Plan B is a British rapper who’s real name is Benjamin Paul Ballance-Drew who has been going from strength to strength in recently having appeared on the Jonathon Ross and having a number 1 album. Plan B is also an actor and is planning to direct a film by the same name as this song: Ill Manors. Anyone who knows me will know that I am pretty much the least ‘gangsta’ person ever, so this is definitely not the music that I would normally listen to, however I was pleasantly surprised… in some ways.
The lyrics are really interesting as there are lots of other popular song lyrics hidden in it and political statements about Cameron’s ideas about ‘Hugging Hoodies’, the London riots and immigration. However in many ways I would rather that he wrote his thoughts down and let me read them then rapping them in an angry way, then again I guess in many ways that is what this genre is about: getting out anger about the society that we live in. Its also interesting as this song has lots of elements from other genres. There is a repetitative string sound, which makes the song seem more sinister and gives it an earthier feel (if that makes any sense!). The chorus’s also remind me of the punk era with the some shouting by what are meant to sound like ‘skin heads’.
This song is really interesting as brings up many different ideas, but personally for me it just isn’t my type of music. I guess it depends what you grow up listening to and what you listen to. In many ways Ill Manors is just a poem set to music. It is something that obviously means a lot to Plan B, something that is refrehing in a world where the majority of the music is synthesised and created to make money, and I would imagine that is why he wants to direct a movie as that would mean that he can get his opinions across in another medium. For these reasons I quite like this song, however I feel that if I have to listen to it much more my ears might die: It’s a bit angry for me, but still, for the people that like rap music, a pretty good song!
Lucie Douglas
