Friday 6 October 2017

Plan B - Sick 2 Def / No Good


Sick 2 Def was another song I remember from Plan B's incredible Roskilde set in 2005; it's arguably the pinnacle of what he was doing back then – acoustic and mind-blowingly dense raps, more intricate than a lot of rappers would dare to try. The third verse is of course the real party-piece, where he raps a story in reverse about a man getting stabbed because the attacker heard a Plan B song. He credits Nas with doing it first, but makes it his own. It's hard to not stop what you're doing and listen to the carefully told reverse story reach it's crescendo. I'm still impressed by it, even 12 years after first hearing it.

No Good is to Sick 2 Def on this 7” what Kidz was to Dead and Buried on the first 7" – annoyingly produced rather than acoustic, but still with interesting raps. The raps themselves pale in comparison to Sick 2 Def, but almost any song would, so I guess using a song that sounds entirely different is the best trick to make them stand apart without that comparison.

I don't know exactly when this 7" came out, but I found it in my local HMV when I was back from Australia for Christmas. I was pleased at the time to add it to my collection – I suspect I would have gone to some effort to get a copy had I known it was coming out. Of course, now, I'm less fussed, but it is worth the money alone to have that incredible acoustic rendition of Sick 2 Def.

Format: 7", gatefold sleeve
Tracks: 2
Cost: £2.50 new
Bought: HMV Winchester
When: 09/01/06
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no