Plan B - Who Needs Action When You've Got Words

A tough guy with a bleeding heart, Plan B is a poetic London rapper who, unabashed, examines the grim realities of urban life. Humourless, cynical but critically engaged with the ASBO generation, Plan B is at the forefront not just of British rap, but of British social commentary. Rapping about honour killings, violent revenge and his religious father, Plan B is more like Johnny Cash than Eminem as he exposes the brutal realities of East London. This is no easy listen, and it'll never get played at parties but, just like Radiohead a few years ago, the sketches of contemporary life are delivered in a demotic, effortlessly articulate manner, although the Oxford boys might have turned out differently if exposed to Plan B's world. Not a rap album, not an indie album, this is in fact one of the great protest records of recent times. [Jasper Hamill]