Today's hip-hop and rap scene is all about earning instead of learning. Thankfully, Mike (The Streets) Skinner is here to help.

Sure, as the title of The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living suggests, Skinner's mind is on his money and his money's on his mind. But this third album from the British grime genius is also chock fulla handy-dandy lessons. Like how to con a barman out of big bucks with a stray dog. How to pull "lambs" right from under their blokes' noses. How to creatively trash hotel rooms armed with an iron and brandy from the mini-bar. And how to navigate the pitfalls of cocaine, fame, British tabs, the music industry, death, groupies, shallow materialism, crack-smoking pop starlets -- and losing your girlfriend back home to most of the above.

OK, this may not be advice you can apply to your pedestrian life. But the personable Skinner keeps you hanging on every word with his nimble wit, dense verbiage and conversational delivery. Coupled with his laissez-faire backing tracks -- clumsy beatboxes, noisy grooves and low-rent, semi-cheesy synth melodies -- it's like listening to your craziest drinking buddy in a crowded bar as he regales you with the instant replay of his last lost weekend.

Supposedly, Skinner once predicted that his third album was destined to suck. Nice to know even he can be wrong sometimes. Admittedly, this isn't quite on par with his 2004's hyper-ambitious narrative epic A Grand Don't Come for Free. But next to the endless succession of gun-toting gangsta poseurs and dumbed-down boasters, Skinner stands out as one of the brightest, boldest and downright funniest voices in hip-hop. And this disc seems destined to land him on year-end best-of lists once again.

Music may be the hardest way to make an easy living. But damned if Skinner doesn't make it all seem as simple and entertaining as falling off the wagon.

Track Listing:

1. Pranging Out
2. War Of The Sexes
3. The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living
4. All Goes Out The Window
5. Memento Mori
6. Can't Con An Honest John
7. When You Wasn't Famous
8. Never Went To Church
9. Hotel Expressionism
10. Two Nations
11. Fake Streets Hats