Original Pirate Material

About Original Pirate Material

Original Pirate Material is the debut album by the English rapper and producer Mike Skinner, under the name the Streets. Recorded mostly in the south London house that Skinner was renting, using a laptop with digital audio software, the album is musically influenced by UK garage and US hip hop, while the lyrics tell stories of British working-class life. It was supported by four singles, "Has It Come to This?", "Let's Push Things Forward", "Weak Become Heroes" and "Don't Mug Yourself". The album originally rose to number 12 on the UK Albums Chart in 2002, and then peaked at number 10 in 2004 after the release of the chart-topping second Streets album A Grand Don't Come for Free. Original Pirate Material received widespread critical acclaim, with many reviewers praising the originality and humour of Skinner's lyrics, and subsequent critics' polls have placed it among the best albums of the 2000s. more »