MUNDANE street life, cigarettes, lager and troubles with the girlfriend might not be the stuff of high art.
But it has worked for Brixton-based rapper Mike Skinner - aka The Streets.
He has topped a new poll to mark the best albums of 2004.
The working- class hero has joined the likes of 17-year-old British soul singer Joss Stone and American songwriting legend Brian Wilson in a Top 50 of this year's music.
Compiled by Q magazine, the list profiles the "cream of the crop", from rap star Eminem to U2.
But the magazine's favourite was The Streets' second album A Grand Don't Come For Free. "It captured the country's mood in a way no one could have predicted," insists Q magazine. "It went from cult classic to bestseller in no time."
East Sussex trio Keane's "revelatory" debut Hopes And Fears is voted runner-up - praised for its "booming anthems of heroic frustration".
Completing the all-British top three are Glasgow's Mercury Prize- winners Franz Ferdinand. Other entrants include British rapper Dizzee Rascal at No12 place and Jamelia at No 44.
Jeff Buckley, The Clash, The Kinks and Pixies get special mention for the top five reissues of 2004.
. The full feature appears in the new issue of Q magazine, out on 1 December Q MAGAZINE'S PLAYLIST 1 The Streets - A Grand Don't Come For Free 2 Keane - Hopes And Fears 3 Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand 4 U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb 5 Razorlight - Up All Night 6 The Libertines - The Libertines 7 Nick Cave The Bad Seeds - Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus 8 The Killers - Hot Fuss 9 Mylo - Destroy Rock Roll 10 Interpol - Antics 11 Snow Patrol - Final Straw 12 Dizzee Rascal - Showtime 13 Wilco - A Ghost Is Born 14 Scissor Sisters - Scissor Sisters 15 Danger Mouse - The Grey Album 16 Kasabian - Kasabian 17 Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak 18 Prince - Musicology 19 Gwen Stefani - Love Angel Music Baby 20 The Zutons - Who Killed The Zutons?
21 Green Day - American Idiot 22 Happiness in Magazines - Graham Coxon 23 Elliott Smith - From A Basement On The Hill 24 The Blue Nile - High 25 Ryan Adams - Love Is Hell 26 Mark Lanegan Band - 27 Norah Jones - Feels Like Home 28 Usher - Confessions 29 Kanye West - The College Dropout 30 Eminem - Encore 31 The Walkmen - Bows + Arrows 32 Lostprophets - Start Something 33 George Michael - Patience 34 Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans 35 The Futureheads - The Futureheads 36 Secret Machines - Now Here Is Nowhere 37 !!! - Louden Up Now 38 Devendra Banhart - Rejoicing In The Hands 39 Estelle - The 18th Day 40 Joss Stone - Mind Body Soul 41 Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Love Bad News 42 Brian Wilson - Smile 43 Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose 44 Jamelia - Thank You 45 The Von Bondies - Pawn Shoppe Heart 46 My Chemical Romance - Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge 47 Goldie Lookin Chain - Greatest Hits 48 Cee-Lo Green - Cee-Lo Green Is The Soul Machine 49 Red Hot Chili Peppers - Live In Hyde Park 50 The Bees - Free The Bees Bubblegum
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