Band of The Week, 3/07: The Streets

Ok, I know you love it, I know you wait for it and here it is bitches! It's the band of the week. This time I'm bringing you The Streets.








He may look like a mild-mannered white boy on the outside, but inside lives the soul of a street-hardened tough-guy that... Oh, who am I kidding? Let me just tell it to you straight up. The Streets aka Mike Skinner is a white rapper from England with a mastery of his craft so tight he'll make you gasp in excitement every time he spits a line. Remember when Eminem was cool and edgy and his lyrics we're unbelievable? Well, The Streets says bring it on and then blasts Em away. Between rhymes on his latest album "A Grand don't come for free," The Streets exposes himself to all sorts of different emotions and perspectives that Eminem couldn't even imagine. On the drug-fuelled hypnotic groove, "Blinded by the lights" Skinner dances between such always tricky subjects as drugs, mayhem and heart-ache. The clip features subdued guitar samples and a set of dreamy female vocals. If you haven't heard it yet, you have to hear it to believe how incredibly captivating it is to hear him search for his girlfriend in a hazy club and alternately lamenting over his lack of cellphone reception. Not hooked yet? Check out the danceably catchy tune "Fit but don't you know it." This track features a knockout punch hook and a clever rhyme style and honesty factor that leave you laughing and cringing at the same time, all the while falling in love with the white-boy stylings of The Streets. The what makes him, my Band of the Week.