‘Who Needs Actions When You’ve Got Words’ is the debut album from British grime sensation, Plan B. Fusing elements of hip hop, grime and rock into an aggressive sonic mixture and bringing to mind artists as diverse as Skinnyman, Rage Against The Machine and Public Enemy, this is a UK hip-hop album that truly defies classification.
Plan B (Ben Drew) is, as they say, no ordinary MC. He can spit rhymes and hold his own against any MC or rapper, but can then suddenly switch into a delicate, sweet white soul croon that would shame any boyband member. He accompanies himself on an acoustic guitar, playing in a curiously folksy, fingerpicking style. But the killer punch is the lyrics - bleak, cinematic, X-rated, urban poetry laced with a mordant wit and a strong dose of pathos.
Plan B mixes lyrics with plenty of hardcore hip hop influences, citing DMX, Necro, Mobb Deep, Nas and Eminem along with fellow UK hip hoppers like Dizzee Rascal and Skinnyman. But he also draws from a hugely diverse music history: Michael Jackson, Aphex Twin, Radiohead, Nirvana, Rage Against The Machine, Stevie Wonder, jungle and garage.
With ‘Who Needs Actions When You’ve Got Words’ Plan B takes a spikier route with punk-funk producer Paul Epworth (Bloc Party, The Rakes, Maximo Park). The album sees Plan B working with his drummer Cassell The Beatmaker - a musician who grew up a few streets away from him in Forest Gate. While Plan B rhymes, half-remembered riffs from pop songs come into his head. “No Good” sees him referencing a line from “No Good (Start The Dance)” by The Prodigy and “Mama Loves A Crackhead” uses fragments from Hall And Oates’s “Say No Go”. “It’s like a DJ mixing two tunes together,” he says, “taking a tune that everyone’s bored with and bringing it back to life.”
‘Who Needs Actions When You’ve Got Words’ comes with a bonus CD entitled ‘Something For Nothing’ which features six b-sides and remixes along with three music videos.
