Original Pirate Material | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 25 March 2002 | |||
Recorded | 2001–2002 | |||
Studio | Mike Skinner's house, Brixton, London | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 47:24 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | Mike Skinner | |||
The Streets chronology | ||||
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Singles from Original Pirate Material | ||||
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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".
The album originally rose to number 12 on the UK Albums Chart in 2002, and then peaked at number 10 in 2004 following the release of the chart-topping second Streets album A Grand Don't Come for Free. It re-entered several charts in April 2022, following its reissue on orange vinyl for 2022's Record Store Day.[1] Original Pirate Material received widespread critical acclaim, with many reviewers praising the originality and humour of Skinner's lyrics, and subsequent critics' polls have placed it among the best albums of the 2000s.