Riz Ahmed's musical Microscope

Riz Ahmed has revealed that his new album tackles social issues.

The Ill Manors star is releasing his debut record MICroscope, which is out now.

"It's called MICroscope because it's putting various aspects of our culture and trends under the microscope and picking them apart, and sometimes, making fun of them in quite a satirical, tongue-in-cheek way," he explained.

"The current single called All In The Ghetto is all about gentrification, which is a theme that comes up in Ill Manors. You've got the Olympic village being built and in its shadow, there's this bleak poverty and lots of people who are untouched by this influx of money into the area," he continued.

Riz - who plays small-time drug-dealer Aaron in Plan B's (aka Ben Drew) directorial debut, which is in cinemas now - revealed he was very impressed by the rapper.

"What really struck me working with him on set was his passion as a filmmaker. He's like a dog with a bone, because he's quite uncompromising in his vision in a way that is quite inspirational," he said.

"He'll tell you the backstory of a character, and I'm like, 'OK, this guy is a genius. Let's go with what he's saying'. It's really cool to be a part of someone's vision that is so detailed. He's a really skilful and stylish filmmaker."