PLAN B

23-year-old London rapper Plan B (aka Ben Drew) is as likely to play a folk club as a hip hop jam. His delicate, blue-eyed soul croon and acoustic, folksy finger-picking style sits in stark contrast to his bleak, X-rated urban-tinged lyrics, laced with tales of robbery, crack addict madness and mordant wit. Drew's mother bought him his first guitar when he was 14 and he has been writing songs ever since, influenced by everything from DMX and Skinnyman to Eric Clapton. After stints playing at youth clubs for young offenders, Drew began playing urban showcases. He was soon snapped up by 679 Records. The result was his recent debut album, Who Needs Actions When you Got Words, a startling narrative on the trials of urban life. "I realised that I could work with characters, like a novelist," says Drew. This is one potboiler you'll find hard to put down...