A Grand Don’t Come for Free

i dont think this aged all too well. sounds somewhere in between soundcloud and flight of the conchords.

I have always enjoyed Dry Your Eyes. The rest...wasn't awful, but wasn't great either. A little too talky.

This is kind of interesting but deeply flawed. This is basically a narrative spoken word/UK rap concept album/opera. The plot of A Grand Don't Come For Free is that our hero, Mike has a shitty day, culminating in him losing 1000 British Pounds. And on his quest to get it back, he falls in love, attempts sports betting, falls out of love, gets drunk, falls in love again, and more. The sound of this thing is kind of a mixed bag. First, the beats are generally good, if a little clunky. One of my favorites is the beat on Blinded By The Lights. Now, moving past that, let's discuss the real sticking point for a lot of people, the delivery and lyrics. The Streets' delivery is kind of baffling here. I said this was a rap and spoken word album, but I'd really like to emphasize the spoken word aspect. In fact, it's almost all spoken word. The delivery is low energy and conversational, and the flow is choppy and weird, which comes across as clunky. The lyrics are also weird, instead of more conventional hip hop poetics, the skew here is towards *very* literal storytelling, which again is clunky at times. And, this all compounds with the occasionally clunky beats. The overall project is so clunky, it's almost *blocky*. Like it damn near sounds stylized. And I could imagine this being a draw for *someone* but I'm just usually not into it. Although this has some positives, mostly related to the narrative and storytelling. The "common man's adventure" slant really adds something weirdly relatable. Like there's a mundanity here, but it very much works in favor of the album. And something else interesting about the narrative is how, without thinking, 1000 pounds, doesn't *feel* like that much money. But, really, most people wouldn't bounce back easily if they lost it. Like, I certainly just couldn't shrug off 1000 dollars. And the presentation of this idea almost gets to a kind of class consciousness that was pretty cool. I will also say that I liked the ending. The final song of this album has two endings to the story. First, we are presented with an ending where Mike is overcome with bitterness and gets into a fight with the TV repairman without learning a damn thing. But then we are shown another world in which he makes up with his friends, and they open up the TV themselves, discovering that the 1000 pounds fell into it. It's kind of obvious, but the presentation of it genuinely feels kind of sweet and I had a good emotional payoff even though I didn't love this whole album. Like I said, this is interesting but *deeply* flawed. And while I didn't love it, I am glad I heard it. And I am excited to hear more music by The Streets. I could even see this growing on me a little. But as of now, I just can't see myself giving this any higher than a 2.

"A Grand Doesn't Come For Free" by The Streets is a rap opera. If you now expect a comprehensive story line or at least songs that build upon each other you will be badly disappointed. Basically, all the songs are about a guy that's mostly either drunk or stoned and thus is not sure whether the girl he's dating is into his buddy. Oh, and his savings fell behind the TV, damaging it. That's about it. Mike Skinner calls this shallow story a concept and even manages to sell an album around this. Another admirable achievement from a commercial point of view.

Doing my bit for the global rating.

Utter shite

It's 'good kid, m.A.A.d city' meets 'The Wall'!

It did take my full attention to keep up with the UK accent and flows, but it was worth sticking with it to the end -- the payoff on the money stash storyline left me with an absolute GRIN on my face. The Kendrick fan in me also couldn't help but get hyped when the closing track pulled a narrative trick reminiscent of the way DAMN. loops back on itself.

Honestly, I'm very pleasantly surprised here -- especially after seeing both anonymous reviewers and even my own associates tear it apart.

The Brits win this one!!

Definitely a case of the wrong album being included. Original Pirate Material was far superior in every way to this album. A few good tracks but plenty that are embarrassing to listen to (the opener It Was Supposed To Be So Easy and Fit And You Know It which has aged very badly).

There was no flow at all and was hard to listen to. I may not like rap, but putting my feelings about the genre aside, this was still objectively terrible. 0/5

I enjoy the narrative and the beats are pleasant if a bit unexciting. His very strong British accent makes it a bit hard to take the darker elements seriously a bit though not gonna lie.

Yeah, go on. Better not be any other Streets albums in this book though.

Honestly can't believe the hate this is getting. Website needs more chavs.

The Streets hit hard on NZ - both this and the previous album. 4.5 million chavs.

I can't really complain about all the people who hate this. It's so quintessentially working-class British that the Americans on here must be fuming. But even within the UK, it's still quite an acquired taste, particularly as so much is quite monotone and delivered in such a specific way.

I'm somewhere in the middle. The Streets were very much part of the cultural zeitgeist back in the day, but I was never really into the scene or particularly up on it. In fact we'd take the mick out of the delivery and content, being alternative kids and all that - "I'm going down to the chippy to grab some tea - I'm 'avin a can or two and knockin out some mad bantz with Gaz and the boys - and we're off our 'eads and we're giving it large'. Etc etc.

But you know what, over time I came to appreciate them / Mike Skinner more. It's got a lot of personality, and personality goes a long way. And I'm absolutely bopping my head to Fit but You Know It - it's a genuine tune!

Ridiculous bullshit of an album.

This dude has no rhythm, he doesn't rap to the tempo of his music? Why tf is this on here? This is offensive to opera.

A very good "rap opera" portrayal of chav culture in Britain, as well as the unflattering poorer side of the country commonly seen north of London. The sound is very amateurish from an artist that is anything but, however I think it helps with the immersion of the story. The singles and the final song are the highlights of the album.

It's worth noting that this album isn't being entirely serious, at the end of the day it is a dramatic representation of someone losing £1000

I didn't connect with this at all. I'm not sure if it's because I just didn't like it, or if it's because it's truly terrible

This album gave me a new perspective on how bad music can be. Nevertheless, the first track is so bad that the rest of the album doesn't feel quite so terrible. Still even just giving out one star feels too generous.

this may be one of the worst things I’ve ever heard. i genuinely can’t tell if it’s a parody or an earnest attempt at making music. if it’s a parody, then whatever he was mocking was rightfully lost to time, and he succeeded in turning it into songs so absurd they made me laugh out loud. if it’s serious, then this is another Robbie Williams situation—where the Brits somehow think this flavorless, beans-on-toast-esque music will appeal to a wider audience. between the monotone rambling, lifeless beats, and lyrics that sound like they were written on the back of a nandos napkin, i can confidently say that anyone who unironically enjoys this needs their head examined. a grand don’t come for free, but somehow, this garbage did

Bij een rap-opera heb in inmiddels het beeld van Hamilton. We kunnen toch veilig stellen dat er muzikaal bij dit album minder sprake van opera is.

En ook wel minder sprake van rap. Deze rapper lijkt in eerste instantie weinig zijn best te doen. Het is soms meer mompelen of praten dan rappen. Komen we verder in het album, dan ga je er aan wennen. Of heeft hij gewoon op een gegeven moment de juiste combinaties gevonden met de muziek? Af en toe pakt het mij wel. De rap-stijl doet me sterk denken aan Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip. Zij gebruiken de stijl om meer te suggereren dat ze dichter zijn in plaats van rapper. Zoiets zal er nu ook wel aan ten grondslag liggen. Dichter gaat mij wel wat ver, maar Dan le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip laten mij hierdoor wel naar de teksten luisteren. Dat lukt The Streets niet. Terwijl ik inmiddels heb gelezen dat het album een totaalverhaal is (lijkt mij beter de lading dekken dan rap-opera), lukt het mij nauwelijks om echt naar de teksten te luisteren. Misschien zijn een vrouw en een zak geld gewoon niet interessant genoeg?

Het album is niet slecht. De beats zijn soms erg fijn. Maar de presentatie is behoorlijk overschat. Een rap-opera met matige rap, geen operageluid en een niet opgepakt verhaal. Dan blijft er maar weinig over van het concept.

Alors voilà. On en est à l'année 2004 dans ce grand foutoir qu'est le projet "1001 Albums". Une année où, si ma mémoire ne me joue pas des tours, la musique commençait sérieusement à sentir le réchauffé, le recyclé, le déjà-vu. Et puis, au milieu de ce marasme, débarque un type, un Anglais de Birmingham, l'air de sortir du pub du coin, avec un survêt et une mine pas très réveillée. Mike Skinner, alias The Streets. Son premier album, "Original Pirate Material", avait fait un peu de bruit, mais c'était resté de l'autre côté de la Manche, une curiosité pour les branchés.

Et là, on me colle entre les mains ce deuxième opus au titre improbable : "A Grand Don't Come For Free". Littéralement, "Mille balles, ça ne tombe pas du ciel". Le programme est annoncé. On n'est pas là pour déconner avec des concepts fumeux ou des solos de guitare de douze minutes. Non, on va parler de la vie, la vraie. Celle où tu perds un billet de 1000 livres et où toute ton existence part en couille.

J'avoue, j'étais sceptique. Un album concept qui raconte une histoire ? À 55 balais, j'en ai bouffé, des albums concepts. Des trucs pompeux sur des voyages interstellaires, des opéras-rock sur des messies du flipper... Sauf que là, le concept, ce n'est pas une épopée cosmique. C'est l'histoire d'un mec lambda, Dave, qui se lève un matin et constate que le grand billet qu'il avait mis de côté a disparu. Point de départ d'une spirale d'emmerdes qui va durer le temps de onze morceaux.

Et c'est là, précisément là, que Skinner réussit son putain de tour de force.

Il ne nous emmerde pas avec des démonstrations techniques. La musique, ce fameux son "UK Garage" ou "Grime" qui faisait fureur à l'époque, est réduite à son plus simple appareil. Des beats minimalistes, boiteux, bricolés sur un coin de table. Des boucles de piano mélancoliques, des samples de cuivres un peu miteux. Tout ça n'est qu'un décor sonore, une toile de fond pour la seule chose qui compte vraiment : l'histoire. Le flow de Skinner n'est ni du rap, ni du chant. C'est de la tchatche. Le type te parle à l'oreille, avec son accent à couper au couteau, il te raconte sa journée de merde, ses doutes, ses petites joies et ses grosses galères.

Chaque morceau est un chapitre. "It Was Supposed to Be So Easy", où il se rend compte de la perte du fric. "Fit But You Know It", la description hilarante et tellement juste d'une tentative de drague foireuse dans un fast-food, sur fond de frustration et de désir. C'est du Ken Loach sur un beat de garage. C'est cru, c'est drôle, et c'est d'une authenticité désarmante.

On suit notre anti-héros chez le médecin, où il s'inquiète d'une possible tumeur au cerveau qui n'est qu'une angoisse passagère. On le voit parier le peu de thunes qui lui reste sur un match de foot. On assiste à ses engueulades avec sa copine, Simone, jusqu'à la rupture inévitable sur la ballade la plus déprimante et magnifique des années 2000, "Dry Your Eyes Mate". Qui n'a pas eu envie de chialer en écoutant ce morceau a probablement un coeur en granit. C'est la bande-son universelle du mec qui vient de se faire larguer et qui essaie de faire bonne figure devant ses potes. Pathétique et sublime.

Ce qui est génial avec cet album, c'est qu'il ne se prend jamais au sérieux, tout en étant profondément sérieux. Skinner a un talent d'écriture monstrueux. Il arrive à rendre épique une histoire de téléviseur en panne ("Could Well Be In"). Il transforme une gueule de bois en une analyse existentielle. Il y a une humanité folle dans ses textes, une tendresse cachée sous des couches de cynisme et de langage de la rue. On est à des années-lumière du bling-bling et des clichés du hip-hop américain de l'époque. Pas de flingues, pas de putes en bikini, pas de liasses de billets. Juste un type, ses potes, sa copine, et un quotidien merdique qu'il essaie de traverser sans trop de dégâts.

L'album se termine sur une double résolution. Celle de son histoire d'amour, et celle de son histoire de pognon. Je ne spoilerai pas la fin, ce serait un crime. Disons juste qu'elle est à l'image du reste : douce-amère, surprenante et terriblement humaine.

A Grand Don't Come For Free est un ovni. Un feuilleton sonore, une tranche de vie d'une justesse inouïe. En 2004, au milieu des guitares saturées et des productions R'n'B surproduites, Mike Skinner a fait le pari de la simplicité, de la narration, de l'intime. Il a prouvé qu'on pouvait raconter une histoire universelle avec les mots de tous les jours et la musique de son quartier. Ça a l'air simple dit comme ça, mais c'est une des choses les plus difficiles à réussir en musique.

Alors oui, la note de 5/5 est amplement méritée. C'est un de ces rares albums qui ne ressemble à aucun autre, une oeuvre cohérente, intelligente, touchante et drôle. Une capsule temporelle qui nous plonge dans le quotidien de la jeunesse britannique du début du siècle, mais dont les thèmes résonnent encore furieusement aujourd'hui. Un chef-d'oeuvre, tout simplement.