Ep 10: The Streets - 'A Grand Don't Come For Free'

08/10/2025 46 min Episodio 10

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Episode Synopsis

Find all the links you need at https://linktr.ee/skipdpod In episode ten of Skip’d, Rob & Mike unravel The Streets’ defining concept album, A Grand Don’t Come For Free, released on 17 May 2004. Mike Skinner transforms London street tales into a rap opera narrative, chronicling a missing £1,000 and a tumultuous romance with Simone. They explore how raw garage beats and heartfelt lyricism elevated UK hip hop in the mid-2000s.What’s inside:A track-by-track breakdown of emotional highs and lows in songs like “Dry Your Eyes,” “Fit But You Know It,” and “Blinded by the Lights”Discussion of Skinner’s storytelling technique, inspired by Hollywood screenwriting principles, that weaves drama through every verseRob & Mike’s take on the album’s bedroom-to-studio production, DIY authenticity, and Mike Skinner’s role as both writer and producerListener anecdotes, singalong moments, and both Rob and Mike professing to being drug-free and boring.Stream Skip’d on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Got a concept album that turns every track into a chapter? Send it over—Rob & Mike are ready to skip it next.