Plan B (musician)

Benjamin Paul Ballance-Drew (born 22 October 1983), primarily known as Plan B or Ben Drew, is an English rapper, singer-songwriter, actor, film director and producer. He first emerged as a hip hop artist, releasing his critically acclaimed debut album Who Needs Actions When You Got Words in 2006. His second studio album, The Defamation of Strickland Banks (2010), was a soul record and went straight to number one on the UK Albums Chart. He has also collaborated with other artists such as Chase & Status, most notably on the 2009 top ten single "End Credits".

Drew has also had a successful film career as an actor, with roles in Adulthood (2008), Harry Brown (2009), 4.3.2.1 (2010), and The Sweeney (2012). In 2012, he released the film Ill Manors, which he wrote and directed, accompanied by a Plan B soundtrack album which became his second number one album.

Early life

Drew was born and raised in Forest Gate, London. His mother worked for a local authority and his father, Paul Ballance, played in a punk rock band called the Warm Jets during the 1970s. He was five months old when his father walked out on the family, and six years old when his father "disappeared completely". Growing up, Drew felt outcast from much of society, stating, "We weren't working class but we weren't middle class, we were in the void in-between. I've always felt like a social outcast."