It’s probably best to get it out in the open before you read any further.

Jack Allsopp aka Just Jack is British and raps on his debut album. Mike Skinner aka The Streets is also British and also raps on his debut album. That’s pretty much where the similarities end. Amid the current crop of British MCs gaining popularity in the US, such as Skinner and Dizzee Rascal, comes Just Jack, a singer/rapper whose sensibilities lean as much toward the crooner as to the MC, but who will invariably be called (incorrectly) "The Next Streets." What separates Jack from his peers is a natural singing voice and a talent for fusing so many disparate genres together in one album.

"I truly believe in diversity," he tells me from his room at the Marcel Hotel in New York City. "I don't like albums that just do the same fuckin’ thing song after song. It’s just more fun if you don’t know what’s going to happen next on an album."

Diversity is a term that comes to mind after hearing his incredible debut album The Outer Marker, an amalgam of trip-hop, rap, and soul that flawlessly melds rapping with singing into one unique sound. The different genres make the album unclassifiable, but judging from the abundance of slow drum beats, droning synths and expert use of string arrangements, Marker would fit in well nestled between Massive Attack’s Blue Lines and Zero 7’s Simple Things. Like these two albums, Jack's debut seems like a simple album, but repeated listens reveal complex musical layers that render the whole much more than the sum of its parts.

Born and raised in North London on a steady dose of house, breakbeat, electro and hip-hop (he names Native Tongues as a crucial influence), the 28-year old started DJing at 15. It wasn't until taking a music production course years later however, that Jack would discover the possibilities of sampling and began to take a career in music seriously. He retreated to the south of France in the late 90s and would write the majority of what would become The Outer Marker there.

"I started writing because I was just having relationships that weren’t working and I was feeling quite sad about a lot of things and it felt better to write things down," he admits. "It’s just sort of fulfilling to find a subject that's interesting to write about and trying to make everything rhyme and flow well."

It's these confessional lyrics, along with the conversational, choppy flow that is a trademark of British MCs, that will ensure Jack will never be mistaken for 50 Cent. "I'm not trying to find 100 ways of saying how much of a wicked rapper I am. I'm more interested in finding the most poetic way of saying something." His lyrics reveal a man whose feelings are constantly conflicted with each other; who regrets losses but learns from his mistakes.

The emotion in Marker is what sets Jack apart from so many disingenuous musicians currently in the market today. "Snowflakes" sees Jack's subtle, understated voice perfectly suited to the eerie beat, as strings build up around him and synths lead the haunting melody. "Triple Tone Eyes" starts off as a beautiful soul song before quickly morphing into drum n bass. And "Snapshot Memories" jumps around so quickly, you barely have time to absorb the funk beat before it switches to a 80s robotic hip-hop voice before switching again into trip-hop. The result is both dizzying and mesmerizing. "Genuine emotion is lacking in a lot of the arts," Jack says, "And I think when you find it, it talks to you instantly and whether you like it or not, it has some kind of resonance." While it’s clear he believes his album has this resonance, he says this without the slightest hint of arrogance. "I realize that a day job could be just around the corner again," he adds.

While a growing part of the American music-loving public is embracing British MCs, they still remain an anomaly in hip-hop. While critically acclaimed in the UK, no one knows yet if Jack’s style will catch on in the States. He doesn’t seem too concerned. "I don’t see why it could hurt. Personally, it’s probably an advantage. There's plenty of talented US rappers who are doing their thing but that doesn’t mean that people are so locked into that, that they can’t open their minds to something else."

Despite still promoting his debut, Jack already has eyes on the future. "I’m really looking forward to having a new album from a position of hopefully some kind of strength within the industry and a better level of strength within myself ands with what I want to be doing. Things are just gonna get better."

2003 1-42 Online