‘Has It Come To This?’ emerged in 2001 as the debut single of The Streets, becoming an unlikely hit when it reached number eighteen on the UK charts in October. Read: Modern Classic: Dizzee Rascal ‘Boy In Da Corner’ In-between shifts at fast-food restaurants he remained a struggling musician, sending out hopeful demos to record labels before eventually striking up a relationship with the independent Locked On, who had enjoyed hits with acts such as Artful Dodger and Craig David. Inspired by their innovative fusion of sampling and drum machines Skinner began to explore the basic principles of beat-making, an interest which would soon intersect with early nightclub experiences with the then commercially dominant sound of UK garage. By his teenage years he was obsessed with US hiphop, particularly impressed by the production skills of figures such as DJ Premier and RZA, whose work can be heard on classic tracks by the likes of Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, and Gangstarr. Skinner had moved to Brixton from the suburb of West Heath where he first dabbled in music as a child messing around with keyboards. As old forms dwindled into niche genres, the role of the UK MC was growing and adapting to its new place in the fast-changing yet increasingly diverse pop industry of modern Britain. Released in 2002, his debut album Original Pirate Material remains as singular and subversive as it did at the turn of the millennium, during a period that would prove to be a key transitional phase for British rap. If he hadn’t, we probably wouldn’t still be talking about his most famous project, The Streets, almost twenty years later. It was due to a need for creative clarity that the Birmingham raised musician was eventually compelled to build a makeshift vocal booth in an old wardrobe lined with mattresses and deliver lines about the everyday life of a twenty-something bloke in Britain. It’s hard to believe now, but Mike Skinner never intended to rap over the beats he was producing in his bedroom studio.
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