Dizzee Rascal Album: “Boy In Da Corner”

Boy In Da Corner, the debut album from UK rapper Dizzee Rascal one of the top hip-hop debuts I've ever heard. It's unlike anything you've ever heard and for that reason it will probably not catch on with a mainstream American audience. Which is too bad. The fact that he raps with a London accent isn't a fault. It's actually part of his appeal. Accent or not this kid can rap with the best of them. As far as the beats go they sound like they were made in a basement somewhere. Which I believe they were. Very minimum yet very infectious.

Those with an open mind, who don't mind expanding their horizons should definately check this album out. It's one of the greatest debut to come out in a while.

When I first heard "Original Pirate Material" by The Streets last year two things occurred to me. 1: Wow and 2: this will never catch on in the states. Well, it may catch on here, but not anytime soon. In the meantime Dizzee Rascal was getting a lot of hype from the u.k. press but we in the states had to wait until 1/04 to hear his debut lp released in America on the great Matador label.

Now that I have the album I have to say I agree with all the advance praise I have heard on the album. None of that praise, however, will have you prepared to actually hear the album. Dizzee uses the same techno-style beats you here from The Streets but his flow as an MC is much more rapid fire and less clumsy than Mike Skinner's is. At times it is flat out unbelievable. His harsh cockney accent will have you saying "huh"(You'll need to look up his lyrics on the web). But despite the language barrier, I must say this is the most inventive hip-hop album I've heard in, well, maybe forever. Dizzee's lyrics sway back and forth from dark and confrontational to absolutely hilarious, and his delivery will keep the listener off balance. The first track "Sittin Here" is mellow, especially when compared to the rest of the album. The lyrics are a vivid account of urban decay and lost innocence. "Stop Dat", the second track, is a digital assault on the eardrums. The beats sound like an attack by some strange swarm of alien bees. "I Luv U" is probably the best song on the album, and it is a hilarious take on male and female players. It also sounds like a playstation fighting game. Bizarre sound effects are a recurring theme on this album. The beats on "Brand New Day" sound like R2D2 playing chimes. At times the aural barrage can be grating, but not on "Jus a Rascal", on which Dizzee's delivery is blistering(particularly the last verse). I would recommend this album to any one who likes a broad range of music. People that like mainstream garbage hip-hop with no aesthetic shouldn't bother. This is a different kind of bling-bling.

Welcome to the Uk, where crunk is grime, hoods are counsil estates and rappers are of the same calibre. Hip Hop became the biggest selling music genre in America in the early 90s but it didn't have the same impact in Great Britain where all hip hop in the english charts was imports from the Us. Dizzee became the voice of a generation of british rap fans balancing a love of the music and a national pride but unable to form a bridge between the two for the lack of successful or even impressive english rappers. Dizzee doesn't claim to be gangster, largely because he is not, he doesn't excess on meaningless boasting and gloating on his music as is becoming more and more common in rap, particularly from the South and the likes of Chingy and Petey Pablo, but simply and basically delivers rhymes which although not traditional or patterned on paper provide a completely poetic delivery. The beauty of Dizzee rascal's sound is vocal. Dizzee is the first generation of English rappers and it is easy to compare this album to groundbreaking Us albums such as The Illmatic or The Chronic and, like Nas and Dre, he has already started leading the way for hundreds of aspiring rappers following in his path. With beats not strange to Jay-Zs latest work but with a completely unique voice and style, Dizzee Rascal is at the helm of a new genre which will only grow. Britain is younger and fresher and set to provide many more artists to hip hop, whether the Us appreciates it or is too caught up in its own produce to receive such ground-breaking and contempory masterpieces. 10/10.

You know, for a little while, I wasn't so sure about Dizzee. It wasn't that I disliked his music - it was simply that I was wary of giving him a chance. Having dug Roots Manuva and The Streets over the years, I was already a fan of English hip-hop, but the fact that Dizzee's first single was called "I Luv U" was a major turn-off. This was all dispelled when I finally heard the song - chaotic, brittle, stream-of-consciousness volleys of words being batted back and forth between Dizzee and a female guest, their conversation becoming more intense by the minute. It's a pretty damn spellbinding single and serves as a terrific teaser for this masterpiece.

Dizzee has, with Boy in da Corner, crafted the record that will truly speak for the English garage/rap scene. Roots Manuva is too clever-clever for that position, and The Streets are, honestly, too white. Dizzee is simultaneously intelligent and stupid, rapidly switching between sharp urban poetics and simplistic thuggish threats. His accent is what really makes the record, even more so than his terrific verses - he sounds like a rodent has attacked his tongue and vocal cords, and the effect is truly indescribable.

"Fix Up Look Sharp" and "Sittin' Here" are the other two songs which best show off his lyrical and production skills. Give them a list and see if they strike your fancy. If they do, you have my unqualified recommendation that you go and purchase what is sure to be one of the best albums of 2004.

I'll be blunt, I dont like a lot of rap, the lyrics in todays rap are so meaningless and empty (except for a few rappers). But I heard about DR and listend to one of his songs and actully liked it, so I picked up the CD. I am glad that i did because it is an excellent CD. His lyrics have meaning and there not what a lot of other rappers rap about, which I like. So people may be turned off by his british accent, but I like it, it seems to fit him. Anyone thats thinking about picking up this album, do it, you wont regret it.