Example - 'What We Made' (The Beats) Released 12/11/07

Since the dawn of it's creation rap music in the UK has skulked it's sorry head behind it's much larger, more dominant and complex cousins in the US of A. As time has gone on the UK scene has gained more of an international prominence especially in the land of free more so than perhaps fellow European rappers, who's language barriers act like a brick wall in the face of the music's literal translation. Acts like the broadly appealing Kano, chav-tastic Lady Sovereign and plain talking Mike Skinner have broken down barriers and built bridges in many respects and gained the appreciative whoops and cheers universally of devoted fans of the genre.

Example, a.k.a Elliot Greave a self taught MCing, award winning poet come rap battle aficionado caught the eye of Skinner as an up and coming starlet within the genre inspired by the young rappers passion, straight talking, poetic and melancholic style he signed him up in a shot hence the release of album 'What We Made'.

Pitching himself as the independent diplomat opener 'So Many Roads' picks apart The Carpenters 'We've Only Just Begun' mixing the tracks melancholic chorus with hip hop beats, whilst 'You Can't Rap' is a self appointed rant by Greave on the rappers observations on modern life, music and society that Dre himself would be proud of. A dig at those within the genre of a certain, well let's just say disposition, Greave points the finger making it clear that ambitious Caucasians should simply steer clear of rap, hip hop and the like. Proving that the man himself can take the strangest of topics and mould it's questionable content into a sublime concoction of rocking beats and catchy one liners, track 'Birthday Card' is one of those quintessential examples of Greave's addictive and instructive mix.

Other highlights on the album include the Rusher collaboration 'Posh Birds' which features vocals from Tomi Adeosun and 'Today I Met Myself' a track which will be familiar to many for it's track sampling. Reluctant to partake in the art of making covers Greave sticks to what he knows best and releases an album rich in truthful, poetic, lyrical gymnastics that outstrips any other in it's current class.