Skinnyman

Biography

Skinnyman (born Alexander Graham Holland, 9 November 1974) is a British rapper who was born in Chapeltown, Leeds, Yorkshire and moved to Finsbury Park, London at a young age. He is best known for his sole album Council Estate of Mind.

Biography

Skinnyman was born in 1974 in Chapeltown, Leeds. He moved to London with his mother and two siblings at the age of ten. The family lived on the Six Acres Estate next to Andover Estate. Among his friends was fellow Leeds-born, London-raised Cornwall DJ Pat Mckay.
In the early 1990s, he was part of the Bury Crew. Later he formed the Mud Family with Mongo, Chester P and Farma G. The group which released a number of EPs including the Mud Family EP in 2002. They also released "Itchy Town" and "Lash Suttin", a reworking of Redman's "Smash Something". Later Mr. Ti2bs, Uncle Festa and more joined the group.
Skinnyman appeared in the first episode of Tower Block Dreams, aired in January 2004. It was a documentary series on BBC Three which looked into the underground music scene in council estates.

Council Estate of Mind (2004 - present)

Skinnyman released his sole solo album, Council Estate of Mind in 2004. The album was released on Low Life Records in 2004, shortly before Skinnyman was again incarcerated. It spent two weeks in the official album chart, with a peak position of number 65. Notably many samples on the album are taken from the 1982 television play Made in Britain.
He played a small part in the 2005 interactive TV series Dubplate Drama.
In 2011, Skinnyman was sentenced sixteen months for threatening his ex-girlfriend and damaging her car.
Skinnyman claimed in a 2019 interview with The Face to have "never been paid a penny to this day from Council Estate of Mind."

Singles and EPs

Fuck the Hook EP (2003, Low Life)
No Big Ting / Council Estate of Mind (2004, Low Life)
I'll Be Surprised / Never Gonna Happen (2004, Low Life)
Creatures of the Night / My Life in Rhymes (2004, PM Muzik)
Forever Rangers / Not Bonnie & Clyde (Instrumentals) - Skinnyman & DJ Flip (2005, Netgroove)
Sensi Skank - Ruben da Silva feat. Skinnyman & Manasseh (2011, RR008)
Music Speaks Louder Than Words (2011)
Ya Fool - K*ners & Skinnyman (2022)