The only way you won’t have heard about Plan B is by being stuck in a deep, dark hole in the ground for the past 18 months. Ben Drew’s rise to chart domination has been nuclear. And there are no signs of slowing. From his first Top 10 hit ‘End Credits’ with Chase & Status in 2009 to the 3 times Brit Nominated album ‘The Defamation of Strickland Banks’, Plan B has been on every playlist, chart and nomination sheet going.

His idols include pre-eminents such Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye and Johnny Rotten, but his Eureka moment was attributed to the timely influence of one chainsaw-wielding Eminem; “I went down that whole route of just rapping about myself, saying my name and talking about how great I was – all that bravado rap. He [Eminem] was brilliant, he changed the whole game. He didn’t just influence white rappers, he influenced everyone. He showed that hip hop that didn’t have to be about the rings and the money and the hos.” When that realisation hit, the boy from Forest Gate did good. Rapping in his own accent, accompanied acoustically, Ben Drew got stuck into telling stories about the life he’d experienced as a lad from a council estate in East London.

With that philosophy at the core of his work, from the Motown end of the spectrum over to the the grimy vibe of his shock debut release Who Needs Actions When You Got Words‘ Plan B is truly the perfect fit for our mantra, Live Who You Are.

Check out our exclusive footage of the secret Plan B gig held in honour of our first store opening here as well as our catalogue of Plan B ads and videos.