Ill Manors

Ill Manors (stylised as ill Manors) is a British crime drama film written, co-scored and directed by Plan B. The film revolves around the lives of eight main characters, played by Riz Ahmed, Ed Skrein, Keith Coggins, Lee Allen, Nick Sagar, Ryan De La Cruz, Anouska Mond and Natalie Press, and features six original songs by Plan B, which act as a narration for the film. Ill Manors is a multi-character story, set over the course of seven days, a scenario where everyone is fighting for respect. The film focuses on eight core characters, and their circles of violence, as they struggle to survive on the streets. Each story is also represented by a different rap song performed by Plan B.

Plot

Set in Forest Gate, London, the film begins with partners Ed (Ed Skrein) and Aaron (Riz Ahmed) drug-dealing. Undercover police chase the two to a closed gate – Aaron manages to climb over and Ed hands his phone over to let Aaron take care of it. Before Ed can climb over, he is caught and sent to jail. Aaron takes the phone to Kirby (Keith Coggins), a well-known drug dealer across the area who has recently come out of prison, who keeps Ed's phone at his house. The song "Drug Dealer" leads the flashback story of Kirby and a man named Chris (Lee Allen), who was Kirby's protégé in the drug business, however, he is now independent. As Kirby collects the drugs from Chris to sell, he encounters Marcel (Nick Sagar), who is caught selling on Kirby's "turf". He decides to make Marcel strip and he runs off, naked. Aaron, waiting for Ed, is given a letter by his old social worker, and is dismissive in opening it. Meanwhile, Ed is released from prison and meets up with Aaron, telling Ed that his phone has been taken but knows who has it.

Ill Manors (song)

"Ill Manors" (stylised as "ill Manors") is a hip hop protest song by English singer-songwriter Plan B. The track was released in the United Kingdom on 25 March 2012 as the lead single from the soundtrack to Ill Manors, a film written and directed by Plan B. The song was written in reaction to the 2011 riots across England, and specifically Plan B's perception of "society's failure to nurture its disadvantaged youth".

Ill Manors received mostly positive reviews from music critics and peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart. In October 2012, the song won the Q Award for Best Track.

Composition

Plan B returns to the hip hop style of his debut album Who Needs Actions When You Got Words with the release of "Ill Manors", after his more soulful second album The Defamation of Strickland Banks. The lyrics mingle perceived causes of the riots such as the closing of community centres with threats and jokes. The aggressive baseline in the song is designed to mirror the turmoil and unrest felt by those involved in the riots, engaging a "visceral energy" to raise awareness. It heavily samples "Alles neu" by Peter Fox, which itself uses elements from the fourth movement of Dmitri Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony.

Ill Manors (album)

Ill Manors (stylised as ill Manors) is a soundtrack album by British musician and rapper Plan B released on 23 July 2012 as the soundtrack to the film of the same name. Several songs were used in the film Ill Manors, although some of the recordings were completed after the release of the film. The record was mainly produced by Al Shux and Plan B and also features collaborations with Labrinth, Kano, Takura Tendayi and John Cooper Clarke. Ill Manors debuted at number one on the UK Album Charts and received positive reviews by critics. The album was nominated for the Mercury Prize.

Background and composition

The film Ill Manors was written as a "hip hop musical for the twenty-first century", incorporating elements of both crime drama and music video sequences. Plan B had always intended to narrate the film with a different song for each the six stories, however some songs were written later, such as "Ill Manors". Due to success of The Defamation of Strickland Banks, Plan B toured extensively for two years and post-production of the film and the recording of the album was not completed until 2012.