The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free

Decade - 2000's


Label - Vice
Producer - Mike Skinner
Country - UK

1. It Was Supposed To Be So Easy	Listen	Listen
2. Could Well Be In	Listen	Listen
3. Not Addicted	Listen	Listen
4. Blinded By The Light	Listen	Listen
5. I Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way	Listen	Listen
6. Get Out Of My House	Listen	Listen
7. Fit But You Know It	Listen	Listen
8. Such A Twat	Listen	Listen
9. What Is He Thinking	Listen	Listen
10. Dry Your Eyes	Listen	Listen
11. Empty Cans	Listen	Listen

The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free

Two rap albums (well, kinda) in a row? Aren't I a lucky bunny!

This is the second album by The Streets (Mike Skinner) and it's a concept album, of a sort. It is the same narrator all the way through, as he recounts his less than exciting life in modern, urban Britain. It was clear to met his was nothing like the US gangsta rap I'd heard when it began with a whiny English moan of "It was supposed to be so easy". Not the drugs or life on the street of course, but the returning of a DVD.

Ok lyrically, it's pretty amusing and the story is complete with a two version ending, one happy, one sad (and honestly that's about as deep as the emotions run in this, despite what people say). During the album, the narrator loses a thousand pounds, gets a girlfriend, gets high, drinks a lot, loses said girlfriend, and then finds his lost money. And that's pretty much it! Add in a male version of Lily Allen's voice, some average hip hop melodies/beats and one song that sounds like Blur's Parklife and whammo, there's your album.

I'm being a bit harsh - it's really not terrible, but I didn't like it anyway. Once you've heard the story once, it doesn't have enough depth to allow for multiple future listens because the music itself just isn't that great.

Genre - UK hip hop

Score - 5/10

Recommended? Not for me.