The track was released in the United Kingdom on 25 March 2012 as the lead single from the soundtrack to Ill Manors, a film written and directed by Plan B.

The aggressive baseline in the song is designed to mirror the turmoil and unrest felt by those involved in the riots, engaging a "visceral energy" to raise awareness.

Drawing upon Plan B's own experiences of being expelled from school and attending a pupil referral unit,[2] the song sarcastically attacks the media view of working class children: "Keep on believing what you read in the papers / Council estate kids—scum of the earth.

[9] Writing in The Independent, Tim Walker called it "an all-time great protest song",[9] while David Smyth of the London Evening Standard praised Plan B's decision "to say something so bold.

"[10] A contrasting opinion is voiced by Clash columnist Samuel Breen, also writing for The Independent, who describes the song as "a cliché riddled attack on politics that feels calculated, impersonal, and disingenuous.

"[11] Breen also points out the apparently contrasting opinions made by Plan B, citing an editorial written by the rapper shortly after the riots in 2011, in which he castigated the rioters, claiming that they were damaging Britain with the actions.