The Street’s dropped a new freestyle, named Difficult Times, on the 3rd of July. The clip, released on YouTube, is a preview for their new mix-tape which is available from the 10th of July.
The freestyle exudes thrift. The mic stand that Mike Skinner, the Streets front-man, is spitting into is set up in his bedroom. Skinner’s freestyle reflects a degree of maturity, not heard on the snarling garage tracks of his prime. The beat rolls and the piano pulsates around the emcee ‘s lyrics. Skinner’s calm delivery gives the freestyle the feel of a spoken word piece, and the wordplay interlaced throughout maintains this appearance. Difficult Times has sparked intrigue amongst fans,ahead of the release of the Street’s new mix-tape, None Of Us Are Getting Out Of This Alive. The tape represents the first, original, body of work that The Streets have released since their 2011 album Computers and Blues. Therefore, it is hard to predict exactly what the diverse Skinner has in store. He has previously ranged from vintage garage and grime club anthems to an in-depth personal story-telling experience. Skinner is the band’s talisman and brainchild, however their success is also owed to Kevin Mark Trail, a vocalist and producer who has featured in Skinner’s tracks since 2004.
The Street’s have already stirred the imagination after collaborating with Tame Impala for the single, Call My Phone Thinking I’m Doing Nothing Better. Skinner revealed,in an interview with The NME, that he ‘could not believe‘ that Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker wanted to work with him, labelling the band as ‘like a Hip-Hop Beatles‘.This collaboration gives the biggest hint as to the contents of Skinner’s new work, as he has since revealed that the mix-tape is littered with high-profile features such as Ms Banks and Donae’O.
The Streets are a British institution. Albums such as Original Pirate Material (2002) and a Grand Don’t Come For Free (2004) are credited with evolving the UK Garage scene, and making it more accessible. The new Difficult Times freestyle sounds unlike their previous releases. It is hauntingly poetic and echoes a new maturity. Fans are excited to see just what exactly The Streets have in store, and will be counting down the days until the release of None Of Us Are Getting Out Of This Alive on the 10th of July.
