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 plan b session
 to access audio and video on collective you need real player.Keeping it real. He doesn’t smile much and the number one crop he sports might be considered aggressive by some but, minor caveats aside, Ben Drew seems far removed from the world of knife-wielding crack addicts he describes so expertly in his lyrics as Plan B. Intelligent, talkative and well-mannered, he performs three songs from his album before discussing it and himself in detail. No journalists were hurt in the making of this interview. The 23-year-old rapper-guitarist has already won over swathes of critical opinion with his extraordinarily original, often acoustic, take on hip-hop, a route he developed after deciding that the sweet R&B songs he was writing weren’t an honest reflection of his personality. “I knew I couldn’t just rap about my life because it’s not that interesting,” he admits. “But to make people listen to it you’ve got to talk about the real nitty gritty on the streets, so I made up these characters, which detaches the real Ben Drew from what I talk about.” Having wowed 679 (home of The Streets), his debut LP, Who Needs Action When You’ve Got Words, has more than enough to fulfil the hype. It also arrives with as clear a statement of intent as you could wish for, opening with the words, “Alright you f**king cunts”, and carrying on from there. “I love the word ‘c**t’, it will be etched on my tombstone,” he says, eyes gleaming. “I love songs with colourful language, but that song (Kidz) was inspired by me being on night buses and seeing crews of 20 kids and wanting to beat the f**k out of them. When you read about things like a 10-year-old boy (Damilola Taylor) losing his life over a mobile phone, it makes you feel sick. I wanted to get through to those kids and the best way to do it is to use the word ‘c**t’.”  This is Plan B in a nutshell: impassioned but intensely cinematic. His vignettes might offer up a hyperreal take on urban carnage, but they are always tethered by their own morality. Tough Love, for instance, is a sickening story about honour killings that burns with rage at the murderous parents, while his attack on his own absentee father, I Don’t Hate You, concludes with the killer pay-off: “Hating takes too much effort, you ain’t worth the f**king time of day”. Those who’ve lumbered Plan B with tags such as “the cockney Eminem” or “The Streets with a six-string” aren’t even beginning to get to grips with the man’s depths. Ben Drew is too talented to be riding coattails - he’s good and he knows it.
Steve Yates
Plan B - Who Needs Action When You’ve Got Words, released 26 June 06 on 679.
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comment by heavilyinfluenced
Jan 24, 2008
all i have to say about this dude is (real) and you never see that nower days
comment by carliemills
Nov 27, 2007
you r wicked. cant wait ror next albumcarlie and jamie from gloucester
comment by ant_wild
Oct 12, 2007
lovin all tha songs specialy cast a light love the style you can tell it aint no movie and u can see your self there watchin good look on your journey
comment by ManchesterLife
Apr 26, 2007
fuckin brill man i love couldnt get along it got a propa story line to it but man u got it goin gd luck in the future see ya later
comment by 01life
Mar 12, 2007
b youre a legend 2 me for real,u dnt know it but you bin hir 4 me when times av bin hard,and when times was all good.its a pleasure to talk about you,don't stop ryming.pece out bruv.
comment by charmaine-x
Mar 10, 2007
plan b oh my god your soooo amazing ur mi idol nd i think its wonderful your song "charmaine" its my name coz its an unusual name keep singing about me xx
comment by rollin1985
Jan 12, 2007
This is an album you can listen 2 over and over again. "Tough Love" is without doubt the best track for me. Plan B's only prob is the lyrics in the songs are gonna make it hard for him to get any air time on the radio and stuff. So people like me are gonna have to spread the word so more people can listen to this masterpiece. Bill
comment by lyricalniall91
Jan 7, 2007
Plan B's lyrics are totally real! i can relate to most of the songs on the album, 'couldnt get along' is the closet to my heart as my friend gets him self into stupid situations cuz he thinks has the hard man, strong lyrics and powerful messages are put into his songs.'Charmaine' has captured the heart of many people, i live in nuneaton and when ever Plan B is mentioned charmaine is talkd of. All together i think Plan B is an amazin talent i cant wait till i can see him live tht wud be awsome, im lukin fallward to new material!
comment by littlemaria1
Jan 1, 2007
plan b what can i say, i went to school with ben drew (plan b) he was nothing like in the interviews, love his music! would be great to catch up, keep up the great work, c u in the future!
comment by JonnyLovesWycombe
Nov 28, 2006
Love the album and I gotta say I'm 17 and when I first heard no mroe eatin on Radio1 I thought it was really powerful at the end "You Just Made the biggest.. mistake of your sorry little...life bro." Little did I know that those Gaps were filled with swear words, and when I heard it on the album i was slightly disappointed, I just didn't think it needed it. Also, the first line "This time now, you hear me..." just sounds so fake. But overall I gota say it is a quality album, one of my fave's this year and I'd advise anyone to buy it if you haven't already.
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