“I’m very passionate about what I do, I’m passionate about art and the integrity of my art. I think my art is about injustice and about things that I think are wrong with this country, that are wrong with this world.” Ben Drew (aka Plan B), i-D’s The Just Kids Issue coverstar.
Challenging society’s misconceptions of the underclasses, Benjamin Paul Ballance-Drew believes music is his therapy. Each track the incensed artist labours over, producing, writing, performing and recording is a piece of art that he needs us – his audience – to appreciate and understand. His aspirations lie beyond shifting units. Deep inner turmoil inspires the lyrics that Plan B lays down in the booth, which Ben Drew in turn refuses to elaborate on in interviews. Adopting the more soulful, slickly suited persona of Strickland Banks for his previous conceptional album The Defamation Of Strickland Banks, Ben has returned to his roots in rap music for his latest release iLL Manors. Directing and producing an accompanying major motion picture of the same name which was revered and chastised, Ben has been working non-stop for the past few months, unable to release control of the multi-million dollar empire he has single-handily grafted. An established director, actor and accomplished musician and still only 28-years-old, Ben has acted in and worked on six cinema released screenplays, with a seventh soon to launch. Vulnerable, valiant and defiant, Ben is the voice of a generation who fight for their rights and seize what they believe they deserve. He provides food for thought, not fuel for the fire. Unflinching, his loyal following stands strong at five and a half million Facebook fans and 300k tweeting disciples, backing his every move. Michael Jackson was Ben’s first ever hero. Ben Drew is mine. I got up close and personal with the chain-wearing, Topman-loving badman over a glass of rosé one Friday evening…
ill Manors, the album, is available here. The Deepest Shame EP with remixes from Andy C and Cinematic comes out on Monday 10th Sept; pre-order here.
Text: Milly McMahon
Film: Makda Iyasu
Photography: Alasdair McLellan for The Just Kids Issue
Styling: Elgar Johnson
