Plan B

British MC and actor Plan B, born Ben Drew, first attracted attention in 2005 via the lighthearted “Cap Back,” a Wiley-referencing cut produced by Roll Deep’s Wonder and included on the 679 label’s Run the Road compilation. After joining the 679 roster, the London native issued several singles throughout 2005 and 2006 that led to his debut album, Who Needs Actions When You Got Words. The Meat Puppets-referencing title and tracks that cleverly sampled Hall & Oates, the Prodigy, and Gary Puckett & the Union Gap—often set against acoustic guitars atop shuffling breakbeats—demonstrated that the MC resisted straightforward categorization.

The Defamation of Strickland Banks, released in 2010, marked a major breakthrough for Plan B; beyond serving as an album, it doubled as a short film written and directed by Drew, who also starred in the project. Fronted by “Stay Too Long,” a pounding, organ-driven rock track that portrayed an alcohol-fueled downward spiral, the record drew heavily on soul and Motown traditions. Drew’s powerful singing voice shared equal prominence with his rapping, elevating Plan B to household-name status across the U.K., where the album ranked as the year’s fifth-highest seller. On the strength of The Defamation of Strickland Banks, Drew received the BRIT Award for British Male Solo Artist and the MOBO for Best U.K. R&B/Soul act, while Plan B performed at V Festival and Glastonbury 2011 amid an extensive worldwide tour.

In 2012 Drew unveiled his first feature-length film, Ill Manors, together with a single and album bearing the same title. The Top Ten U.K. Single and title track examined disaffected youth and the 2011 London riots, probing the rioters’ perspective and scrutinizing the government’s role. That thematic focus shaped the rest of the record and the film, which postponed work on The Ballad of Belmarsh—an album originally slated to follow The Defamation of Strickland Banks—though Plan B later affirmed that the project would be revisited. After an extended hiatus from music, Plan B resurfaced in 2017 with the single “In the Name of Man.” Soon afterward “Heartbeat” appeared as the lead single from Heaven Before Hell Breaks Loose, his fourth studio album. The record, which surfaced in spring 2018, also included the singles “Guess Again,” “Queue Jumping,” and “Grateful.”