The Streets is an English musical project led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner. The project was founded in the early 90s, while Skinner was still a teenager; however, no music would formally eventuate until the early 2000s. In the initial run of The Streets, the project released five studio albums: Original Pirate Material (2002), A Grand Don't Come for Free (2004), The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living (2006), Everything Is Borrowed (2008) and Computers and Blues (2011). The Streets also released a string of successful singles during this time, which reached the Top 40 on the UK Singles chart – including "Has It Come to This?", "Fit but You Know It", "Dry Your Eyes", "When You Wasn't Famous" and "Prangin' Out". After disbanding The Streets in 2011, Skinner pursued several other musical projects before ultimately reviving the moniker in 2017. A mixtape, None of Us Are Getting Out of This Life Alive, was released in 2020. The Streets' sixth studio album, The Darker the Shadow the Brighter the Light, was released in September 2023.
A Grand Don't Come for Free is the second studio album by English rapper and producer Mike Skinner, under the music project the Streets. It was released on 17 May 2004 and is listed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. It is a rap opera and concept album that follows the story of its protagonist's relationship with a girl named Simone, alongside the mysterious loss of £1,000 from his home.
Original Pirate Material is the debut studio album by English hip hop project the Streets, released on 25 March 2002. Recorded mostly in a room in a south London house rented at the time by principal member Mike Skinner, the album is musically influenced by UK garage and American hip hop, while its 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".
"Baby Cakes" is the only single released by British garage trio 3 of a Kind. It debuted atop the UK Singles Chart on 15 August 2004, becoming the band's only chart hit. Mixmag included "Baby Cakes" on their "40 of the best UK garage tracks released from 1995 to 2005" list. The music video shows the band in a cake shop and contains several double-entendres. A follow-up song, "Wink One Eye" was recorded but was never released.
"Dry Your Eyes" is a single by English rapper and producer Mike Skinner under the music project the Streets. The song describes the protagonist trying to cope with his girlfriend breaking up with him. It was released in the UK on 19 July 2004. The song is the Streets' most successful single, reaching number one in the United Kingdom on 25 July 2004, six days after its release. "Dry Your Eyes" also went straight to number one in Ireland staying there for three weeks in a row.
"21 Seconds" is a song by UK garage group So Solid Crew. Released as the second single from their 2001 debut album They Don't Know, it was the first of five consecutive top-20 hit singles for the group.
Michael Geoffrey Skinner is an English rapper, singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. Best known for the music project the Streets, Skinner has also released music as a solo artist, as part of the D.O.T. with frequent collaborator Rob Harvey, and under the pseudonym The Darker the Shadow the Brighter the Light.
"Fit but You Know It" is a song by English rapper and producer Mike Skinner under the music project the Streets. It was released on 26 April 2004 as the lead single of the Streets' second studio album, A Grand Don't Come for Free (2004). The song reached number four on the UK Single Charts.
"Teardrops" is a song by American husband-and-wife duo Womack & Womack, released on 5 August 1988 by Island Records as the first single from their fourth studio album, Conscience (1988). The song was written by Cecil Womack and Linda Womack, while production was helmed by Chris Blackwell. Although the song was not a hit in their native United States, it charted highly in the United Kingdom and several European countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand.
"Hideaway" is a song by American house music group De'Lacy, featuring vocals by Rainie Lassiter. It is the group's most successful single and is written by Kevin Hedge and Josh Milan, produced by Blaze and released by labels Easy Street, deConstruction and BMG. The 1995 Deep Dish remix peaked at number-one in Italy. It also reached number nine in the UK and number 38 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in the US. A music video was made for the Deep Dish remix, featuring Lassiter performing at several sites in New York City. The song has been remixed and re-released several times. A remixed version, called "Hideaway 1998", which featured a mix by Nu‑Birth, peaked at number 21 in 1998. The song was released a third time in 2006 and reached number 82 in the Netherlands.
"Closer than Close" is a song by American musician Rosie Gaines, a former singer in Prince's band the New Power Generation. After being released in 1995 as a track on her fifth album by the same name (1995), bootlegs of garage mixes started appearing. Thus started a two-year mission by Glaswegian house and garage indie Big Bang Records to release the track properly in 1997. It peaked at number four in the UK and number six on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. "Closer than Close" is Gaines' most successful song to date, and widely considered as a club classic.
"Flowers" is the debut single by UK garage duo Sweet Female Attitude, released on 3 April 2000. The song uses the same chord sequence as Erik Satie's Trois Gymnopédies, and the actual piece can be heard in the version by The House & Garage Orchestra, from the 2018 album Garage Classics.
"Sometimes It Snows in April" is a song by American musician Prince. It was included on his eighth studio album Parade, which was also the soundtrack to his film Under the Cherry Moon (1986). Prince wrote, performed, and produced the song alongside Wendy & Lisa, who co-wrote the music.
"Gabriel" is a song by Roy Davis Jr. and Peven Everett.
"Sincere" is the debut single by English UK garage musician MJ Cole, released in 1998. It features Nova Casper and Jay Dee on vocals. The song initially peaked at No. 38 on the UK Singles Chart, but a re-release in 2000 containing new mixes proved even more successful, peaking at No. 13. It also reached No. 1 on the UK Dance Singles Chart.
"Blinded by the Lights" is a song by English rapper and producer Mike Skinner under the music project the Streets. It was released in September 2004 as the third single from the project's second studio album A Grand Don't Come for Free. The song reached number ten on the UK Single Chart and was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry.
"My Love" is a song by British singer Kele Le Roc. It was released on 15 March 1999 as the second single from her debut album, Everybody's Somebody. Like her previous single "Little Bit of Lovin'", the song peaked at No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart, and it also peaked at No. 48 in New Zealand in January 2001. In 1999, the song won a MOBO Award for Best Single. Several remixes of the song became underground hits in the UK.
"Booo!" is a song by UK garage DJ/producer Sticky featuring Ms. Dynamite. It was the first single Ms. Dynamite appeared on before the release of her debut solo single the following year. The song was a top 20 hit, peaking at No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 1 on the UK Dance Singles Chart.
"Destiny", also titled "Destiny (Sleepless)", is a song by UK garage duo Dem 2. It was released as a single in late 1997 and also in 1998 and reached No. 58 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 1 on the UK Dance Singles Chart.
"Love Shy" is a song by the Danish singer Kristine Blond, released as a single in 1998. It peaked at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart. Two years later, it reached the top forty in the UK again, landing at number 28 in November 2000, due to the Club Asylum remix of the track becoming a UK garage club hit. The theme of the song discussed incelibacy and overcoming it.
