Mike Skinner (musician)
Encyclopedia
Michael Geoffrey "Mike" Skinner (born 27 November 1978) is a British rapper, musician and record producer from Birmingham, United Kingdom, best known for the rap project, The Streets
.
. Skinner began experiencing symptoms of epilepsy
at age seven which worsened in his early teens. He began writing hip hop
and garage music in his home in West Heath
and would later build a sound booth within his bedroom, using a cupboard and a mattress. In the mid-1990s, following secondary education at Bournville School
, Skinner became a student at Sutton Coldfield College
, in Sutton Coldfield
, and was working in fast food jobs while trying to start his own independent record label
and sending off demos
.
Although born in Birmingham, Skinner has often been criticised for using a Mockney
accent during interviews and in many songs. He can be heard speaking in his normal accent at the beginning of the song "Fake Streets Hats
". He describes his background as "Barratt
class: suburban estates, not poor but not much money about, really boring." Skinner has however always identified himself with Birmingham and he is a keen supporter of Birmingham City
. He has worn the club's replica shirt on stage. He also wore it in the music video for his remix of Bloc Party
's single "Banquet
".
, The Beats was home to British hip hop acts such as The Mitchell Brothers
, Example
and Professor Green
. The label closed in 2007.
of The Music. Together they have recorded 14 songs, all of which can be streamed on the project's official website.Harvey does most of the vocals, allowing Skinner to "further develop his production approach".
for the British film The Inbetweeners Movie was released in 2011, featuring nine new compositions by Skinner.
, Beat Stevie is an "anything goes" blog/music show also shown on Channel 4
in their 4Music
late night strand. The episodes often include backstage footage and onstage hijinks.
In one of the episodes, Mike and Ted get trained by pickup artist and dating coach 5.0 of Love Systems
on how to approach and talk to women.
as a security guard, featuring in the episode "The Time of Angels
".
In a recent interview Skinner also revealed that he would be starring in a film, a thriller set in a hospital. Adding that it won't be a "blockbuster" and that it will take around two years to complete.
Classics
shoes; he is often seen wearing a pair of white Workout Plus trainers, and has mentioned them in the lyrics for his song "Let's Push Things Forward", in which he raps, "Let's put on our Classics and have a little dance, shall we?". In 2005, he signed up to appear in a twelve-month ad campaign for Reebok's "I Am What I Am" campaign.
The Streets
The Streets were a British rap/garage project from Birmingham, United Kingdom, led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner and has included a myriad of other contributors most notably drummer Johnny Drum Machine, vocalist Kevin Mark Trail and the Italian-American beatmaker Leroy.The...
.
Early life
By the time he was five-years-old, Mike Skinner had begun playing with keyboardsKeyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
. Skinner began experiencing symptoms of epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
at age seven which worsened in his early teens. He began writing hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
and garage music in his home in West Heath
West Heath, West Midlands
West Heath is a residential area on the southern outskirts of metropolitan Birmingham, England and near the boundary with Worcestershire. Located in the ward of Northfield it is situated between Kings Norton, Northfield, Longbridge and Cofton Hackett and lies on traditional heathland formed in...
and would later build a sound booth within his bedroom, using a cupboard and a mattress. In the mid-1990s, following secondary education at Bournville School
Bournville School
Bournville School and sixth form centre is a coeducational, state comprehensive school, with Specialist Business and Enterprise College and Music College status, for students aged 11–19 years, located on Griffins Brook Lane, Bournville, Birmingham in the United Kingdom.Since 2002 Bournville has...
, Skinner became a student at Sutton Coldfield College
Birmingham Metropolitan College
Birmingham Metropolitan College is a further and higher education college with eight campuses distributed within Birmingham, England. The college was created in August 2009 as a result of the amalgamation of Matthew Boulton College and Sutton Coldfield College...
, in Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield is a suburb of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton is located about from central Birmingham but has borders with Erdington and Kingstanding. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census...
, and was working in fast food jobs while trying to start his own independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
and sending off demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
.
Although born in Birmingham, Skinner has often been criticised for using a Mockney
Mockney
Mockney is an affected accent and form of speech in imitation of Cockney or working class London speech, or a person with such an accent...
accent during interviews and in many songs. He can be heard speaking in his normal accent at the beginning of the song "Fake Streets Hats
Fake Streets Hats
"Fake Streets Hats" is the 11th and final track of The Streets' third studio album, The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living. The song is about an incident that happened during the 2004 edition of the Dutch Lowlands Music Festival, where a drunk Mike Skinner openly protested against the handing out...
". He describes his background as "Barratt
Barratt Developments
Barratt Developments PLC is one of the largest residential property development companies in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1958 as Greensitt Bros. but control was later assumed by Sir Lawrie Barratt. It was originally based in Newcastle upon Tyne but is now located at David Wilson's former...
class: suburban estates, not poor but not much money about, really boring." Skinner has however always identified himself with Birmingham and he is a keen supporter of Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
. He has worn the club's replica shirt on stage. He also wore it in the music video for his remix of Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
's single "Banquet
Banquet (song)
"Banquet" is a song from British band Bloc Party's debut album Silent Alarm. Originally released on a double A-side single "Banquet" is a song from British band Bloc Party's debut album Silent Alarm. Originally released on a double A-side single "Banquet" is a song from British band Bloc...
".
The Beats Recordings: 2005-2007
In 2005, Mike Skinner and Ted Mayhem launched the independent record label The Beats Recordings. A subsidiary of 679 Recordings679 Recordings
679 Artists is a Warner Music Group-owned record label based in London, England....
, The Beats was home to British hip hop acts such as The Mitchell Brothers
The Mitchell Brothers
The Mitchell Brothers are a Ghanaian British rap duo from London, England. They consist of cousins Owura Nyanin from Manor Park and Kofi Hanson from Stockwell...
, Example
Example (rapper)
Elliot John Gleave , better known by his stage name Example, is an English singer and rapper signed to Data Records. His name arose due to his initials being E.G., which is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase "exempli gratia", which means, "for example".Example's third album Playing In The Shadows...
and Professor Green
Professor Green
Professor Green , better known by his stage name Professor Green, is a British rapper. He was signed to The Beats, a record label run by Mike Skinner and Ted Mayhem, until 12 February 2008, as the label went under. He won the inaugural JumpOff MySpace £50,000 battle rap tournament in July 2008...
. The label closed in 2007.
The D.O.T.: 2011-present
After shelving The Streets, Mike Skinner launched a new project, called The D.O.T., along with Rob HarveyRobert Harvey (musician)
The Music was an English alternative rock band, formed Kippax, Leeds, in 1999. Comprising Robert Harvey , Adam Nutter , Stuart Coleman and Phil Jordan , the band came to prominence with the release of their debut album, The Music, in 2002...
of The Music. Together they have recorded 14 songs, all of which can be streamed on the project's official website.Harvey does most of the vocals, allowing Skinner to "further develop his production approach".
The Inbetweeners
The soundtrack albumSoundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...
for the British film The Inbetweeners Movie was released in 2011, featuring nine new compositions by Skinner.
Beat Stevie
An online channel currently presented by Mike and business partner Ted MayhemTed Mayhem
Ted Mayhem is a hip hop vocalist and record label boss from London, England. He is the main voice of Beat Stevie.Mayhem was Mike Skinner's partner in his record label The Beats and also his television show Beat Stevie which he co-presents with Skinner on Channel 4...
, Beat Stevie is an "anything goes" blog/music show also shown on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
in their 4Music
4Music
4Music is a music and entertainment channel in the United Kingdom and available on some digital television providers in the Republic of Ireland - its web component can be found at with its own and pages. It is the only channel within the Box Television Network to be branded under Channel 4 and...
late night strand. The episodes often include backstage footage and onstage hijinks.
In one of the episodes, Mike and Ted get trained by pickup artist and dating coach 5.0 of Love Systems
Love Systems
Love Systems is a corporation that markets dating seminars teaching men how to meet women and how to have successful relationships with women. The company is based in Los Angeles, CA, USA...
on how to approach and talk to women.
Acting
Skinner had a cameo role in the fifth series of Doctor WhoDoctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
as a security guard, featuring in the episode "The Time of Angels
The Time of Angels
"The Time of Angels" is the fourth episode in the fifth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on 24 April 2010 on BBC One. It is the first episode of a two-part story written by showrunner Steven Moffat and directed by Adam Smith; the second episode was...
".
In a recent interview Skinner also revealed that he would be starring in a film, a thriller set in a hospital. Adding that it won't be a "blockbuster" and that it will take around two years to complete.
Promotional and campaign work
Skinner is an ardent fan of ReebokReebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
Classics
Reebok Classics
Classics are a brand of training shoe made by Reebok.The Reebok Classic trainer was launched originally in 1987. They were usually made with a leather upper and have a clean, simple and straight forward design and are closely related to the Reebok Freestyle...
shoes; he is often seen wearing a pair of white Workout Plus trainers, and has mentioned them in the lyrics for his song "Let's Push Things Forward", in which he raps, "Let's put on our Classics and have a little dance, shall we?". In 2005, he signed up to appear in a twelve-month ad campaign for Reebok's "I Am What I Am" campaign.