Ill Manors

Ben Drew alias Plan B is making headlines and stimulating debate on the blogosphere with his new video. The track, the video and the way it has been received by audiences makes for a fantastic case study in a number of ways, not least for representation of issues. The issue being representation of an underclass in the British Media. You could compare this to 'Shameless' and look at how newspapers represent young people from urban areas. Compare the films 'Harry Brown' and 'Ill Manors', both of which involve Ben Drew.

Watch the video for 'Ill Manors' first to make up your own mind. Create your own review before exploring how others read the text.

Try to decode the video using your toolkit for analysis

How does the video play with stereotypes ?

What do you think the message is ?

'Oi ! I said Oi ! what are you looking at you looking at you likkle rich boy !'

This is going to be a refrain of the summer to come. How is it a powerful cry and what is the intention of the artist ? Who are the targets of this ire ?

Is this the artist Ben Drew talking and does this reflect his views or is this a persona or an alter ego that will be developed in the forthcoming film ? Is the challenging content an advert for selling records and promoting the film. A cynic would suggest that this is a Warner Brothers production and therefore just another commodity which ironically will make the artist the likkle rich boy.

Ben Drew feels passionate about the issues he has raised suggesting that he is 'for real'. In an interview on Radio 1 Extra he explains where he is coming from and why he wrote the song. He explains that the riots made him sick and disgusted as they just reinforced prejudices of middle England as shown by the use of the emotive term, 'Chav.' He explains the need for the 'visceral' energy and imagery as he wants to raise the issue and then if anyone wants to talk about how to change it then the debate may help. He genuinely believes that his work has the power to change attitudes and hopes that something positive can come out of the album and the film he is bringing out.

During the riots he wrote in The Sun

'The kind of places these kids are attacking, they're like retail shops. Lidl? They broke into Lidl because they want to get some frozen food, some frozen pizza for free?

What did you break into Lidl for? And you are going to do time for it? It's stupid.

And you've got people like me who are trying to change the way middle England look at the underclass, have a bit more compassion for them — how can I stand up for that any more?

No one is going to have sympathy for these guys no more.'

This suggest that he writes about social alienation and wants to raise the level of debate. Rather than glorifying the behaviour of an underclass he is as frustrated by the mindless looting of consumer goods as the Sun's commentator Trevor Kavanagh. Targeting Gregg's the baker and nicking trainers is hardly a political statement. It just shows how tawdry the values of our society have become. Naked consumerism and greed which only harmed the communities the rioters came from, endangering lives and livelihoods.

This link shows Ben Drew explaining his views and intentions in an impassioned speech last week.

Dorian Lynskey called this 'the greatest British protest song in years.' This blog post is fascinating as the comment it creates is divided. Whatever you think of the video the thread after this post shows that the issues raised create strong feelings and allow for an interesting debate about British youth culture and the influence of popular music.

How does the video play with stereotypes ?

What do you think the message is ?

Different readings of the text are everywhere on the blogosphere. Josh Hall argues that the video has caught the imagination but the representations in Drew's work are problematic and Plan B is not your saviour.

The track is post-modern as it draws directly from existing texts. It is almost identical to 'Alles Neu' by the German artist Peter Fox who nicked the violins from a famous piece of classical music by Shostakovich. It has the energy of the Prodigy who have re-mixed the track. Does this detract from the originality of the work or is it a clever way of making contemporary music ?

Can pop music change the world ? The song has been compared to the Specials 'Ghost Town' which was written about the concrete jungle of Coventry and music by bands like the Clash. Is there a lack of social comment in mainstream music today and are songs like this an important platform for protest ?

This is you being represented. As Vincent Vega says in Pulp Fiction, ' you gotta have an opinion.'