If Eminem is rap’s premier white star, Mike Skinner, a.k.a. The Streets, is his pedantic, British-born cousin. The 22-year-old’s one-of-a-kind debut album, Original Pirate Material (Vice Records) is arresting for its novelty and its highly orchestrated, splashy two-step beats.

An eerie mood is set on the opener, “Turn the Page.” As ominous strings pulse, a disquieting two-step beat picks up and Skinner unfurls his rhyme in a perfectly refined British accent. “That’s it/ turn the page on the day/ walk away/ ‘cuz they’re sensing what I say/ I’m forty-fifth generation Roman,” raps Skinner as sweeping violins pluck behind him.

The combination of such a high-falutin’ accent and urban beats is odd, but the effect is utterly striking. While listening to the track, two thoughts automatically spring to mind. The first considers Skinner’s lush orchestration, symphonic and overwhelmingly classical but still iconoclastic. The second, and more cynical, asks: “Is this for real?”

The answer is a coy, yet definitive, “Yes, indeed.”