English rapper/producer Mike Skinner aka The Streets burst onto the U.K. music scene at large in 2002 with his fresh and fearless debut album Original Pirate Material. Showcasing Skinner's part street poet and part punk suburban everyman duality, it led to both voice of his generation and best album of the decade laudits and earned a Mercury Prize nomination. The landmark effort melds hip-hop, dub, ska, and dance beats to form an epic backdrop for The Street's witty vignettes. His writing and his music are equally distinctive here, flipping from humorous to dark and introspective and back again. The highly sought after, long out of print LP is home to the half rapped/half sung singles "Has It Come to This?," "Let's Push Things Forward," "Weak Become Heroes" and "Don't Mug Yourself."