A Grand Don’t Come for Free

Truly one of the worst albums I've ever heard. Who the fuck thinks it's a good idea to make music like this?

I was so ready to give this a 1. Immediately, I was turned off by Mike's voice, how close he is to the microphone, his awkward rapping and singing, and I never really warmed up to it. My favorite parts of the album were when he wasn't talking. But what I did come to appreciate was the flow of this album. There isn't any filler here, everything seems at least somewhat necessary to the story. It's a little bit of a hip-hopera, and that's something I haven't heard outside of the musical theater. Still not a fan.

2.73

Boy I larfed and larfed and larfed at this one. First at them, I thought the rap was mad and not in a good way but in the end, I was laughing with them. They have captured UK grime life so perfectly you can smell the greasy burgers and stale ale. Though that has got to be the most photogenic bus shelter I have ever seen.

This is pretty terrible, actually. It just sounds like a British guy reciting slam poetry over some fairly basic beats. There's literally no reason anyone would ever need to listen to this.

I feel like this was a misfire after the debut. Loads of ideas but no tunes.

See, I reckon you're about an eight or a nine
Maybe even nine and a half in four beers' time

4.5 it is then

A Grand Don't Come For Free is an album that i feel like tries to do something special but it just doesn't feel like it works as an album very well. I only really knew one song before listening to this album in full and that was Fit But You Know It but to my horror, the album is pretty much follows the same formula as that song. This album sounds as if it was originally gonna be a movie but Skinner was told last minute to make it a Hip-hop album and just rushed to make changes but didn't refine them enough. This leads to the vocals and music and the talking to constantly be at odds with each other. I won't be giving it a 1 since the music and vocals are okay when they are there for the most part but I just don't think i can praise this album like a lot of other people do.
Best Song: Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way
Worst Song: Get Out of My House

2/5. I respect the ambition of this album, being a rap-opera about a dude having a bad day, losing the $1000 he had saved up and getting broken up with and trying to get that money and love back before coming to acceptance on “Dry your eyes.” The Achilles heel of the album is that it is really annoying a lot of the time, which feels weird to say because I actually like the Streets debut album “original pirate material” well enough. The conversational speak-rapping really just doesn’t work for me at all, and the production feels noticeably weaker than Original Pirate Material as well. The one exception is the closer “Empty Cans” which I actually quite liked narratively.

Its not a 5* album by any means but the 1*s seem harsh when this is exactly what belongs on the list. Like it or dislike it. I like The Streets, the singles released from this album are stand out. 3.5/5. Raising to 4.

Aside from a few musical highs, that was a stupid concept for a rap opera. The whole thing wasn't as funny, nor as clever as it thought it was. 1.7/5 -> 2/5

I genuinely cannot stand this guy's delivery. It's not even proper spoken word. It's all stunted. He has negative flow. I also just didn't care for the concept or story. Overall, I did not enjoy this album at all.

Čovjek koji je radio ovaj album je alergičan na muzikalnost, nemam drugo objašnjenje.

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

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

Not my usual fare, but this actually holds together well after 20 years. Whilst Skinner's rapping might not be everyone's cup of tea, he does make a nice concept album with a thread going through it about a bloke's missing money and various adventures along the way. 'Fit But You Know It' is great fun, and he actually made a beautiful tearjerker for the modern young man in 'Dry Your Eyes'. Not nearly as bad as the top reviews might suggest.

‘It’s the end of something I did not want to end/beginnings of hard times to come/but something that was not meant to be is done/and things the start of what was’
This album has one of my favourites endings of all time, just a really nice sentiment, remember those words struck a chord when I first heard them.
I first heard The Streets as a kid and thought it was so messy (Fit But You Know It was everywhere tho and I thought that was a tune). But anyone who thinks Mike Skinner takes himself super seriously and thus thinks this is wank is a fool.
Sure, the there are some songs in here with poor lyrics (Get Out Of My House) and some with too much exposition (What Is He Thinking?) but the balls to do a rap opera for your second album is pretty bold. It’s just also really good and I need to represent the UK contingent on here

The 1 star reviews are hilarious… makes me love it even more!! It’s great 😀

That was kinda weird but I also kinda liked it.

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