The Streets - The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living

TranceAddict Forums (www.tranceaddict.com/forums)
- Music Discussion
-- The Streets - The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living
Pages (2): [1] 2 »

Posted by Marc Summers on Jul-08-2006 15:53:

The Streets - The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living

Just bought this album last week (A little late I know)
I have to admit, it took a while to get used to it. It's a different style than his other albums, IMO. Now that I've listened to it a few times, I love it.

It's not his best album, but it's definitely another one for the history books!

Mike skinner is a genius!

Posted by tribu on Jul-08-2006 17:07:

Agreed, though i did think this one was a bit better than "A Grand...". There are several songs on this one I like including, the title track, Cant Con an Honest John, and Hotel Expressionism. It's not even close to Original Pirate Material, but still worth slipping in every once in a while

Posted by RJT on Jul-08-2006 17:37:

I really don't understand the appeal of rappers like The Streets or Dizzie Rascal...

They're both critically acclaimed, but I personally just think it sounds like an English bloke talking to me with some rather poor hip hop production behind it...

Posted by flavdave on Jul-08-2006 17:47:

Posted by Allied Nations on Jul-08-2006 18:12:

Love it. Love having seen how he�s evolved. Love all 3 albums the same for what they are.

Posted by kramer333 on Jul-08-2006 18:40:

Original Pirate Material ftw!

Posted by Djeebie on Jul-08-2006 18:40:

quote:
Originally posted by DJ RJT
I really don't understand the appeal of rappers like The Streets or Dizzie Rascal...

They're both critically acclaimed, but I personally just think it sounds like an English bloke talking to me with some rather poor hip hop production behind it...

Indeed they are just British blokes talking. But somehow they manage to sound different than all the cliche American rappers out there. Their flow is different, the beats are different, it just sounds so much more real and realistic and therefore better than the US shit. Although I must say that only Original Pirate Material was indeed a class album. A Grand... and The Hardest Way... don't come near that album.

Posted by flavdave on Jul-08-2006 19:32:

quote:
Originally posted by Djeebie
Indeed they are just British blokes talking. But somehow they manage to sound different than all the cliche American rappers out there. Their flow is different, the beats are different, it just sounds so much more real and realistic and therefore better than the US shit.

Posted by jdat on Jul-08-2006 19:48:

A grand don't come for free was great cause the music was so ghetto.

Blinded By The Lights is the most poorly produced instrumental but it makes it quite powerful in my mind

I don't really like the new album.

Posted by Marc Summers on Jul-08-2006 20:10:

quote:
Originally posted by jdat
Blinded By The Lights is the most poorly produced instrumental but it makes it quite powerful in my mind

I love that song! I've listened to it many times being under the influence, it's purely amazing.

A grand don't come for free is by far the greatest rock opera.

Posted by flavdave on Jul-08-2006 21:45:

quote:
Originally posted by Temperate
I love that song! I've listened to it many times being under the influence, it's purely amazing.

A grand don't come for free is by far the greatest rock opera.

Posted by SYSTEM-J on Jul-08-2006 22:00:

All English hip-hop is shit. Let's face it.

Posted by Sand Leaper on Jul-08-2006 22:04:

quote:
Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
All English hip-hop is shit. Let's face it.

Nonsense. Sterotyping an entire country's hiphop culture cos of what shows up in the charts is a no-no.

http://www.discogs.com/release/34628
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Gunshot
http://www.discogs.com/artist/London+Posse
http://www.discogs.com/release/84979

Posted by SYSTEM-J on Jul-08-2006 22:07:

quote:
Originally posted by Sand Leaper
Nonsense. Sterotyping an entire country's hiphop culture cos of what shows up in the charts is a no-no.

I'm English- I'm allowed to stereotype my own country. And my brother was a big hip-hop fan so I've heard plenty of English hip-hop that never charted. It's all shit.

Posted by Sand Leaper on Jul-08-2006 22:11:

quote:
Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
I'm English- I'm allowed to stereotype my own country.

That makes you even more ignorant then, as you have better access to see more of the picture than others outside of the country.

quote:

And my brother was a big hip-hop fan so I've heard plenty of English hip-hop that never charted. It's all shit.

That's like saying that all US hip hop is shit because the bling culture has such an iron grip on it. While it does cause a landslide of ego monging moron MCs, it isn't the case with all the genre has to offer. I know better than calling all of my country's MCs shit just because the people who get the most attention are usually grade A wankers with close to 0 creativity when it comes to lyrics.

Posted by SYSTEM-J on Jul-08-2006 22:15:

quote:
Originally posted by Sand Leaper
That makes you even more ignorant then, as you have better access to see more of the picture than others outside of the country.

Yeah, and I've seen that it is shit.

quote:
That's like saying that all US hip hop is shit because the bling culture has such an iron grip on it. While it does cause a landslide of ego monging moron MCs, it isn't the case with all the genre has to offer.

No it isn't. It's like listening to lots of the stuff and never having heard anything good.

Posted by jdat on Jul-08-2006 22:18:

I think System-J hates it so much is because he associates it with the people who listen to that music in the uk ( chavs etc )

am I right or am I right

Posted by Sand Leaper on Jul-08-2006 22:19:

quote:
Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
Yeah, and I've seen that it is shit.

quote:

No it isn't. It's like listening to lots of the stuff and never having heard anything good.

You can use these arguments to stereotype any genre whatsoever. Make for constructive debate, however, they do not.

Posted by SYSTEM-J on Jul-08-2006 22:31:

quote:
Originally posted by jdat
I think System-J hates it so much is because he associates it with the people who listen to that music in the uk ( chavs etc )

am I right or am I right

Not really. Most chavs don't care about music enough to seek out the underground stuff.

Posted by Mr.Mystery on Jul-08-2006 22:37:

quote:
Originally posted by Sand Leaper
You can use these arguments to stereotype any genre whatsoever. Make for constructive debate, however, they do not.

...and matters of taste made good debates when, exactly?

Posted by Sand Leaper on Jul-08-2006 22:45:

quote:
Originally posted by Mr.Mystery
...and matters of taste made good debates when, exactly?

Yeah, I guess it's too much to hope for around here.

Posted by arctic on Jul-09-2006 03:47:

quote:
Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
All English hip-hop is shit. Let's face it.

I don't usually disagree with you, but that's one of the most absurd things i've ever read on TA. You really believe that Sway, Blak Twang, Roots Manuva, Klashnakoff, Skinnyman, Blade, Kano, Mystro, Rodney P, Braintax, Jehst, Phi Life Cypher (Life's new solo is an amazing LP), The Herbaliser, Ty and so forth are shit? The UK scene is extremely strong at the moment with regards to releases. I'm not sure how it is on the live front or on the ground as I don't live there, but arguing that the recorded output is shit is a bit beyond me.

As for the topic, I don't mind the new LP. It's a bit grating to listen to since he has next to no flow, but if you approach his music as more of a 'spoken word over beats' type thing then it isn't as hard to listen to. I still think his stuff overhyped and overplayed when you've got people like the ones mentioned above putting out what in my view are better albums than The Streets though.

Posted by SYSTEM-J on Jul-09-2006 03:59:

quote:
Originally posted by arctic
I don't usually disagree with you, but that's one of the most absurd things i've ever read on TA. You really believe that Sway, Blak Twang, Roots Manuva, Klashnakoff, Skinnyman, Blade, Kano, Mystro, Rodney P, Braintax, Jehst, Phi Life Cypher (Life's new solo is an amazing LP), The Herbaliser, Ty and so forth are shit? The UK scene is extremely strong at the moment with regards to releases. I'm not sure how it is on the live front or on the ground as I don't live there, but arguing that the recorded output is shit is a bit beyond me.

I've not heard every UK hip-hop record ever to be pressed, but I've heard a lot of the records which have been hyped as the cream of UK hip hop. I've heard Roots Manuva (his collab with Leftfield was awesome, but his solo stuff is very weak), Kano and Rodney P... didn't like any of them. I've never heard anything to suggest that the other records I haven't heard will be any different.

The only vaguely hip-hop thing to come out of these fair isles which is genuinely good is trip-hop. Trip-hop is a British invention, and I think it really works. Hip-hop is just something which doesn't work when an Englishman tries it. When they ape American hip-hop it seems pointless, and English accents rapping don't come off. They just don't. It's like trying to record a country song with a Russian accent (see: Goldeneye).

Posted by arctic on Jul-09-2006 04:41:

quote:
Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
I've not heard every UK hip-hop record ever to be pressed, but I've heard a lot of the records which have been hyped as the cream of UK hip hop. I've heard Roots Manuva (his collab with Leftfield was awesome, but his solo stuff is very weak), Kano and Rodney P... didn't like any of them. I've never heard anything to suggest that the other records I haven't heard will be any different.

Heh, me neither - i've heard a lot more US stuff and Australian stuff too obviously. That aside, I really like Roots Manuva's solo's. I find it odd that you don't like them in particular as he's not adverse to employing some experimental, more electronic production. His 2006 LP had some of those sort of productions behind him, and he's got one of the best voices i've heard from any country, his flow is really effortless and laid back (in a good way) as well. Kano I can understand I must say, I suppose you sort of have to be into Grime to really get into him. Still, more broadly Blak Twang is easily as good as the best US rappers, and Sway's album, whilst having some filler, had tracks that were better than anything to come out of the US in 2005, hands down.

Are you approaching this as a fan of hip hop as a genre (as I am), or as a more passive observer? And is it the lyrics, flows or the accents that are primarily throwing you off? How do you feel about Australian or French hip hop for instance?

quote:
The only vaguely hip-hop thing to come out of these fair isles which is genuinely good is trip-hop. Trip-hop is a British invention, and I think it really works. Hip-hop is just something which doesn't work when an Englishman tries it. When they ape American hip-hop it seems pointless, and English accents rapping don't come off. They just don't. It's like trying to record a country song with a Russian accent (see: Goldeneye).

Now this I really, really disagree with. I'm a fan of trip hop, but i'm also a fan of Garage, Grime and UK Hip Hop. They do work. I mean the lyricism displayed by Phi Life Cypher is in the upper echelon of hip hop in anyone's language. It compares favourably with the best of the US underground. They really do match Canibus, Chino XL, Vakill, Ras Kass and the like.

The accents are a thorny issue for me because of the state of affairs in Australian Hip Hop. There are a significant minority of Australian rappers who'll use a really bad American accent (I know the UK has this issue on a smaller scale, i've heard some stuff from Funky DL who does it). To cut a long story short, it really shits me and I won't listen to anything done by artists who pretend they're from America when they clearly aren't. The change in accents is refreshing, I LIKE hearing British accents - they really do sound pretty damn good. It might be an issue of conditioning, I had trouble with the sound of non-US accents when I first heard Slick Rick simply because I wasn't used to it and had been conditioned to expect American accents. It passed and now I enjoy the vareity.

Posted by SYSTEM-J on Jul-09-2006 04:55:

Maybe it's a taste thing then, because I just can't stomach English accents in hip-hop. I also can't say I've heard any Australian hip-hop, but the prospect terrifies me.

EDIT: Actually, it's obviously a taste thing.

Pages (2): [1] 2 »