Mike Skinner, better known under his hip-hop sobriquet, the Streets, burst onto the British music scene in a big way with his 2002 debut album ORIGINAL PIRATE MATERIAL. Coming off like a hip-hop version of Ian Dury, Skinner raps in a thick British accent about the details of everyday working-class life in England, with an inventiveness and humour that mark him as an original. He's musically innovative as well, utilising a sonic framework that incorporates the influences of drum-and-bass, garage, 2-Step, and ragga, as well as the standard hip-hop beats.