Plan B | ||
| Allmusic Biography : British MC and actor Plan B (real name: Ben Drew) came to notice with "Cap Back," a playful, Wiley-referencing track produced by Roll Deeps Wonder that appeared on the 679 labels Run the Road compilation in 2005. Signed to 679s roster, the London native proceeded to release a handful of singles across 2005 and 2006, which culminated in his debut album, Who Needs Actions When You Got Words. With its Meat Puppets-referencing title, and tracks featuring clever samples of Hall & Oates, the Prodigy, and Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (often with acoustic guitars over shuffling breakbeats), the album made it clear that there was no easy way to classify the MC. Released in 2010, The Defamation of Strickland Banks -- not just an album but also a short film directed by and starring Drew -- was to prove a breakthrough for Plan B. Led by "Stay Too Long," a stomping, organ-led rock song depicting an alcohol-fueled tailspin, the record was also heavily influenced by soul and Motown. The Londoners formidable singing voice shared the limelight with his rapping, helping to make Plan B a household name in the U.K., where the album was the fifth best seller that year. Award highlights for Drew on the back of The Defamation of Strickland Banks included the BRIT Award for British Male Solo Artist and the MOBO for Best U.K. R&B;/Soul act, while V Festival and Glastonbury 2011 welcomed Plan B during his extensive global tour. In 2012, Drew released his first feature-length film, Ill Manors, accompanied by a single and album of the same name. The Top Ten U.K. Single and title track touched on the subject of disaffected youth and the 2011 London riots, analyzing the mindset of the rioters while questioning the role of the governments response. This set the tone for the remainder of the record and the film, which together put work on The Ballad of Belmarsh -- an album that was originally intended to follow The Defamation of Strickland Banks -- on hold, with Plan B confirming it would be focused on again in the future. Following a prolonged break from music, Plan B returned in 2017 with the single "In the Name of Man." Shortly afterward, he released "Heartbeat" as the lead single from Heaven Before Hell Breaks Loose, his fourth studio record. Arriving in spring 2018, the album also featured singles "Guess Again," "Queue Jumping," and "Grateful." | ||
 | Album: 1 of 9 Title: Its Time 4 Plan B Released: 2006-05 Tracks: 9 Duration: 29:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Intro (00:35) 2 Sick 2 Def (05:11) 3 Hows It Feel (04:47) 4 Its Your Time (02:04) 5 No Good (00:38) 6 Kidz (03:53) 7 My Life (03:06) 8 Rakin the Dead (04:18) 9 Some1s Switched in Harvey Nicks (04:26) |
 | Album: 2 of 9 Title: Who Needs Actions When You Got Words Released: 2006-06-26 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:02:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Kidz (04:07) 2 Sick 2 Def (04:44) 3 No Good (04:56) 4 Dead and Buried (04:38) 5 Mama (Loves a Crackhead) (03:57) 6 Charmaine (03:46) 7 I Dont Hate You (05:14) 8 Everyday (04:23) 9 Tough Love (05:03) 10 Where Ya From? (03:43) 11 No More Eatin (04:41) 12 Missing Links (03:53) 13 Couldnt Get Along (05:44) 14 Who Needs Actions When You Got Words (03:53) |
| Who Needs Actions When You Got Words : Allmusic album Review : Straight outta East London comes Ben "Plan B" Drew, strewing acclaim behind him -- the British Eminem, a rapping Arctic Monkeys, even Kurt Cobain has been invoked in his name. But those comparisons lack imagination: how about a modern-day Linton Kwesi Johnson, but without a decent edu-kashun, and forced to fall back on his wits? With the same gleaning eye for detail, a similar rage against a society which shuts him out, and an equal eloquence of rhyme, albeit expletive-laced on Plan Bs account, he strips away Englands polite facade to expose the ugliness at its core. Times have changed, though, so where Johnson used broad strokes to paint the political and social currents of his day, Plan B utilizes the small brush of the individual to draw his dystopian world. He does this brilliantly on the opening "Kidz," balancing a boasting gang-banger wilding night out with a scathing condemnatory editorial. But can you blame it all on the kids? "Sick 2 Def" definitively answers that question, as Plan B slams his own critics, whilst taking aim at pop culture and societys own flaws. Its a lethal number, but the rapper is even more illuminating when describing daily life in the hood. "Dead and Buried" sums it up, as his protagonists wrong turns invariably trap them in insolvable, ofttimes fatal dilemmas. "Everyday" delves into a junkies battle with drugs, "No More Eatin" a boys failed struggle against violence, while "Tough Love" depicts an honor killing. The infectious "Where Ya From?" is an anti-paean to his hometown, an ironic antidote to all the big-ups to my hood from the American rappers. And unlike Eminems well-publicized battle with his mother, its his father that Plan B disdains, coldly expressed on "I Dont Hate You," while his mother elicits tender concern on "Mama (Loves a Crackhead)." That latter track features an inspired sample of Hall & Oates "Say No," Gary Puckett & the Union Gaps "Young Girl" gives forewarning of "Charmaine," while a particularly clever use of a sample from Prodigys "No Good (Start the Party)" underpins "No Good." That song is a plausible gangsta motto, the anthemic title track reflects Plan Bs more mature ethos. Eschewing stripped down to the breakbeats backings, the set is flush with melody, heady atmospheres, and vocals, all counter-pointing Plan Bs tough as nails toasts. A magnificent album from a poet for a modern generation. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 9 Title: Live at the Pet Cemetery Ep Released: 2006-10-30 Tracks: 3 Duration: 12:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 No More Eatin (03:41) 2 Broke (05:09) 3 My Life (03:50) |
 | Album: 4 of 9 Title: Time 4 Plan B Released: 2007-01-23 Tracks: 4 Duration: 17:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Kids (acoustic) (04:12) 2 Dead and Buried (acoustic) (04:42) 3 Sick 2 Def (04:34) 4 More Is Enough (04:03) |
 | Album: 5 of 9 Title: The Defamation of Strickland Banks Released: 2010-04-12 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:17:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Love Goes Down (03:52) 2 Writing’s on the Wall (03:42) 3 Stay Too Long (03:44) 4 She Said (03:30) 5 Welcome to Hell (04:32) 6 Hard Times (03:57) 7 The Recluse (03:19) 8 Traded in My Cigarettes (04:14) 9 Prayin’ (03:46) 10 Darkest Place (04:20) 11 Free (03:42) 12 I Know a Song (03:10) 13 What You Gonna Do (04:10) 1 Verses (04:01) 2 Spend My Money (04:08) 3 Prayin (original demo version) (03:52) 4 She Said (Live from Café de Paris) (03:41) 5 Welcome to Hell (Live from Café de Paris) (04:45) 6 Stay Too Long (Pendulum remix) (07:06) |
| The Defamation of Strickland Banks : Allmusic album Review : Four years after Plan B garnered notoriety, if not universal acclaim, with his debut album Who Needs Actions When You Got Words (2006), he switched styles from rap to soul on his follow-up effort, Defamation of Strickland Banks. Though its distressing to hear yet another artist hop about the retro-stylized British soul-pop bandwagon, rapper-turned-singer Ben Drew nonetheless comes up with an impressive and fairly unique album that transcends the usual comparisons to Amy Winehouse vocally and Mark Ronson musically. For someone who cut his teeth as a rapper, hes not a bad singer at all. His vocals bear a striking resemblance to those of Smokey Robinson, which nicely complements the Motown-influenced musical style of the album. The production is credited in part to Paul Epworth, whose work with Bloc Party, Kate Nash, and Florence + the Machine has made him one of the United Kingdoms top hitmakers, and its also credited in part to Drew himself. Kudos to these guys for coming up with a sharp soul-pop style that incorporates a variety of instrumentation, with drums, guitar, and strings at the forefront of each song. In addition to his soul crooning and production guidance, Drew occasionally breaks into rap, such as on the kinetic lead single, "Stay Too Long." The raps in particular give the album an edge lacking in myriad other British soul-pop albums flooding the market the past few years. Another characteristic that makes Defamation of Strickland Banks unique is that its a concept album about a fictional character named Strickland Banks with Drew as an aspiring actor with an ability to bring the songs to life cinematically. Yet this is the least impressive aspect of the album. It made for good promotional videos in the case of "Stay Too Long," and the likewise stellar follow-up single, "She Said," but the overall plot of Defamation of Strickland Banks is thinly stretched and far less interesting than the songs themselves. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 9 Title: iTunes Festival: London 2010 Released: 2010-07-29 Tracks: 6 Duration: 26:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 She Said (03:37) 2 Prayin (05:38) 3 Coming Up Easy (04:17) 4 Charmaine (04:26) 5 What You Gonna Do (04:43) 6 Stay Too Long (03:53) |
 | Album: 7 of 9 Title: ill Manors Released: 2012-07-20 Tracks: 26 Duration: 1:14:08 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 ill Manors (03:46) 2 I Am the Narrator (03:34) 3 Drug Dealer (04:59) 4 Playing With Fire (03:40) 5 Deepest Shame (03:36) 6 Pity the Plight (04:20) 7 Lost My Way (04:41) 8 The Runaway (03:45) 9 Great Day for a Murder (04:31) 10 Live Once (04:29) 11 Falling Down (04:43) 1 Your Mother Was a Prostitute (01:32) 2 My Boys a Mad Boy Yknow (01:15) 3 Michelle (02:12) 4 Bullet in His Head (00:46) 5 Did You Just Call Me a Cunt? (01:36) 6 See, It Didnt Kill Me Did It? (01:40) 7 Pity the Plight Score (01:59) 8 Hope in Hell (01:12) 9 Waiting for the Sun Score (02:16) 10 Whats That? Its a Baby (01:26) 11 Rescue (01:03) 12 Pity the Fate Score (01:38) 13 Altered Score (04:15) 14 Ed Woz Ere (01:24) 15 I Have Always Loved You (03:35) |
| ill Manors : Allmusic album Review : Having spent a couple years supporting his successful 2010 effort The Defamation of Strickland Banks, Ben "Plan B" Drew had to strike while the iron was hot, seizing the day with enough clout and financial backing to fund his directorial debut, the feature film Ill Manors. As such, this soundtrack was a bit delayed, with some tracks recorded after the films completion, but if ever a recording deserved that "music from and inspired by the film" tag, its this one. Ill Manors, the soundtrack, is a thematically sound album with the dour life of the U.K.s lower-class youth always in focus. Their dreams, hopes, victories, and inevitable defeats fuel these songs, all of it tied together by dialog from the film along with spoken word from performance poet John Cooper Clarke, his dark humor making him the albums wise and wise-cracking "Watcher." Like Drews leap into the directors chair, its an ambitious move, but any thought that hes in over his hoodie is wiped away quickly by the opening title track, which invites "Lets all go on an urban safari/We might see some illegal migrants" as cellos and dirty beats lay underneath, because this is not only a full-bodied, string-instrument soundtrack, but a grimy soundtrack too. Drews turns of phrase are in check here, and while hes still good in an Eminem style with shocking punch lines, his writing is simpler and more earnest than previously, leaving the metaphorical stuff up to Clarke and the dialog samples. "Drug Dealer" could have fallen out of the late 80s with its boom-bap beat and slice-of-hood-life lyrics, and even if dubstep, grime, and an ultra-fast delivery all point to rap thats post-millennial, Drews throwback, keep-it-simple style is a welcome contrast. Hearing about kids who dont make it to their teens or parents who are doomed to inflict their pain on the next generation in such raw and certain terms is designed to snap listeners out of their jaded mindset, and it works, especially when surrounded by music that is either rich and seductive or immediate and flashy. Solid, purposeful, and crafted in a manner that betrays both Drews age and the albums hurried road to release, Ill Manors makes heavy-hitter number three for the rapper, suggesting that Plan B doesnt issue albums, just milestones. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 9 Title: Deepest Shame (Remixes) Released: 2012-09-09 Tracks: 5 Duration: 20:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Deepest Shame (Andy C remix) (05:03) 2 Deepest Shame (New Machine remix) (04:07) 3 Deepest Shame (Cinematic remix) (04:35) 4 Deepest Shame (instrumental) (03:38) 5 Deepest Shame (a cappella) (03:29) |
 | Album: 9 of 9 Title: Heaven Before All Hell Breaks Loose Released: 2018-05-04 Tracks: 14 Duration: 53:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Grateful (03:37) 2 Stranger (03:37) 3 Heartbeat (03:49) 4 Queue Jumping (03:21) 5 Wait So Long (03:38) 6 Pushin (03:57) 7 Heaven Before All Hell Breaks Loose (04:13) 8 Its A War (03:01) 9 Guess Again (03:30) 10 Flesh & Bone (03:55) 11 Pursuit Of Happiness (03:54) 12 Mercy (04:27) 13 Deeper (04:01) 14 Sepia (04:29) |