The Streets

Mike Skinner is a poet, kind of. Well he's definitely not a rapper. Not much of a singer either, but somehow he made two timeless records.

Touching, heartbreaking, funny, and shockingly personal records from Mike Skinner provide a soundtrack to modern day life. Skinner is not a man of great flow, and though his beats are solid they do not stand out by themselves. Rather it is the stories he tells, that make these records what they are. Instead of stereotypical rapping, Skinner rather focuses on average everyday problems in a way we can all relate to.

He talks about the issues with dating and the intricacies of attraction. He mentions just how dull life can become, doing the same thing on the daily with friends. A track like “It Was Supposed to Be So Easy” literally is just a narrative of his day and the frustrations that come with it. Whether it is how long it takes to deposit money at the bank or his phone losing its charge before he can make a phone call to his mom, Skinner just makes insightful and candid commentary.

As lame as that may sound, it reflects the flaws with modern life and quite frankly I think we all can relate to it in some way. Most of us in our twenties can relate to drinking too much and starting trouble or issues with a girlfriend or the desire to make a name for yourself or to take a break from it all. It is just refreshing to hear someone who you will never meet, talk to you as if you were his friend about what is going on his life, and not as some stranger thousands of miles away.