Dizzee Rascal - Boy In Da Corner

Thursday, 22 July 2004 18:08

Hailing from East London, Dizzee Rascal caused quite a stir with his debut Boy In Da Corner. It garnered much critical acclaim and won the 2003 Mercury Music Award. Any initial notions that Dizzee Rascal was riding on The Streets' coattails are quickly dismissed once you get a taste of Dizzee's highly original sound. Dizzee claims: "I ain't UK garage", but the music already speaks for itself, refusing to be pigeonholed in a category. His accent and regional slang may make it hard for Americans to follow him, but all it takes is a close listen to hear what the buzz is all about.

	Record Author(s): Dizzee Rascal
	Record Title: Boy In Da Corner
	Record Producer(s): Dizzee Rascal, ...
	Executive Producer(s): n/a
	Release Date: January 20, 2004

Though there are plenty of expected battle raps, Dizzee's strongest lyrics are the ones describing the environment he lives in. He describes his childhood in Vexed: "I was raised an only child; not a brother, not a sis / And raised around hate; not a hug, not a kiss." As a teenager living in a violent and often suffocating urban world, Dizzee dejectedly calls his life "a big whole heap of madness" on Do It. The album opens with the contemplative track Sittin' Here where the navel-gazing Dizzee grimly raps over a perfect beat occassionally punctuated by sirens, screeching tires, and gunshots:

It's the same old story
Shotters, runners, cats, and money stacks
It's the same old story
Ninja bikes, gunfights, and scary nights
It's the same old story
Window tints and gloves for fingerprints
It's the same old story
Police investigate, now that area's bait
It was only yesterday
We was playin' football in the street
It was only yesterday
None of us could ever come to harm
It was only yesterday
Life was a touch more sweet

It is also a world where love is a laughably flimsy word, perhaps summed up by the opening of Wot U On: "Love talks to everyone. Money talks more." On the single I Luv U, one-time lovers are quickly discarded and ignored; even the prospect of teenage pregnancy is met with denial from would-be fathers. Some of Dizzee Rascal's rhymes may be misinterpreted as misogynistic but they are more indicative of the cultural attitudes of his society. Similar themes are further explored on Round We Go and the especially poignant Jezebel, which tells the story of a sexually active teen's life unraveling.

The whole album isn't all doom and gloom however, as evidenced by the thumping party track Fix Up, Look Sharp. Stick the CD in your computer for the music video of this infectious song. The U.S. version also has the bonus track Vexed which was not available on the U.K. release.

One of the most appealing aspects of the album are the fresh beats, which Dizzee mostly produces himself. On many songs, the beats provide a backdrop that successfully accentuates the emotions evoked by the lyrics. However, albeit the beats may be refreshingly different from the generic hip-hop song, they do not vary quite enough within the album. Dizzee makes the best of it with his drum machine and video game bleeps but hopefully his sophomore album will find him ambitiously taking advantage of wider resources.

The same can be said of Dizzee's flow. His sharp delivery definitely gives some zing to his lyrics but he is overly dependent on a staccato style of rapping. Over the course of many songs, it may start to sound monotonous. Listening to him rap though, you know his flow is dexterous enough to try a more seamless rapping style for variety.

Any way you cut it though, Dizzee proves himself to be one of the most exciting newcomers to the hip-hop scene in recent years. He has accomplished a great deal on this debut while showing lots more potential. I recommend this album to any adventurous hip-hop fan.

Grade: B

Sittin' Here
Stop Dat
I Luv U
Brand New Day
2 Far	w/ Wiley
Fix Up, Look Sharp
Cut 'Em Off
Hold Ya Mouf'	w/ God's Gift
Round We Go
Jus' A Rascal
Wot U On?
Jezebel
Seems 2 Be
Live O
Do It!