PlanB STUDENT ARTICLE
Chloe Binley from Bishop Stopford School (Year 13) gives Loud! The lowdown on Plan B
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aming himself Plan B after swapping from R ‘n’ B to hip-hop in his teens, Ben Drew started his musical career in 2005, rapping on the track Cap Back from the album Run the Road (2005), as well as releasing his first two singles Kidz/Dead and Buried and Sick 2 Def/No Good. He went on to release his debut album Who Needs Actions When You Got Words in June 2006 under the record label, 679 Recordings. Unlike his later work, Drew’s first album was heavily hip-hop, influenced by the works of Rage Against The Machine, The Prodigy and Nirvana. It charted at number 30 in the UK Album Chart and received largely positive reviews from critics about the way it addressed problems such as murder, rape, drug addiction and even anorexia.
Reviews said the lyrics were shocking and controversial but equally honest and heart-felt. The lead single Mama (Loves A Crackhead), produced entirely by Drew himself, charted at number 41 in the UK Singles Chart.
In 2008 Drew had a supporting role in the film, Adulthood and recorded three songs for the soundtrack- End in the Streets, On It 08 and I Need Love. His first place in the Top 10 (singles) was featuring on Chase & Status’ song End Credits, in October 2009, which peaked at number 9.
But Drew’s breakthrough came with his second album, The Defamation of Strickland Banks, released in April 2010, under the labels 679 and Atlantic. The high success of this album sent it straight to number 1 in the UK Album Chart and the record She Said reached number 3 in the UK Singles Chart, with other songs The Recluse, Prayin’ and Stay Too Long also breaking into the Top 40.
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