Plan B (musician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Plan B
Plan B in 2012, during filming for iLL Manors
Background information
Birth name	Benjamin Paul Ballance-Drew
Also known as	Ben Drew DTPB Maximus' Papa Paulio Mr Kortni
Born	(1983-10-22) 22 October 1983 (age 41)
Origin	Forest Gate, East London, England
Genres	Hip hop acoustic soul drum and bass R&B rap rock grime
Occupations	Rapper singer songwriter actor filmmaker
Years active	2005–present
Labels	679 Atlantic Mercury Pet Cemetery Warner Bros. Asylum
Associated acts	Chase & Status Riz MC Killa Kela Example Professor Green Adam Deacon Labrinth Raekwon Kano Ed Sheeran Devlin

Benjamin Paul Ballance-Drew (born 22 October 1983), known as Plan B, is an English rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and filmmaker. He started his career as a rapper. His first album, Who Needs Actions When You Got Words, came out in 2006.

His second album, The Defamation of Strickland Banks (2010), was a soul and R&B album. It quickly reached number one on the UK Albums Chart. He has also worked with other artists like Chase & Status. Their song "End Credits" was a top ten hit in 2009.

Drew is also a successful actor. He has appeared in films such as Adulthood (2008) and Harry Brown (2009). In 2012, he wrote and directed the film Ill Manors. He also created the music for the film. The soundtrack album became his second number-one album.

Early Life and Education

Drew grew up in London. His mother worked for the local government. His father, Paul Ballance, was a musician in a punk rock band in the 1970s. Drew felt a bit alone growing up. He said he felt like an "outcast" because his family wasn't strictly working class or middle class. He is a big fan of Arsenal F.C..

When he was 11, Drew went to the Anglo European School in Essex. He later moved to Tom Hood School. After being expelled, he went to a special school called Tunmarsh Pupil Referral Unit in Newham. This school helps children who cannot attend regular schools. He finished school with three GCSEs.

At 14, he taught himself to play the guitar. He started by playing songs by Blur and Oasis with friends. Then he began writing his own R&B love songs. When he was 18, he changed to rap and hip hop music. He wrote a song called "Kidz" after hearing about the sad story of Damilola Taylor.

Music Career Highlights

Starting Out: 2005 to 2009

Plan B first appeared on a grime music album called Run the Road in 2005. His first single, "Kidz"/"Dead and Buried", was released in 2005. He released it on his own small record label, Pet Cemetery Records. Soon, he signed a deal with 679 Recordings. He then released his second single, "Sick 2 Def"/"No Good". He also filmed his first music video for "No Good".

In early 2006, Plan B released a song called "Missing Links". He later had to re-record it because he didn't get permission to use a part of a Radiohead song. He also released his first collection of songs, called a mixtape, It's Time 4 Plan B. This came out with a magazine in May 2006.

On June 23, 2006, Plan B was on TV for the first time on Later... with Jools Holland. He sang an acoustic version of "Mama (Loves a Crackhead)". His first album, Who Needs Actions When You Got Words, was released on June 26, 2006. It reached number thirty on the UK Albums Chart. Many critics liked the album. In July 2006, "Mama (Loves a Crackhead)" became his first song to enter the UK Singles Chart. It reached number forty-one.

Plan B performing at the Arches, Glasgow (2007)

After touring in 2006, Plan B released an EP (a short album) called Live at The Pet Cemetery EP. This included a new version of "No More Eatin'". In December 2006, he released the Remixes EP. This had different versions of his songs. In 2007, Plan B released his second mixtape, Paint It Blacker. It had his versions of songs by famous bands like the Rolling Stones and Nirvana. He also worked with other artists like Professor Green and Killa Kella.

In 2008, Plan B acted in the film Adulthood. He recorded three songs for the film's music. He also worked with Chase & Status on their song "Pieces". This song was very popular and topped the UK Dance Chart. In 2009, Plan B recorded "Shifty" for the film Shifty. He also acted in Harry Brown in 2009. His song "End Credits" with Chase & Status became a Top ten hit.

The Strickland Banks Era: 2009 to 2014

Plan B's second album, The Defamation of Strickland Banks, came out on April 12, 2010. The first song from the album, "Stay Too Long", reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart. The next song, "Love Goes Down", had a music video with famous actors. He performed with Elton John in October 2010.

In February 2011, Drew won the Best British Male award at the Brit Awards. He later said he was working on a new album called The Ballad of Belmarsh. This album was going to tell the story of his character, Strickland Banks. However, he put this album on hold to work on his film Ill Manors.

In March 2012, he released the song and video for "Ill Manors". This song was about the 2011 London Riots. Many people called it a powerful protest song. The soundtrack album and the film came out in June 2012. He wrote and directed the film. After that, three more songs from the album were released: "Lost My Way", "Deepest Shame", and "Playing with Fire".

Drew also produced a song called "Pray for Love" by Kwabs, which was released in May 2014.

Recent Music: 2017 to Present

On May 18, 2017, Drew released his first new song in five years, called "In the Name of Man". He also announced that he was recording a new album. The album, Heaven Before All Hell Breaks Loose, was released on April 13, 2018.

He explained that this album has less hip-hop music than his first two. He said he took time off from music to focus on being a father. He also wanted to reconnect with his friends and family. He felt he had lost touch with them after his busy time with Ill Manors.

Film Career

Acting Roles

Drew first appeared in a short film in 2005. His first big film role was as a character named Dabs in Noel Clarke's film Adulthood (2008). His song "Kidz" was used in the first film, Kidulthood, which led to him being cast in the sequel.

In 2009, Drew played Noel Winters in the film Harry Brown. He starred alongside famous actor Michael Caine. In 2010, Drew was in Noel Clarke's film 4.3.2.1.. His most recent acting role was in The Sweeney film. This film was based on a 1970s British TV show. He played George Carter with actor Ray Winstone. The film was released on September 12, 2012, and was number one at the box office.

Directing Films

Drew showed interest in making films early in his music career. He said he felt like directing was what he was "destined to be doing".

In 2008, Drew directed his first short film called Michelle. He also directed the music video for "Pieces", his song with Chase & Status.

Drew started making his first full-length film, Ill Manors, in September 2010. He described it as a hip-hop film with six short stories. These stories all connect to make one big story. Each small story is linked to a different hip-hop song. He said the film would come out first, and then the soundtrack. The soundtrack would tell the story of the film through music.

Advertising Work

In June 2011, Hewlett-Packard (HP) asked Plan B to be part of their ads for their Beats Audio laptops. He appeared in a short film shown in UK cinemas. It showed him and his band in a studio working on the song "She Said".

In July 2011, Bulmer's Cider announced that Plan B would promote their product. An advertisement was released that showed Plan B performing live.

Discography

Studio albums

• Who Needs Actions When You Got Words (2006)
• The Defamation of Strickland Banks (2010)
• Heaven Before All Hell Breaks Loose (2018)

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

Tours

• Who Needs Actions When You Got Words Tour (2006–2007)
• The Defamation of Strickland Banks Tour (2010–2011)
• Ill Manors Tour (Grindhouse Tour) (2012–2013)
• Heaven Before All Hell Breaks Loose Tour (2018)

See also

In Spanish: Plan B (músico) para niños