Plan B Interview

Plan B Interview

21 May, 2007 | 6.13AM

• Written by: Terry Church
• Filed under: Music News: plan b

Plan B aka Ben Drew is the unlikely rap sensation. But the white English boy with a guitar proved himself big last year when his debut album ‘Who Needs Actions When You Got Words’ gained the respect of the hip hop community and got the critics excited.

Beatportal exclusively caught up with Plan B to find out what he thinks about life in Britain, religion, and the American hip hop scene.

1. You paint a bleak picture of life in Britain. Is it really that bad?

For some people yes of course it is. I choose to highlight the nasty shit that happens that people would rather not talk about. 

It doesn’t mean that shit happens to everybody or it happens all the time to some people, it just means it happens and I have chosen to write about it.

2. So is it your aim to try and change the things you rap about?

Yeah man, I started writing lyrics and music because I wanted to change the world.

And I still do. I want to change how fake, shallow and heartless most people are by making music that gets an emotional reaction out of them. 

If I can make a song that makes a person angry, happy or sad it means that I’ve affected them.

Music and film has played a massive part in the person I am today and that is why I choose to use them in my quest to get through to people.

3. On your songs ‘Tough Love’ and ‘I Don’t Hate You’ there are anti-religious connotations. What are your views of organised religion?

Some people need rules to live by that’s why people join the army. They can’t make decisions for themselves so they follow someone else’s orders.

I’m not against religion when it is worshipped in the correct way but the problem is it is often misinterpreted. 

The fact is without religion the world would be better off - less war, less murder and less racism. 

We live in an age where we know the difference between right and wrong so why do people still need a book to tell them what is a sin?

Can they not look inside their own hearts and decide that for themselves?

In saying that, I do believe in a greater being, a creater but I don’t believe he is going to send good people to hell because they didn’t choose a certain religion to follow like a gambler would a horse at Ascot, only to die and find out it was the wrong one.

What kind of evil cunt would do that to a person, God?

4. If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?

I guess peoples’ views on religion, after answering that question.

5. If you use your music to try and change things, what do you think of rap that glamourises gun culture and the gangster lifestyle?

I enjoy gangster rap the same as I enjoy gangster movies.  I don’t take it literally or let it influence me to hurt people. 

I am someone who can make my own decisions and I was brought up well enough to know that robbing and killing people to make a name for myself is not the way a man behaves.

6. Are you bored yet of people comparing you to Eminem?

No I take it as a compliment, Eminem is a great man.

7. As a white rapper playing a guitar did you find it hard to gain the respect of your peers?

Yeah but I reckon it’s more the guitar thing than the white thing in this country [Britain].

Purist dickheads are always going to try and hate on me cos I’m not going stale like the tired old rappers they like cos I play an instrument instead of trying to stand there looking like I go out and graff up trains everynight when I don’t, but fuck them.

I don’t socialize with those insignificant fucks!

8. Is cracking the US market important to you?

It would be nice to know that people in that country aren’t as socially unaware as people in the UK say they are but to be honest I don’t care that much if they’re into my shit or not. 

I didn’t make my music to suit anyone but Plan B fans, so if you ain’t into my shit then I didn’t make it for you anyway.

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