Plan B hoovers up NZ-based cloud outfit ICONZ

The UK’s Hip Hop and soul scene was left bereft today when it appeared that Brit award winning artist Plan B had coughed up an undisclosed sum to take over New Zealand-based ISP and hosting provider ICONZ.

Fans of the East London rapper turned actor/director/soundtrack producer have been waiting almost six years for a follow-up to the award-winning The Defamation of Strickland Banks. An apparent burgeoning interest in corporate data infrastructure looked set to further delay the appearance of long-awaited The Ballad of Belmarsh when news of the deal broke this morning.

These fears will have been stoked by comments in a statement from Jack Talbot, general manager of ICONZ, who professed excitement about the deal, adding that Plan B would bring “extensive business continuity, infrastructure and connectivity expertise to the combined business [while] ICONZ offers cloud services, data centre and network management skills.”

“These are highly complementary competencies and our customers now gain access to a broader portfolio of leading-edge products,” Talbot continued.

The statement added that the deal was part of a wider strategy following a period of significant growth in Plan B’s cloud services business over the past few years. “The combined business group will now offer multiple products in the categories of business continuity, telecommunications and hosted infrastructure services,” apparently.

Plan B wouldn't be the first dance scene veteran to make the jump into tech. Will.I.Am was appointed creative director of Intel in 2011, while Lady Gaga snagged a gig as creative director of Polaroid.

Luckily further investigations revealed that the Plan B in question was not the 32-year-old behind the acclaimed commentary on the 2011 London Riots, “Ill Manors”, but a firm of business continuity specialists based in Auckland.

Which means Plan B the rapper is still hard at work on that difficult third album, as well as his film career, which has included an appearance in 2012’s reboot of The Sweeney. ®