Release Date: 17th May, 2004
Concept:
“In the story, the protagonist loses £1,000, or a "grand" in slang terms, and strives to recoup the money.
In his book The Story of the Streets Skinner explained his decision to create a story that ran through the album:
"The reason I decided to write A Grand Don't Come for Free as episodes from a single unfolding narrative was because I'd got so into my songwriting manuals and books by Hollywood screen-writing gurus – not just Robert McKee but Syd Fieldand John Truby as well – and I wanted to try and put what I'd learnt from them into practice. Every song needs a drama at the centre of it, and once you have the drama, the song writes itself – that's what I firmly believed, and still do believe. I'm not alone in this convicition, either. It's something pretty much all rappers seem to be sure about."[2]
In the first track on the album, "It Was Supposed to Be So Easy", Skinner attempts several tasks during a day but they do not go according to plan. When he comes home he cannot find the thousand pounds he has saved and his television is broken. In the process of trying to recover the money he:
· Starts seeing a girl called Simone who works in JD Sports with his friend Dan. ("Could Well Be In")
· Tries to recover the thousand pounds by gambling on football. After a series of wins he frustratingly cannot get to the bookmaker's in time to make a big gamble. Fortuitously, the prediction is wrong — it is his lucky day. ("Not Addicted")
· Is stood up at a nightclub by Simone, but passes the time drinking alcohol and taking ecstasy. He thinks he sees Simone kissing Dan but the drug induced high distracts him before he can think about it properly. ("Blinded By the Lights")
· Moves into Simone's house and finds himself comfortable smoking marijuana there, rather than drinking with his friends at the pub. ("Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way")
· Argues with Simone and she kicks him out of her house. ("Get Out of My House")
· Poses to impress a girl ("Fit But You Know It") in a take away restaurant during a heavy night drinking on holiday.
· Flies back from the holiday and remorsefully reviews the events of the previous night during a phone call to a friend, realising he still wants to be with Simone. ("Such a Twat")
· Suspects his mate Scott of stealing his coat, money, and girlfriend but discovers that Simone is actually having an affair with Dan. ("What is He Thinking?")
· Tries to cope with his girlfriend breaking up with him. ("Dry Your Eyes")
· Deals with the events of his life in one of two ways; the final track, "Empty Cans", features two endings to the plot, a bitter ending and a happy ending (the former where he and a TV repairman get into a fight over the repairman's fee, and the latter in which he reconciles with his mates and finds the thousand pounds had fallen down the back of the TV, making it malfunction)” – Wikipedia
Label: 679 Artists
Review:
“The whole album is so lyrically skilful and emotionally endearing that it allows Skinner to get away with murder at the finale. The much-vaunted plot "twist" stretches your credulity to the limit: suffice to say that in order to believe it, you would also have to believe that Skinner is woefully unobservant. Given that he has just spent the best part of an hour demonstrating that he is the most observant man in pop music, that's a preposterously tall order” – The Guardian
