Dizzee Rascal
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Biography
Dylan Mills, known professionally as Dizzee Rascal, is a solo artist, formerly a Roll Deep crew member, who came up in the UK Garage music scene. UK Garage placed more emphasis on the dancefloor, and has since spawned Grime which places more emphasis on the vocalists. He began MCing on pirate radio and at raves at 15, but since his mainstream success he has distanced himself from the fledgling scene.Rascal grew up in the East End of London in south Bow in a council estate, raised by his single mother, a Ghanaian immigrant. Little is known about his father, though it is thought that he died when Mills was 2. He attributes his musical development to a school teacher who allowed him to skip regular classes and spend time working on music on the school computers.
His music is eclectic mixture of garage and hip-hop beats topped with his own unmistakable style of spitting, (a faster style of rapping), itself blending elements of garage MCing, conventional rap, grime and ragga, with some more eclectic samples, from metal guitars to found noises added in.
Dizzee Rascal has numerous rivals within the Grime scene, mainly from the East London area. A notable rival of Dizzee Rascal is Crazy Titch who produced and recorded a diss called "Just An Arsehole" which used the backing track of Dizzee's record of "Jus A Rascal".
Dizzee Rascal has had international endorsements deals with urban brand ECKO, new era and designed his own shoe with NIKE.
\"Boy In Da Corner\"
After winning a Sidewinder award for 'best newcomer MC' in 2002, his album Boy in Da Corner was released to critical acclaim in August 2003, entering the UK top 40 at #40. The album later peaked at a very respectable #23. The album was preceded in June 2003 by the top 30 hit single "I Luv U" - a tale of accidental teenage pregnancy. In the same year the rapper was stabbed in Ayia Napa, and tabloids tried to link this to a feud between Dizzee and UK Top 40-topping garage act So Solid Crew. Dizzee does not glorify gun culture in his music, but reflects it along with other grim realities of urban life. He has been described as "the vital unvarnished voice of modern-day inner-city London", and social commentary is usually present in most of his tracks. However, Dizzee proves that social comment does not necessarily have to be scathing or boring and often there is a humorous element to his lyrics, some might find this humour similar to that of Mike Skinner of The Streets. Album track "Hold Ya Mouf" contains Dizzee's most quotable line - "I'm a problem for Anthony Blair", whilst in "2 Far" he raps: "Queen Elizabeth don't know me so how can she control me, When I live street and she lives neat".Following the success of the "I Luv U" single and the album, the second single from Boy in Da Corner was selected as "Fix Up, Look Sharp". The single, released in August 2003, gave Dizzee his first UK top 20 single and it also became the biggest hit from his debut album. He also collaborated on Basement Jaxx's third album Kish Kash on the track "Lucky Star". The track, which was released as a single in its own right in November 2003, gave Dizzee his third top 30 hit. The third and final single taken from his debut album, Boy in Da Corner, was "Jus' A Rascal". Also released that same month, "Jus' A Rascal" became his fourth top 30 success. Prior to this, in September that same year, Dizzee scooped the prestigious Mercury Music Prize for the best album of 2003. He was simultaneously the first rapper and youngest person (at 19) to do so.
Controversy
In 2003, Dizzee Rascal was stabbed while on holiday in Cyprus. It was alleged that the stabbing was carried out by a rival UK hip hop group, later rumoured to be So Solid Crew. Indeed, Megaman from the latter group was questioned by police, and then released. Word spread that the stabbing was a result of Rascal squeezing So Solid Crew's female member Lisa Maffia, though this was never proven.
\"Showtime\"
In 2004, Dizzee Rascal won The NME award for Innovation. His second album, Showtime, came out in September that same year, eclipsing the peak of his debut album by entering the UK album chart at #8. The first single from the album, released two weeks earlier in August 2004, was titled "Stand Up Tall". This track gave Dizzee his highest charting single to date, managing to enter the UK top 10.The second single "Dream", another top 20 hit, was released in November 2004. It sampled (and used the chorus of) Captain Sensible's song "Happy Talk", originally from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, South Pacific. The "Dream" video clip consisted of a mock 1950s style children's marionette show depicting scenes corresponding to the lyrics about Mills' East London youth: street culture, crime, single teenage mothers, pirate radio and garage clubs.
Also in 2004, Dizzee Rascal was part of Band Aid 20, a group of British musicians who re-recorded "Do They Know It's Christmas?" He did not sing in the song; rather, he rapped two lines of it ("Spare a thought this yuletide for the deprived, if the table was turned would you survive?" and "You ain't gotta feel guilt just selfless, give a little help to the helpless"). Dizzee Rascal was the first person to add to the song since the original was released.
In March 2005, the double 'a' side single "Off 2 Work" / "Graftin'" was released. "Graftin'" was the third and final single from the Showtime album, whereas "Off 2 Work" had not been contained on the previous albums. The accompanying video clip featured Dizzee Rascal in various ordinary workplace situations (as policeman, fast food vendor, businessman, etc.) and "PM Dizzee Rascal" announcing his engagement to Cherie Blair. This was Dizzee's lowest charting single and smallest hit to date, peaking outside the UK top 40 at #44.
Since, he has been busy setting up his own record label 'Dirtee Stank' and signing MC acts from across the country, most notably the 'Newham Generals' from the Grime Scene.
Maths and English
Dizzee has been preparing his third album Maths and English. In a recent interview, he attributed the album title to his view on music itself, whereby the beats are the "Maths", with the rhymes being the "English"."Waste Man", a sparse, gritty composition produced by the Newham Generals (see below) is slated to be the first release from this album.
Dizzee Rascal has officially confirmed that Maths and English will be delayed until March 2007. He is currently still working on the album (see [www.dizzeerascal.co.uk]).
Dirtee Stank
Dizzee Rascal has his own record label, called “Dirtee Stank” (He is not signed to it, however). The name was inspired by one of Dizzee own bars as he goes on to explain “The name came from one of the first lyrics I had: “going on dirty/going on stank,” he adds. “So I thought ‘yeah fuck it, Dirtee Stank.’ The full extent as to when exactly ‘Dirtee Stank’ was formed is not known, as Dizzee has stated that “record label existed before I had a deal”. Dirtee stank was the home to Dizzee first white label release, ‘I Luv U’ which was released when he was only 16 years old. However both of his current albums and their subsequent singles have been released under XL recordings, which is the record label Dizzee himself is signed onto. It was not until 2005 that Dizzee Rascal ‘revived’ the label and made his first signings, Klass A, then followed by the ‘veterans’ of the grime/garage scene, Newham generals. Dizzee has stated the ethos of the company is “The label is about bridging the gap between indies, majors and the street. Stank is the way forwards” Regarding the logo which encompasses excrement with flies all over, Dizzee said at the time it was the “gulliest thing I could think of"
The label was formed and is owned by Dizzee rascal, and is co-runned by Dizzee manager, cage. According to cage, Dirtee Stank exists to promote gifted artists with "social problems" that might scare off other labels. "People who, through the conditions they live in, might not be stable." The label should also help artists overcome hurdles such as access to studios that "take something from a raw demo to something people will get excited about on the street".
In 2005 after releasing one album, and subsequently being dropped from former label mate company, XL recordings, Dizzee manager came across Klass A. Soon afterwards after a meeting with Dizzee himself, they were signed to “Dirtee stank”
In 2005 Dizzee also singed the signed Newham generals to his record label which form of D double E, Footsie, and Monkey.
Currently the Newham Generals mixtape “Welcome to Newham generals” and their debut album “General speaking” is slated for an unknown release date in 2006. Klass A is also currently working on a mixtape.
Samples
- [Download sample] from "I Luv U", Dizzee's debut single.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart | ||
| 2003 | Boy in Da Corner | 23 |
| 2004 | Showtime | 8 |
| 2007 | Maths and English | — |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | |||
| 2003 | "I Luv U" | 29 | Boy in Da Corner |
| 2003 | "Fix Up, Look Sharp" | 17 | Boy in Da Corner |
| 2003 | "Lucky Star" (Basement Jaxx featuring Dizzee Rascal) | 23 | Kish Kash |
| 2003 | "Jus' a Rascal" | 30 | Boy in Da Corner |
| 2004 | "Stand up Tall" | 10 | Showtime |
| 2004 | "Dream" | 14 | Showtime |
| 2003 | "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (as part of Band Aid 20) | 1 | — |
| 2004 | "Off 2 Work" / "Graftin'" | 44 | Showtime |
| 2006 | "Waste Man" | — | Maths and English |
External links
- [Official Website]
- [Dizzee Rascal NET]
- [XL Records] — Official Record Company Web Page
- [Dizzee Rascal interview]
- [Dizzee Rascal musicvideos on YouTube]
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