Original Pirate Material - Streets (The)

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The Album: Original Pirate Material - The Streets
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I brought this solely because I’m a fan of his music and firmly believe we should promote this British sound to rap and emceeing. Although they say his genre of music is Garage I disagree and say it’s so much more.

He brings not only a new sound to rap and emceeing music but he also brings ...
...being brought up in an unfortunate area.

The album comes close to excellent as I’m sure there’s plenty more for The Streets to offer and they had the opportunity to do this with the album but instead didn’t prove their full potential on it.

I wasn’t exactly disappointed by the album and anyone who’s sure that they like his music and don’t mind being subjected to lots of drug talk then I do recommend the album to you.
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Originally Birmingham born, ' The Streets ' return in April with their new single : Fit But You Know It. Their 2nd album to be released in May, ' A Grand Don't Come For Free' will follow up the single and hope to be a continued success for the group.

As we've been situated to harsh waiting for more of their works over quite a time period I've decided to stand up and let you all remember why ' The Streets' are here and why is it their upcoming releases will do well in the charts and the sales.

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The Streets - Background
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The Streets originate from the heart of the Midlands, Birmingham in England Uk. Mike Skinner and his mates after leaving school were undecided about what to do with their lives, it was while Skinner were saving for his big great travelling trip across the world was it he found his talent through his voice. Skinner now lives in London and talks about London more than he does of his home place so it is important to know that the fella's originally from Birmingham.

Him and his mates spent many a times out on the streets performing little street urban acts and if they were not doing this then they were in the mates garage putting together different sounds and beats. Skinner would always use these sample tracks to write his lyrics, he worked off the sound and put together his ideas and formed some quality tunes which we are now able to listen to and enjoy.

The Streets did make it pretty big with a good success and response from their first single release, ' Has It Come To This'.
It didn't top the charts but did make it in the Top 10 for up to 3 weeks. Although this may not seem like a huge success you have to remember that Skinner and his mates had brought a new sound to music and rap. This new sound of theirs did create attention and the papers were soon on to him about his lyrics and attitudes. But good publicity did follow and The Streets went on to do a full UK tour as well as performing in the US where they have many dedicated fans.

After a long wait they've made it back and are running on another Uk tour and will I'm sure be back in the US this year to promote the release of the next album and upcoming single. So to all the US fans out there, just need to wait a little longer while we appreciate and make the most the British Brummie talent we luckily have, The Streets.

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The Streets - Tracks On the Album
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01 ~ TURN THE PAGE
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A heavy but steady paced tune with plenty of beats and drums added into a single loops which rolls over and over again giving the tune rythym and pace. But at times it softens out as Skinner makes a point of some of the lyrics he spits.

This is actually an excellent tune to introduce the album with as it really focuses on Skinner and what The Streets come to do. He tells us about his thoughts in this and how he deals with the present day and tells us how to leave yesterday, stand still, stand strong and live today! If your defeated get back up and fight in another way.

02 ~ HAS IT COME TO THIS
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Another track where he gives himself and the group good introduction into the way he sees and lives life. The opening lines to this track are:

“ Make yerself at home
We got diesel or some of that homegrown
Sit back in yer throne, turn off yer phone
Cos this is our zone
Videos, televisions, 64's Playstations
We're paring with precision
Few herbs and a bit of Benson
But don't forger the Rizzla,
Lean like the Tower of Pisa
Liza, I'll raise yer,
And this is the day in the life of a Geezer
For this ain't a club track
Pull out yer sack and sit back
Whether you white or black
Smoke weed, chase brown
Or toot rock”

You get an instant view of Skinner and the boys and their attitudes to life through this. No doubt the tunes all about them and nothing else but here you'll learn that they talk of drugs and crime and the way me and you may talk about cars and women. The seem to see nothing wrong in it and later on the album you'll learn of a track that goes funny lengths to prove this thought.

03 ~ LETS PUSH THINGS FORWARD
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This were their 2nd release before the album and did make it quite big but failed to gain as much success as the first single. The tune does have quite a different sound, quite happy and quite sort of geezer type.

It isn't heavy with the drums in fact, chooses to use a chord bouncing through the tune giving it that geezer drop-the-shoulder sort of bounce and rhythm.

Again the lyrics talk about him and The Streets. It could get boring and even I believe that being a fan of The Streets but it's the order in which he puts his lyrics and choices of rhymes that makes me smile or if not this then want to rap along with him.

04 ~ SHARP DARTS
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This is more of an emcee piece than a tune. Although it's got the drums, beats and weird scratching sample it's more of a straight rap. A piece straight from Skinner. It's only 1.33min long and this reflects my thoughts that I interpret-ate this as being more of an emcee piece.

The lyrics again are about him but this is more about him putting us in our places as he's the one doing the thing right now, he's the one with success and making the tunes we want to listen to. He makes the choices so we better sit back and listen and let the geezer do his thing.

05 ~ SAME OLD THING
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This tune's about the title exactly. this is quite a heavy tune as the drum-loops a little faster than normal and has a more heavy synths sound to it. Fair bit of percussion layers the background. The actual sound of the tune isn't that great and at first you'll left thinking why listen to the tune.

But the only thing to make this tune significant in some way is the lyrics. It's not just about the same old thing everyday, it's more, it gets deeper on the subject. The rhymes are so quality on this, plenty of descriptions as to how things are the same everyday and no matter who you are I guarantee you that if you listened to this you'd be sat there either singing along or nodding your head.

The lyrics are great but the tune could be so much better. There are a few points on the track that allow the listening enjoyment to drop slightly as at one point Skinner's doing some sort of harmonious wanting to be choir boy piece. Still, good addition to the album.

06 ~ GEEZERS NEED EXCITEMENT
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How many times have you heard people and kids saying " Well if there was something for the kids to do they wouldn't be out there causing as much trouble as they are" ? Well I'm a firm believer of this thought as I know for one some of the things I've done as a teen and how it could have been different if I were doing different things.

Skinner makes a good point about this in this tune and makes me realise that it seems like the same thing everyday. The tune isn't so heavy, quite soft the background and allows you to focus on the lyrics.

The lyrics talk of petty crime, owning your dealer and all the trouble that comes with it. A section of lyrics I want you to see are below:

“ Just to recap for those at the back, this is everyday tit-for-tat you owe your dealer and can't pay back fee
Suddenly he's the baddy
So you tell your mates you could have him anyway, to look 'geez'.
But he's a shady fuck, beamer three series, lock, stock and two fat fucks backing him up
Can't convey enough of his desire for the paper stuff
In a blunt fashion Billy's angry with a passion
So please just accept it ain't happening
And go back to your runnins”

Now if your wandering why I chose to show you that section then here's why. Here he proves that everything's about money. You could have a best mate one day and then the next you won't and just because you didn't pay him what you owed him. Now Skinner's shown that through a Dealer but still it's the same, everything's about money and if we were out there doing responsible things that keeps us amused and isn't about money then we wouldn't be out there dragging ourselves into the trouble we do whatever the trouble is.

07 ~ ITS TOO LATE
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This tune's different to all of The Streets other material. It's all about the loss of a girl he had the love for. But as he were being the unreliable geezer he was and always thinking more of himself ended the relationship and left him realising that he spent too much time not thinking about her and what they both wanted.

I'm sure there are many of us blokes out there who can relate to this tune in someway. This tune made me think about some of the selfish things I've done in life especially when I thought more about myself than the girl I want to hold hands with, the girl I want to kiss, the girl I want to make love with.

I'd say this makes this tune quite a thought provoking one and this makes the album that much better. It makes you think how we take things for granted and that we really need to start thinking about other people.

Despite whatever music you choose to listen to, I can tell you that if you heard the first 30seconds of this you'd be wanting to listen to the rest and you'd have enjoyed it agreeing pretty much throughout all of the tune.

08 ~ TOO MUCH BRANDY
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I still try hard to get the point behind this tune. This tune has plenty of drug talk and many mentions of different drugs. I suppose this tune is a great one to listen to. It's funny, has humour and pretty much talks about a night out with the lads, getting slaughtered on doubles and eating junk like nasty greasy takeaways on the tube.

This really is a funny tune and a simple drum-loop and 8beat loop keeps the background subtle while the lyrics take more of the attention which is great because at points this really is funny and I’m sure there’s plenty of blokes out there than can agree to having the same mad-ass night that Skinner seems to be having in the tune.

09 ~ DONT MUG YOURSELF
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“ A new day another morning after, leaning back on my chair in a greasy spoon cafeteria
Last night was some beer laryness done our way but again we're back in the light of day
Chatting shit, sitting at the wall table telling jokes playing with the salt, lookin out the window
Girl brings 2 plates of full english over with plenty of scrambled eggs and plenty of fried tomato
Get my phone out, 'bout to give this girl a shout, see if she had a nice time last night up town
Ask if she fancies trying it again sometime then Cal grabs the phone oi oi oi!”

This is the opening verse to this tune and I had to put down the opening lyrics to this. I mean, how many times have I been sat a table playing with the salt trying to eat my big British breakfast after a rough night out drinking only to find myself ringing her to see how she were? I’m sure there’s plenty of us out there who’d agree to that.

Though that actual moral behind the tune is to don’t mug yourself. Well, girls, you won’t like this so read on if you promise not to be sending me hate mail and death threats. Skinner’s mate Sean features in this track and makes a blatantly simple point of not ringing the girl he met the night before, let her ring you!

Why?

“ You need to hold it down Jack, put your phone back
Quit staring into space and eat your snack, that’s that
She'll want you much for not hanging on
Stop me if I’m wrong, stop me if I’m wrong
Why should she be the one who decides whether its off or on or on or off or on
Now the girls rude, I know she's rude but she's screwed right through you, you'll be on your knees soon”

So yeah, not sure if the girls will agree to this one but can sure see a lot of you blokes out there agreeing to this. Great tune, totally different sound tune wise. Drum and Base influenced with the heavy drum loops and hectic tempo.

10 ~ WHO GOT THE FUNK
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Anyone whose managed to hear this track or has the album will automatically agree and say this is somewhat weird. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything like this tune.

It’s a basic tune which has to be said don’t really sound that good. It has that close to be a Drum n Base tune but has this weird wacky sample that plays over and over with the addition to Skinner just free-styling it about whatever he wants to say. What he wants to say in this tune isn’t really clear to me as all he seems to mention are the words geezer and the line, “ All London heads, all Birmingham geezers” Well, I don’t know but it’s an extra track on the album.

11 ~ THE IRONY OF IT ALL
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I’m going to let you make your own decision on this track as it’s really only the lyrics to the tune you need to be knowing to decide whether you like it or not and what you exactly think about the track.

We have Terry on one side who drinks heavily over the weekend, acts like a clown, spits in the face of an officer and gets lairy through necking down the pints.
Terry thinks that he’s more law-abiding as it’s not illegal and a criminal offence to drink. He hate’s drug users and believes that drug users are the downfall of society. Here’s one of Terry’s verses just so you get the point a little more:

“ Like I was saying to him.
I told him: “Top with me and you won’t leave.”
So I smacked him in the head and downed another Carling
Bada Bada Bing for the lad’s night.
Mad fight, his face’s a sad sight.
Vodka and Snake Bite.
Going on like a right geez, he’s a twat,
Shouldn’t have looked at me like that.
Anyway I’m an upstanding citizen
If a war came along I’d be on the front line with em.
Can’t stand crime either them hooligans on heroin.
Drugs and criminals those thugs on the penny coloured will be the downfall of society
I’ve got all the anger pent up inside of me”

Then we have Skinner the drug user who makes points like how can a few mates sat round the playstation with a few joints and bongs be causing trouble to the community. Skinner gets right into it and makes points of how much the NHS spend on repairing drunk people at the weekend and how many beds are used up by drunks. Is this not worse than the scene in Skinners room with his mates? and is it worse than drinking alcohol just because it’s illegal?
Skinner makes you ask yourself these things and I’ll leave you to make your own decision on this track by leaving you with a Skinner verse about why smoking cannabis should be legalized.

“ You know I don’t see why I should be the criminal
How can something with no recorded fatalities be illegal
And how many deaths are there per year from alcohol
I just completed Gran Tourismo on the hardest setting
We pose no threat on my settee
Ooh the pizza’s here will someone let him in please
“We didn’t order chicken, Not a problem we’ll pick it out
I doubt they meant to mess us about
After all we’re all adults not louts.”
As I was saying, we’re friendly peaceful people
We’re not the ones out there causing trouble.
We just sit in this hazy bubble with our quarters
Discussing how beautiful Gail Porter is.
MTV, BBC 2, Channel 4 is on until six in the morning.
Then at six in the morning the sun dawns and it’s my bedtime”

12 ~ WEAK BECOME HEROES
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This is one of my favourite tunes on the album and why? I’m not sure. The tune has a quite a soft approach to it, slow beginning with damping melody that slowly rises as he brings in his amazing rhymes and lyrics.

The whole talk of the tune is about a drug known to many as Ecstasy or to others a ‘ Pill’. You have to know that he does NOT promote the use of the drug but talks more of his feelings and thoughts when on the drug in his past times. He mentions how things could be different if people had the same ‘ loved up’ and caring feeling you do on the drug to life without the same thoughts and feelings but without the need of a drug.

This is quite thought provoking in it’s own way as your not left thinking about the drug itself but more about the way the drug causes you to behave and why is it we a need a drug to loose certain feelings and gain feelings which are of a good cause to others such as being loved up and more caring to others.

This is an excellent tune because The Streets have managed to have a tune about drug, describe the feeling you get of it and make a good point to it without promoting the use.

13 ~ WHO DARES WINS
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The tune’s more like an interlude on the album. It’s not a track or tune as such, more as a piece of what Skinners got to say and it isn’t much. He uses only the few lines to tell you that he’s the geezer representing us other geezers out there and we should be appreciating him and taking attention to him.

I don’t get the idea as to why he needed this on the album and to be honest, don’t think much of the track at all so can’t say much for this one. You might listen to once and then maybe not again, nothing significant.

14 ~ STAY POSITIVE
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The title says it all. Stay positive. He’s chose to end the album with a good note and leave you either wanting to skip the album back to the beginning track or sat there thinking about what he says on the track.

This is again another of the few thought provoking tracks on the album and Skinners tells us of how hard times have come and are still to come but we have to stay positive and get on through it. Make yourself who you are and don’t let nothing or nobody ruin you as a person.

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The Album: Original Pirate Material - The Streets
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I brought this solely because I’m a fan of his music and firmly believe we should promote this British sound to rap and emceeing. Although they say his genre of music is Garage I disagree and say it’s so much more.

He brings not only a new sound to rap and emceeing music but he also brings with him his thought provoking thoughts and descriptions on life being brought up in an unfortunate area.

The album comes close to excellent as I’m sure there’s plenty more for The Streets to offer and they had the opportunity to do this with the album but instead didn’t prove their full potential on it.

I wasn’t exactly disappointed by the album and anyone who’s sure that they like his music and don’t mind being subjected to lots of drug talk then I do recommend the album to you.

It really is a great album and definitely thought provoking at times but the sound behind his tune is quite regular and does seem repetitive but then it’s the lyrics and some of the sounds to this album that makes it a valuable buy.

You can see more of The Streets and find out more by visiting this link which you’ll need to copy and paste in your browser window:

http://www.the-streets.co.uk

The Streets also have an upcoming tour across the country and you can get those dates and venues on their website.

The album is still for sale in high street music stores and you shouldn’t have to pay no more than £14.99.

So you’ve read my advice and now make your decision I just hope it’s a good one as I don’t look forward to receiving hate mail and death threats.

Thanks for reading, take it easy!

Gavvy

Gavin Fowkes.  

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