were weird and I found myself tuning them out more often than not.
ok
Rap-opera, alternativt, elektronisk, snakkende, dramaturgisk
this is hysterically bad technically British rap
UK rap. Just not into it. Painful. The album cover is nice though.
Never knew that "Fit But You Know It" was part of some over arching drama concept album. Not one I'd want to listen to all the time but probably will come back to this one.
Best Song: Blinded by the Lights. Interesting and introspective description of a drug trip, helped massively by someone else taking over the vocal hook. Worst Song: It Was Supposed to Be so Easy. The chorus sounds like a failing student in an adult education centre trying to read aloud to the class. Lyrically, the song is just on the line of self-awareness so I can't actually tell if it's satire. Even if it is, that doesn't redeem the song. Just explains it. Overall: The stream-of-consciousness, intensely sincere, story-telling lyrical approach is (at times) really interesting here. Sadly, literally everything else isn't. The lead singer would have been better off writing dialogue for movies and TV than trying to cut it as a rapper.
ol’ shakespeare if thy haddeth backing tracks
Good follow-up to their debut, though not as good imo. 6-7/10
Interesting flow and just "normal day" subject matter. Not sure I'm a huge fan though.
Original, fun, quirky, great London beats
okay rap sound.
Tja, toch de 2 mini-hitjes die ik leuk vind..
Alsof je in een auto zit met off-centre wielen; hele andere flow dan ik ooit eerder heb gehoord, cool!
Interessant en best grappige teksten, maar verder kon het me niet zo bekoren.
Ik heb dit nooit helemaal begrepen. Een gast met een sterk Engels accent die verhaaltjes vertelt, op wel geinige beetje weirde electro.
Ik mag dit wel. Gezellig 🙂.
English rap band. Ok if you like rap I thought it was a little bit different.
"A Grand Don't Come for Free" has a interesting structure as a rap opera, mixing alternative hip hop with electronica to tell a mundane story of a british young middle class man. But the structure is the only good thing here, as the songs struggle to be anything more than a white man's hip hop experiment.
The homemade sound of this album was both off-putting and its charm. The closest comparison I can think of is the Shaggs. I liked the idea of a rap opera, but I would like to see and hear the movie cast... The story was interesting and fun. I liked listening and hearing it unfold. I just have to ask, do I really want to listen to it again...
This was a quirky album. Definitely a not just a collection of unrelated singles, but a full-out story of this poor dude. The story wasn’t actually all that interesting to me and at times it almost felt like when a kid is making up a song about what they are doing as they are doing it. I didn’t find the beats all that interesting either. I applaud the innovation, but it didn’t really rock my world.
This is a simple but compelling story performed as a rap opera in a Brummie dialect that would make anything charming to my American ears. I'm not super interested in listening to any single song as a stand-alone track. But the album as a whole is unique and provided me with a fascinating listening experience today. I really enjoyed it.
When I started this I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it… and then it took me on a journey with a protagonist I am completely taken by. It may not seem like an epic journey - filled with mundane details as well as the highs and lows of a relationship of a stoner’s life in Britain - but by the end I was so emotionally involved that by the breakup in “Dry Your Eyes” I actually had to heed the advice myself. This is an absolutely wonderful album. I felt like my life changed a little today.
uhhh rap
Was not feeling the album at first but by the end I was lovin it.
A rap opera, concept album, whatever: a tale of losing £1000, finding and losing love, and living a mundane telly sofa life alongside the pill pub club scene in the early Ohs. Sounds dreadful, right? Wrong! Well, kind of right, but no - it's easy to follow unlike most story-based LPs, lots of humour and self-deprecation - and lots of crap, forced rhymes that stand out because of Skinner's deadpan, unsung, unmelodic delivery. And I liked that. Unpretentious, trying, lots of failing, just like the Mike in the story: shit but he knows it. And it works. Four stars well-earned.
I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this. It was interesting...I think?
Lyrics 🏆
Way better than I thought, proof that ‘rap’ doesn’t have to be about shouty aggressive lyrics & it’s piqued my interest in his other work, especially the non-rap stuff.
A fantastic companion piece to Arctic Monkeys' debut album. Every word feels perfectly chosen to draw out comedy or poignancy to the max. As a result, I really enjoy the repetition of phrases over and over again. A fantastic snapshot of early 2000s Britain, one to enjoy further in the future.
Good storytelling and funny. Prefer Original Pirate Material.
One of my all time favourites. Superb.
Couple of catchy tunes but mostly pretty dull stuff.
Not bad
An absolute cracker from start to finish. The best thing Mike Skinner has done - untouchable
Grand 💵
El disco chido es el anterior. Tiene como cuatro rolas buenas.
Trash
This is so freaking Bri-ish
The bright spots in this one are extra bright, because the dim parts are soooo shit
Real close to a 1, tbh....
2/2/2022 Today's Album: "A Grand Don't Come for Free" by The Streets - This is already incredibly interesting to me, being my first real exposure to British rap. The first song is incredibly charming, with a narrator rapping decent bars being broken up by the chorus, which is actually really catchy, not to mention stripped back and very close in the mix. It almost sounds more like poetry. Could Well Be In brings the beat in and is really warm and groovy. The flow on this track is much more casual. The choruses of these songs so far sound a lot like Watsky and I think the overall vibe of this album is felt in a lot of modern bedroom storytime rap and although that genre has its time and place, it's definitely as more of a background lofi setting. The beat is kinda cheesy. After listening to about 4 more songs, I have decided this is not worth my time. The vocals are obnoxious, the beats are either simple or overblown. The lyrics are extremely British and it gets to be so fucking cheesy. I legitimately laughed at some sections because the delivery is just awkward. The charm that the shitty production gave it quickly wore off as it just sounds hollow and machined. Such a Twat is still pretty annoying, but its not as bad as the rest of them with a decent refrain. Actually, getting to Dry Your Eyes, I really enjoy it. The story of a broken relationship is really well done and the singing in the chorus is actually great. The whole concept of the album is actually not poorly done either, but I think some of the worst parts really overshadow it. Score: 2.5 Very rarely enjoyable Highlights: Such a Twat, Dry Your Eyes
As far as concept albums go, this one's a keeper. And it's a U.K. rap/grime concept album, to boot! My only minor reproach is that there are a few underwhelming tracks where the overall narrative takes over the music itself in terms of priority, especially towards the middle. But fortunately, this is not the case on the records' highlights. "It Was Supposed To Be Easy" is a striking opener, Mike Skinner's heavily accented yet clear-as-a-bell lad's voice doing wonders to set up the table and introduce the story *in media res*, as in most great short stories or novels. "Blinded By The Lights" is one of the best depictions of a drunken night ever penned this side of the pond--it's slow pace swaying you into the narrator's hallucinory state of mind as if you were there in that sleazy club with him. Far more straightforward, "Fit But You Know It" is a snarly hit with a catchy rock guitar sample. And "Dry Your Eyes" and "Empty Cans" end the yarn with the right amount of emotions, the latter even serving as a morality tale of sorts about free will and redemption. The strings arrangements on those two last tracks are very subtle, too. They're not strings for Hollywood stuff, they're strings for Mike Leigh or Ken Loach. Which is fitting here. As usual for those five or four-star reviews, I won't add much to what has already been written out there about this particular album. I even fear that I've spoiled the story a little with what I've written so far. But beyond that spoiler alert, what I found really interesting about this sophomore effort is that it was a different way for Skinner to depict that working class world he had already brilliantly explored in *Original Pirate Material*. Here this world of lads, lasses and geezers is viewed through the lens of a particular narrative, and such storytelling ambition often feels earned. Because Skinner keeps it sharp and simple, right as it should be given the topics he chose to deal with. It's a story about characters having mundane challenges in their social and love lives--characters having money issues, passing deluded thoughts and self-denial phases, not to mention addictions that might turn from a minor problem to a major one if left unchecked. But mostly, it's a story about simple folks. It's a rap opera, yes. But it's a rap opera about us as a people. [Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 982 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 8 (including this one--but only on the condition there's room for *Original Pirate Material*, too) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 6 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (as I think many others are more important): 4 Albums on which I feel my judgment is muddled by my past forays into specific genres instead of others (some might end up on my final list if they're culturally important): 1]
Apart. Mensen die praten als robots. Verder beetje raar kletsverhaal met wat geinige beats. Ik vind de spraak best slecht eigenlijk. Sommige beats weten me wel te boeien. **
This album was a nice surprise for me, having not heard of the Streets previously. It is a compelling record and is easy to get into repeated listens. The storytelling is great which requires more of a close listen than most albums. This is a well crafted concept album and an enjoyable and fun listen. Favorite songs are: "Dry Your Eyes", "Blinded By the Light", "Could Well be In" 4 out of 5.
The Street's lyrics are at their best when they're conversational, vulnerable and a little bit awkward, and Mike Skinner does a fine job and working those into his self-centred storytelling on A Grand Don't Come For Free. Some of the tracks just don't land for me, possibly because they haven't aged super well. Fav Tracks: Could Be Well Now, Dry Your Eyes and It Was Suppose to Be so Easy
Mike Skinner possesses a really distinctive flow and a uniquely British, working class take on millennial rap. While some of the beats and tracks have aged better than others, A Grand Don't Come for Free still holds together as a rap opera grounded in everyday concerns incredibly well. But in spite of its ambition, I think Original Pirate Material is ultimately the more essential Streets record. Favourite tracks: "Could Well Be In", "Blinded by the Lights", "Dry Your Eyes"
Some really cool tunes here. Great storytelling interesting sounds/beats. I enjoyed my listen not sure if I want or need any further listening though. 3 🌟
It’s great. Although there is probably a fair bit of nostalgia related to that with this one.
I love this album. The storytelling is amazing.
3.5/5
Disc de hip hop molt musical, conceptual sobre les vivències del protagonista a Londres, i les seves penúries diàries. Recordo quan era la "nina dels ulls" de l'NME, mitjans dels 00s, el van reivindicar massa, jo crec. Però el disc és força bo i molt més digerible que el 80% del hip hop USA
Nunca había oído hablar de este músico ni de este proyecto. Y eso que creía que conocía bastante música British! Sinceramente me ha parecido un peñazo. Supongo que la gracia está en las letras y mi inglés no llega para entenderlas completamente. Así que como ni la música ni el ritmo me interesan no creo que le de más de 1 estrella. Se salva por "Fit but you know it" y un poco por "Dry your eyes".
A Grand Don’t Come for Free by The Streets (2004) It had to happen. I wonder what took so long. This is rap opera. And it’s not bad. It has a plot. It has humor. It has closure. It has characters that develop and (petty) conflicts that resolve (barely). But it is hugely stunted in the relevance department. Not like Wagner. Not even like Rossini. More like a cross between Bizet and Berg. Yes, Carmen meets Wozzek! But what it lacks is high drama. At least Wozzek had World War I. And Carmen gets killed in the end (sorry if I ruined it for you). Nevertheless, I started this review thinking I was going to give it a “one” star. Then I read through the entire libretto (lyrics) and decided it merited a “two”. Then, as I listened throughout, I felt it deserved a “three”. And as the reverberation faded on the final note, I thought “Dude, this is a solid four”. I won’t spoil the storyline. But the protagonist is a kid, “Mike”, living the lowbrow culture of British proletarian youth. The antagonist is the lowbrow culture of British proletarian youth. You can see why this isn’t going anywhere. “Mike” experiences frustration, loss, love, betrayal, envy, trust, moods, drugs, turns of mis/fortune, and two endings! The dialog and personal reflections are full of vignettes that elaborate the setting, but to what end? Well, maybe self-reliance, but does that ring true? I’ll leave it to my readers with advanced degrees in philosophy. Rhythms are unconventional, and that’s a plus. Beats and melodic lines are unconvincing, but they do sustain interest, and there’s plenty of variety. I’ve never been high in a dance club, but if I had, I bet it would feel a lot like the vibe in “Blinded by the Lights”. And the mood of jealousy and suspicion is perfectly captured on “What Is He Thinking?” Listen to these two tracks and you might be tempted to listen to the whole album straight through. Mike Skinner’s voice is weak, and he lacks range (barely eking out the melody on “Get Out of My House”), but that doesn’t prevent him from giving plausibly authentic expression to the emotional responses of his character. It draws the listener in. Now the vocal support from ‘Leo the Lion’ is mellow and smooth, in fine R&B timbre (“Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way”). Other voices are sub par for a studio recording, but might have succeeded in a stage production (which I’d pay good money to see, if there ever were one). If you decide to listen to this album, do it without distractions and stay focused. There’s good art here. I’m gonna quit this now and listen to it again, if you’ll excuse me. 4/5
I just don't get the hype.
This is a sort of hip-hop opera,where all the songs being related by the story of a some lost money.(7/10) FT: Fit but You Know It, Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way
This was unexpected. Really awesome!
Aggressively British people do Tupac. Not a fan and the first track was fucking awful
Pretty weird.
This album belongs on the worst 1001 albums list. Yeesh. 1/10.
Wasn't what I was expecting, but interesting hiphop story album.
Un bon concept pourun bon album .j’ai apprecie l’ecoutert je suis interresse par le band. 4.25
A Grand Don't Come For Free is a great brit rap album by The Streets. It may be his best album album, but I prefer Original Pirate Material as it is more original and I was more surprised at the time of its release. "Has It Come to This?", "Let's Push Things Forward" and "Weak Become Heroes" and impressive tracks.
British hip-hop. Not in the mood for ATM
An old friend, not as good as I recalled
Some of the music here is interesting, but the lyrics are needlessly swarthy, and ultimately the story is about an unobservant guy that generally makes bad decisions but gets lucky every now and then. Not interested in listening to it again. 1 star.
It's a big ("grand") attempt at a rap opera and I respect the effort, I really do, but it's just not enjoyable to listen to.
3rd listen. First few times I heard this album, I thought it was just ok, but over time, during these past several months, I have grown to really enjoy the album. 4/5.
Lovely bit of Brit-Hop, he has his own style as a street poet and I love that he performs in his own accent. Love "I Could Well Be In" "Fit But You Know It" "Dry Your Eyes" of course. Lovely snapshots of Brit Life in the early part of the 21st century. If you like this you must also love Arab Strap, proper social commentary through music.
What the fuck? Who cares about any of this bullshit? This is the first album in a while that felt like it was made specifically to make me angry.
In good faith, this album is pretty poor. As a hip hop fan, it was awfully cringey to my ears, the rapping was terrible and the beats were very cheesy. That's just my opinion, though.
Already sounds meh to me, hope it gets better...jesus its fine when he is rapping , but it is hard to listen to when he tries to actually sing...maybe the lyrics are smart but I literally can't listen to this album...garbage
mmm nope
Just wanted it to end, didn't get the fuss when it came out, even less on board with it now!
Love this album
Second Listen. Starting to really grow on me. I wasn't crazy about it the first time I heard it. 3/5
Cool story, but the beats is mid to me
A nice surprise.
Some songs reminds me of all the things I don't like about Gorillaz, the flow and vocals that seem very off and the synthesizer that are out of place, and some of them are really not that good. I want to listen to music, not Peter and the Wolf. "Dry Your Eyes" is great but it just can't save it. 1
blegh, he´d better write books, then i don´t have to listen
It is certainly entertaining enough to listen to once (just like his debut, which sounds exactly the same) - same kind of vibes as an arbitrary Arab Strap record, with these daily-life stories. But unlike Arab Strap, the music is a bit too straightforward to give anything more than two stars - you listen to it once and then that's it.
It's been a while since I listened to this album, but I'm falling in love with it all over again. Great beats and electronics, rap/spoken word with a nice flow, entertaining lyrics, and sometimes it gets quite moving. Really enjoyed this from start to finish.
Love this album - the best concept album of the decade.
This shit is so British it's interesting. Lots of slang and language I don't super understand. It's cool, I'm not sure it's the best thing on the planet but it sounds like some early grime type stuff. Feels like something I would hear in Snatch or Long stock and two smoking barrels. It's telling a story for sure, one I don't know. Overall, It took a while to grow on me, but by the end I was into it.
I could see why people like this album, but the combination of time and the fact that The Streets is not a very strong rapper makes this not work for me. The idea is cool, and I think this album could have been a classic in the hands of a better artist. The music is cool most of the time, though the spare style of the beats and the spare style of the rapping are not a good combination together. His rhyme schemes are pretty simple and outdated, even for 2004 2/5
Kolejny z niecodziennych pickow, bo wyspiarski rap z wczesnych lat 2000, wiec czuc frytki i smazona rybe wylewajaca sie z flow pana Mike Skinnera ktory jest glownym rapowym wokalem projektu the streets, ktory troche czlonkow musial miec, co slychac glownie na hookach czy skitach, tak samo na bitach, ktore brzmia bardziej jak elektroniczne downtempo czy garage jukejowe niz instrumentale do ktorych murzyny sie uciekaja, bo album jest zdecydowanie jednym z bardziej bialych rapowych albumow jakie ostatnio slyszalem, z pewnoscia nie jestem wystarczajaco biegly w wyspiarskim slangu zeby docenic kwieciste liryki pana majka, ale z pewnoscia moge stwierdzic, ze to najbardziej drewniane flow jakie slyszalem w tym roku, miejscami jest to bardziej liryczna recytacja tekstu, ktory niezle jest stakowany w barach, a w innych nieudolne zawodzenie pseudo spiewaka, wiec co stoi za pojawieniem sie takiej plyty na liscie, najprawdopodobniej koncept wokol ktorego kreci sie cale nagranie, ktory zawarty jest juz w samym tytule A Grand Don't Come For Free, plyta jest opowiescia o przygodach pana majka, w ktorych glowna role odgrwa tytulowy grand funciakow i dziewczyna zwana Simone, wiec jest tracenie piniedzy, odzyskiwanie, to samo z baba, ale jednak wieksza drama, bo wlasnie plyta stara sie budowac dramatyczne napiecie, wiec taki storyteling pozwala to osignac, bo ma to rece i nogi jesli chodzi o zwiazki przyczynowo skutkowe, wiec ten bogato rozwiniety epos jest powodem dla ktorego warto dac szanse temu nagraniu, na plejaka dodam fit but you know it, czyli songa o wyrywaniu lasek na nocnych pijatykach w barach szybkiej obslugi i what is he thinking opisujacy paranoje pana majka na temat tego kto mogl zajebac piniadze za las i babe jego ruchac, kawalek zawiera takze najlepsze rapowe zwrotki featurujace pana Wayney G
No british hip hop please…
This is another one I listened to a lot when it came out. Still holds up for me. It's sort of just on the right side of amateurish and I like the story.
As the one Brit in the group, faced up with something so aggressively British, I feel I should defend this. It's ambitious - a spoken word concept album, essentially (I would hesitate to call it rap or hip hop) that comes from a very singular perspective. Now, whether you enjoy Skinner's delivery is one thing (I don't), but his use of slang and storytelling, and ability to evoke a mood and atmosphere, are great. This was huge during my first year of university, and probably captured something of the slacker ambience of that time. Speaking of the zeitgeist, however, this album feels dated, a relic before its time - perhaps it was too honed in on the spirit of the age to endure?
Audio book, lol. I forgot I had even heard this before until that song about being fit came on. Somehow this thing works, doesn’t it? I kind of can’t imagine listening to more than this one album from this dude, but I quite enjoyed myself with it.
Really interesting album, the style may be similar to Gorillaz, but it's completely different. There are several songs that took my attention. It contains miscellaneous music, but in general it's hip-hop. It's very melodic and independent, that makes it interesting.
Different but ok
British Eminem, but a parody? Certainly felt like a parody with how bad this was. I'm not sure, I can't listen to any of the songs. His voice is terrible and his rapping is super slow. I was interested for half a second when I heard his voice because I wondered if this was the birth of balls, batty, and dick, but I don't want to know anymore and I definitely don't care. This should not be on this list.
Very quirky British rap album. So much great slang in here, 'e's 'aving a laugh. Funny to think they'd include this as a rap album from 2004 and not Madvillainy, but I don't need to go there again. Anyway, this was enjoyable. Delivery was slightly off-kilter, but I think it works for a bloke like this. Interesting conceptually too. I can't say I was blown away, but overall it was very solid. Quite a few tracks I'll return to. Favorite tracks: Fit But You Know It, Get Out of My House, Could Well Be In, Dry Your Eyes. Album art: I like this one quite a bit, very cool picture and good color. I thought I was looking in a diner at first glance, but it's a bus stop. Are these the titular streets we're waiting on? 4/5
First listen. Interesting sound. 2/5
I didn't get the sound
Still good, not sure if it's better than Original Pirate Material though
Not good at all
Love the concept album. Drags out too much and he can be a chore to listen to, but you absolutely know what you're getting into. Shoutout the gambling one and the genuinely heartful break-up one Already Saved: Not Addicted; Fit but You Know It Saved After Listening: Blinded by the Lights, Dry Your Eyes*
Saved Prior: None Unsaved: 11. What Is He Thinking? 10. Such a Twat 9. It Was Supposed to Be so Easy Saved: 8. Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way 7. Get Out of My House 6. Blinded by the Lights 5. Not Addicted 4. Dry Your Eyes 3. Empty Cans 2. Could Well Be In 1. Fit but You Know It Overall Notes: Slowthai if he was a pothead instead of a crackhead. So much personality and witty (and sometimes even sneakily emotionally impactful) writing all over this thing, I love it. The complete lack of hooks is a little annoying but I got used to it. Incredible concept album. If you give it a chance this is one of my favorite albums yet, but I can understand how the way he raps would be a dealbreaker to some.
Finding a hip hop album I like is a rarity, so props to this guy.
Recall when a local alternative station put "Fit But You Know It" on heavy rotation. It irritated me at the time, and now listening to the whole album I sincerely don't get the hype. The musical accompaniment is so slight, the delivery of the lyrics so one-note. Bare points for cleverness in the storytelling but really don't feel any need for more of this.
nope
First album I couldn't finish. It's crap. There's no flow, nothing rhymes, it's not as clever as everyone says it is. It's just talking with music in the background. I mean, he rhymes money with hurry and this shit has a 91 on Metacritic? The hell is going on with this?
Äntligen The Streets! Mike Skinners projekt har funnits i min periferi länge, utan att jag har kommit för mig att ge mig in i ett album. Så det var med stora förhoppningar jag gav mig in i detta projekt. Mina förhoppningar möttes. A Grand Don't Come For Free är ett konceptalbum som följer berättarjaget Mike. I It Was Supposed to Be So Easy beskrivs hur Mike har en riktig pissdag då det mesta går fel, och den slutar med att han tappar bort 1000 pund som han haft liggandes bredvid sin trasiga TV. Vi får sedan följa Mike tiden efter denna dag, som satte stort spår, för du vet, A Grand Don't Come For Free. Mike träffar Simone, som jobbar med kompisen Dan (Could Well Be In). De blir tillsammans, men bråkar. På semester är Mike otrogen mot Simone. Väl hemma är Simone själv otrogen mot Mike med Dan. Mike blir sedemera dumpad av Simone, vilket avhandlas i låten Dry Your Eyes, en vacker och extremt sorglig beskrivning av ett break-up. I Blinded by the Lights ska Mike träffa Simone och Dan på en nattklubb, men de kommer aldrig. I låten går Mike runt och är nojjig på klubben, poppar piller, och blir allt mer berusad tills han till sist inte bryr sig om vad Simone och Dan gör, cuz' there's a tune coming in. Låten kan vara den bästa som någonsin gjorts. Den får mig att vilja bli full, festa, ta droger, ha relationer, men är samtidigt fylld med stor sorg och vemod, som skiner igenom i den fan-tastiska produktionen. Skivan avslutas, och berättelsen kulmineras, med Empty Cans, en låt som bättre än någon annan demonstrerar Mike Skinners berättartalang. Den berättar två alternativa slut på historien. Först, en bitter Mike som skyller alla hans problem på andra ("It's not my fault there's wall-to-wall empty cans"). När en kille kommer för att reparera tv:n misstänker Mike att han håller på att bli blåst, och de börjar slåss, innan tv-reparatören springer ut ur lägenheten och Mike kan fortsätta dricka i ensamhet. Låten tar sedan lyssnaren tillbaks till samma scenario, där Mike sitter ensam och dricker, men med annan inställning ("It's all my fault there's wall-to-wall empty cans"). I denna versionen kommer kompisen Scott och lagar tv:n, och hittar i processen Mikes 1000 pund. Mike rycker upp sig, och kommer till insikten att endast han själv kan ta tag i sitt liv. Kompisar, familj, kanske kan hjälpa dig på vägen, men i slutändan är du ensam ansvarig över vilka vägar du tar i livet: "Or maybe it's that I realised that it is true No-one's really there fighting for you in the last garrison No-one except yourself that is, no-one except you You are the one who's got your back 'til the last deed's done Scott can't have my back 'til the absolute end 'Cause he's got to look out for what over his horizon He's gotta make sure he's not lonely, not broke It's enough to worry about keeping his own head above." The Streets va. Visst, vissa av låtarna kanske inte låter som world-beaters, och beatsen kanske är lite smutsiga. Men, det är en så äkta berättelse av en brittisk arbetarklasstillvaro att det är omöjligt att inte bli drabbad. Jag har en personlig dragning till brittisk fulkultur (fulla fotbollssupporters, skitiga pubar), så det är kanske inte konstigt att detta album tickar så många av mina boxar. Mike Skinners staccatoliknande rap är helt egen. Han spottar ren fakta mannen. Detta är en mall för hur konceptalbum som aspirerar att berätta en historia bör berätta den historien. Världsklass. Konst. The Streets är äkta. Bästa låt: Blinded by the Lights.
They sound like Jamie Oliver... OK but not worth writing home about
There were a couple times during the album i noticed that i was able to enjoy it, but the spoken lyrics with an almost artificial sing-songy pacing were too distracting too much of the time. Layered frequently over minimal music, but the lyrics/stories seemed to be a strength.
Artist/band and his/their music were heretofore unknown to me, and I'm glad this project introduced me to all this. Some cool stuff in here; a real interesting hodgepodge of styles.
That's a big no from me.
I like The Streets but this album didn’t do it for me, too abrupt
2/5 something was off with this. hiphopish but also something else.
Stereotypically and satisfyingly British: The scenes of nights out, the accent, the talk-rapping, and the musical landscape are all present. There's lots of production variance, mostly to the record's benefit, and a tape rewind at the end (cliché, but not telegraphed).
Can you even call this hiphop? Its not really traditional. Its just some british guy talking over some rock anthems. There are just some annoying and stop themes in the songs here, like "Get Out Of My House" or "Fit but You Know it" It's just... annoying. I found it hard to sit through most songs without getting bored. 4/10 (As of July 9th, 2021) Best Tracks: It Was Supposed to be So Easy, Blinded By Thr Lights Worst Track: Get Out Of My House
Il rap inglese mi piace, ma questo non era la mia "cup of tea"
Me agrado bastante el concepto, no me había tocado saber de algún disco que te contara una historia ligando cada canción. Creo que fue lo que más me gustó. El rapeo no me agrado del todo pero la música estaba fresca.
Boa sequencia para escutar rap
it's alright
Rap opera is not really for me, but I certainly found the concept to be interesting and thought the production was just really well done. In some ways, I was kind of sad that I couldn't really get into it. Some favourites from the album included Not Addicted and Dry Your Eyes.
One of my all time favourite
Fucking killer album. Saw him live at a festival when this came out and It was great. Still sing along with the accent.
Boring, woozy, thoroughly detestable pop/hip-hop, saved somewhat by a catchy couple of tracks.
Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Blinded by the lights, Fit but you know it, What is he thinking
Difficult to listen to - brit accent and rap style is an uncommon mix that didn't work for me.
I really like this album. Skinner is a great storyteller. Dry Your Eyes is a beautiful track. Blinded by the Lights is stunning.
Fit but you know it is a banger. Wish this dude was more lyrical/harmonic. Too British for me.
Not really feeling this. Can't give it the listen it probably deserves.
Started low but got better
A band I've never hear of. Pretty unique. The lyrics are good, but his cadence gets a bit repetitive. All in all, I'd listen again.
I have general troubles listening to lyrics, so this one was pretty tough. A lot easier to listen to while reading the lyrics, because that's where the album shines. I don't think the music was as good, as I felt it to be quite repetitive. I'll listen to this one again.
Not for me - of a time and place
This was a favorite of mine back in college. Haven't listened to it in years and was surprised to see it on this list! I enjoyed it just as much as back then. I love how the lyrics form an overarching story, and is generally pretty humorous.
I remember when this album came out and everyone wanted to be a geezer. What ever that is. I do like the story telling. The album follows Mike as he struggles with his relationship, gambling and being a 20 something britt on vacation. The production is kind of dated. Like the the snare sound on some tracks sound really wonky.
Cool album. British garage rap. Reminds me of some nerdcore stuff.
A blend of UK garage breaks and brit-pop beats. If Eminem was cockney, British and slightly less angry, then this would be the result.
I use to love this album in high school and I still find it super cheeky and funny. Musically sounds amateur at certain times.