Customer Reviews

Original Pirate Material

5 star:		(97)
4 star:		(43)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

Was so far under the radar that it's a crime. This record is the best hip-hop record of 2002 you never heard.

Well, calling it a hip-hop record is a little disengenuous. The vocal stylings of this one-man show (UK layabout Mike Skinner) come off like rap, but the vocal rhythm is all over the place and it ends up coming off like spoken word more than rap. Thing is, the second you think he's going in one direction, it flips into others and we're left with a record that almost defies every category but trip-hop comfortably. Even the beats are all over the place in context: dance, hip-hop, drum-n-bass...the kid's got a mad record collection at home.

It's catchy stuff, with sung choruses and VERY funny stories if you can decipher the UK dialect ("roight? Sod off, blud'y bastard!"). He's got smart, great takes on the music industry ("Let's Push Things Forward"), the legalization of weed, youth rebellion and Playstation, especially on a super-witty self-duet entitled "The Irony of it All" about how off it is that alcohol is legal and weed isn't, especially in light of the (here) frequently comicly violent outcome of alcholics when weighed against the puff-puff-live philosophies of your average weedhead. This track is a instant classic.

The beats are almost straight old school, but fresh, bootleg-like takes on the genre. "Sharp Darts" and "Geezers Need Excitement" could just as easily have ended up on a dozen hip-hop records that came out last week. The more dance-oriented fare even manages to keep the attention of the electronic illiterate on tracks like "Has It Come To This?"
One of the most winning tracks on here, one so witty it bears pointing out single-handedly, is the extremly fun "Don't Mug Yourself", which is about a guy getting all bent up over a girl while his boys dog him out for being soft. Hilarious, and real. Oy!

The cool thing about this record is that it isn't about being the best rapper or having the most vast and overwrought production, it's about being oneself...something The Streets does with not only grace, but a sharp eye for what wins hearts.

I know the Streets have many fans the world over but I feel I must address some of the negative reviews expressed by the American market. I am not saying people are wrong to criticise the album, if you don't like it you don't like it, fair enough, but some of the negative remarks levelled at it seem to show a lack of understanding. This, however, is not the American record buying public's fault. Unless you are actually British there are aspects of the Streets that you just wont get. References to American culture often leave English listeners cold and I presume the same can be said for the reverse. Typical cockney slang and references to mundane day to day British institutions create a sense of unity the uninitiated just wont get. There is also many gripes about the monotonousness of Mike Skinner's voice. This is a reasonable complaint unless you have worked dead end jobs in London, gone to work in industrial Sheffield with a chronic hang over or been clubbing in some seedy nightclub in Southend. Only after experiencing the uniquely British working class way of life can you begin to appreciate that monotone is the only style plausible. It isn't exciting, it isn't glamorous, it isn't `ghetto' or `pimpin' its day to day boring British life. It rains, its cold, the food is processed and nasty, and our jobs are dull. We live for the weekend We moan about it but that's how it is.

In celebrating this brain crushingly lifeless existence Mike Skinner is giving a depressing beauty to the humdrum activities of the disenchanted British Youth. Like the musical equivalent of a Lowry painting. He picks on shared experiences or stereotypical characters like some sort of urban observational comedian replacing the laughter with a frighteningly accurate truth about the futile yet strangely fulfilling nature of the `weekend culture' generation.

Many complain that the beats and samples are generic and over played but THAT'S THE POINT. They are original yet you would swear you have heard them somewhere before. Each one is a stereotype of itself echoing and emulating some forgotten club classic (the same piano loops over and over) the origins of which you cant put your finger on but which stirs memories and feelings of drunken nights with friends, hazy flashbacks to the night before and people you have spent entire nights talking to but would never recognise again.

His vocals follow a similar vein of familiarity. Whilst not sticking to traditional syllabic vocal patterns Skinners lyrics are delivered in more of a free form style, one which is much closer to everyday speech than rapping. In doing this he takes on the role of the average guy in the pub giving his opinions of the world to anyone who will listen. Rhymes are rarely perfect and his words fit only loosely to the beats. We all know blokes like this. Skinner, however, picks the overriding social and political attitudes of the nation's down-trodden youth and cleverly vocalises them in a constant stream of buzz word ridden, alcohol infused stories of urban life. Generalisations maybe, but the truth nonetheless.

So please don't judge this as a rap album and compare it to Jurassic 5 or Gang Starr for that is missing the point entirely. It's a document of British urban life, a snapshot of the despondency yet underlying optimism of the millions occupying our club scene, dole queues and factories around Britain. This album is the sound of Monday morning heading to work with a hang over, it's sitting in a grimy local pub with your mates watching your football team lose, it's getting ready to go out on a Friday night with a pocket full of cash and nothing to spend it on but a weekend of clubbing, it's the worst kebab in the world which tastes fantastic because it represents the filth we put up with in Britain yet endure with a smile on our face.

After all its only five days `till the weekend.

We all smile we all sing.

Don't listen to the righteous hip-hop "martyrs" who claim this album is a droll monotone Brit rhyming over a bedrock of crappy Casio beats. It's those close-minded fans who have stagnated hip-hop into the bling-bling and b*tches joke that it is today. Hip-hop was never supposed to be exclusive to anyone: whoever could tell a story had every right to. Go through a list of rappers selling albums today and 90% of them are an absolute joke.
It's about time a breath of fresh air came from ANYwhere in the world, even if its from the United Kingdom, which has been entertaining garage and hip-hop for years behind the US's back. Mike Skinner, producer-writer-rapper extraordinaire behind the Streets, has crafted an album many rappers would kill to call their own: at 48 minutes long, it doesn't overstay its welcome; it's free of filler and worthless skits; and it actually says something. In between smart stories about everyday life for burned-out British kids wasting life on Playstation and in "greasy spoon cafetarias" are sharp social commentaries on the irony of legal alcohol and illegal weed, and the hopelessness of the drug culture many kids fall victim to.

Turn the Page: apocalyptic, his statement of intent. A+
Has it Come to This?: devastating description of his surroundings. A banging track. A+
Let's Push Thing's Forward: a call of arms for originality to slay "pop formulas". Ska-influenced. A
Sharp Darts: a little bragadoccio. B
Same Old Thing: bangs like a couple of prom night. A
Geezers Need Excitment: a strange beat, great story of hoping to see fights in bars. A-
It's Too Late: a love lament, inspired. A
Too Much Brandy: been drinking again? A-
Don't Mug Yourself: no, that girl doesn't like you, stop being so whipped. A
Who Got the Funk?: "Just a groove" B
The Irony of it All: the aforementioned "fight" between Terry the drunk and Tim the pothead. Funny, yet sharp. A
Weak Become Heroes: the absolute best lyric about the drug culture, set to a dying beat. A+
Who Dares Wins: good title, but only 30 seconds long. B
Stay Positive: the second best lyric, encouraging a friend struggling with a heroin addiction. Jaw-dropping finale. A+

Tell me some duschbag like Fabolous or Ludacris or any of those dime-a-dozen rappers could craft something so insightful. In terms of capturing a particular moment in a generation, the Streets' album does it the best. A supreme achievement.

I heard so much about The Streets (Mike Skinner) before their album landed on American shores. I usually don't buy into hype.... okay, I do. So I naturally went out & bought this as soon as I saw the cheap domestic price. Maybe it was the price, or the excellent album cover (evokes modern northern English working class perfectly), but there's something about this album that I took a liking to immediately.

The music itself is awesome. I can't relate to a lot of things Mike Skinner raps about, but it's clearly 100% pathos. I know a lot of American rap is honest, raw, confessional, etc, but musically, I don't find it very original. For starters, most mainstream American rap songs these days consist of sampled hits of the 70's or 80's, usually sung by a female, with a male rapping over the verses. Hardly original. (I know that is a gross generalization & that there is plenty of good rap out there, but the format is all similar). The Streets' lyrics are brutally honest-- mostly the life of a young working class bloke from Birmingham-- without a sampled retro melody to be found. I love Skinner's cocky pseudo-philosophy sung in his thick Cockney accent. It's priceless. And totally fresh. He's not irate, sexist, & hostile like a lot of American rappers (again with the generaliztions, I know).

But as stated earlier, the music is what makes this album great. For starters, it's music. Simply put. Like, strings, organs, trumpets & everything. It's not just a paltry beat box or anything. I'd actually classify it as chill-out/electronica music as oppose to rap.

Most of The Streets' listeners are hipster fans of Britpop & the indie music scene, but I'm waiting for it to catch on amongst American rap fans. Again, it's not the rap Americans are used to hearing, but if it were, I'd be happy.

It truly shocked me to see this album at the top of several magazines and other publications' "Best Albums of 2002" lists, but of course, that was before I actually downloaded a few songs from the "Original Pirate Material" album. Upon purchasing the album, I slowly came to realize (after multiple required listenings..) that this album is more than amazing, intense, and surprisingly unique & original, it's just downright revolutionary for hip-hop music and culture.

First of all, if you've never heard The Streets (Mike Skinner), but you HAVE heard he's a young English chap with a heavy accent, DON'T, by all means, believe the negative hype, as I myself certainly could not picture at first, to be most frank, a white British dude flashing his "Bling" in front of a stadium crowd of 25,000, which is basically what today's American rap music has been reduced to. Of course, these are just stereotypes talking, and there are several exceptions as well, however, after listening to "Original Pirate Material", Skinnner has clearly proven to be one of the most elite lyricists I've ever heard in my life.

His words are unquestionably true and direct, this can be seen even without a degree in recent British history. Just the average teenager who's seen Trainspotting a few times can recognize the downsides of drug use and abuse in the song "Stay Positive." Several of his songs use also more than just a few ounces of politics to further add to his effectiveness and lyrical strength.

I'll be more than happy to reason with anyone who might say "British people shouldn't rap.." The stereotypes are sometimes just too strong to overcome for most people, i understand, but I personally feel that this album should be required listening for every friggin teenager in the country, even if its only for lyrical analysis, as his words are more than enough to prove Mike Skinner as a master lyricist.

This... album is [incredible]. It is the most compelling album I have ever heard. There are so many new and [interesting] things going on... in this record that once it's over you immediately [put it back on again]. This is the album for people who've gotten bored with hip hop. In fact, it's not really hip hop. It's VERY VERY British, and that's a good thing. We need more British rappers if this Skinner guy (who pretty much is the Streets)'s rhyme scheme is [any indication]. He says really [interesting] lines like, "I wholeheartedly agree with your viewpoint." and "I just completed Grand Turismo on the highest setting. We pose no threat on my city." and "Oh, the pizza's here, will someone let him in? We didn't order chicken, not a problem we'll pick it out. I doubt they meant to mess us about." It's this sort of [stream-of-consciousness ranting] that's at the heart of the album. Lines like "I turn left up the street, nothing but gray concrete and deadbeats." Which reminds me, why are there so many albums out there about life in Britain (Blur's Parklife and The Great Escape are about the working-class and the upper-class respectively, and let's lust MENTION Arthur by the Kinks) and there's NONE about American life? I mean, come on, Bruce Springsteen? Nah, too centered on "blue-collar" work I guess. Anyway, the best song on here is without question "Weak Become Heroes," where Skinner goes VERY stream-of-consciousness after hearing a song in a bar reminds him of his rave days "'Cause me and you are the same. I've known you all my life, I don't know your name. The name's European Bob, saw it. Anyway, have a dance now see you later. Pleased to meet you. Likewise a pleasure... Out of respect to Johnny Walker, Paul Oakenfold, Nicky Holloway, Danny Rumpling, and all the people who gave us these times. And to the government I stick my middle finger up with regards to the Criminal Justice Bill." Sighing luminations on being lazy and living on the dole. Like [hey!!] This is the greatest social commentary you'll ever hear in your entire life. And the fact that it was made by some guy goofing around in his bedroom enhances this statement rather than negates it. Yeah. Perfectly appropriate.

Maybe its because mike skinner is a brummie and im living in birmingham, but this album is close to my heart. His line about the "fog over the bullring" is particulary poigniant, as the other day i passed the "bullring" in birmingham city centre (some skyscraper type thingy) and there were gentle swirls of fog dancing around the blue lights at the top. A tear almost came to my eye. thats the power of this album. when listening, there are certain things you have to remember: this album is unique, its not to be taken too seriously, this is a specific slice of englishness, hes not trying to be a rapper or eminem for that matter, it cant really be compared to anything else. when you remember these things, you will understand it. To be honest im surprised that so many americans can understand it. but im not complaining.

I haven't figured out where The Streets will go yet - if I'm supposed to tuck it in between my Mobb Deep and Wu-Tang albums or if I'm supposed to throw it in with my MJ Cole and Todd Edwards albums. So right now, it's still sitting in my player. "Original Pirate Material" may just be the flavor of the month - but it's still pretty good and definitely worth your time. Mike Skinner aka The Streets is from Birmingham. His delivery/flow has gotten alot of criticism ("He's just talking!"). Truth is - Skinner doesn't so much just talk, as he conversates if that makes sense. His voice keeps up with the beat, it's just very relaxed and conversational. It's not bad, his voice gives the impression of Mike Skinner guiding you through the low fog, rain, and narrow streets of Birmingham. Skinner doesn't have a unique voice, but there's something about the lethargic quality about it in the way he talks about, "the lazy ways the birds sing..." that envelopes you in his world, feeling, and atmosphere. For one, Skinner doesn't brag about being an MC - so don't start comparing him to KRS-One or Nas. Skinner does come up with some interesting rhyme patterns however that will strike hip-hop heads as original. The beats are basement quality but they capture a certain moods: the punch-drunk ragga lurch of "Let's Push Things Forward", the dead-end urgency of "Same Old Thing". Sure on some songs, Skinner's beats sound like a poor man's RZA - but I just feel like everytime I hear The Streets I can live vicariously through Skinner's eyes of the Birmingham night scene full of rude boys, vicious drunks, and the endless cycle of bar-hopping as Skinner's voice strides with easy over the beat. Honestly, it's just good to hear something so low quality but earnest.

I bought this album after hearing a few of the songs, I dont regret it, but you need to know a few things about it first.

It is very well done. The songs sound the same. The album is about the lyrics, NOT the music, but the music totally sets the mood and I really like it. Track 6 (Geezers Need Excitement) is a good example, the synth sounds totally set a mood of despair, well done.

This CD is very much a political commentary, including the Criminal Justice Bill, weed, drinking, being poor, despair/depression, etc.  however, it is in a way that actually makes you think, but not a joke or serious, boring way, it just works.

Track 7 is kinda lame, but all the other songs are pretty darn good.

I gave this album 5 star because it not only entertains you, but it educates you and is good for reflecting on life. It is not only a CD, but something that makes you THINK.

Finally, the last track is great. It basically goes back to the whole despair deal, it covers the fact life is hard and sucks, and that even if things are going good in your life, that could all change in a hurry. A very good life lesson, no matter how you look at it.

I really recommend this album.

it *amazes* me how close-minded we as Americans can be. the lyrics spit and flow pumped on here is as good as any i've heard, and i've been listening to hip-hop since i was eating baby food.

the accent is a bit thick, but then again, to the rest of the world, so is an American accent. just take it as flavor, and listen with an open mind.

this is tight and i hope to see a lot more from them in the future.