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hip.hop :: review Dizzee Rascal :: Boy In Da Corner Matador XL, 2004 by Tom Donnelly |
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Dizzee has, over the course of sixteen songs, created a picture of
his world that is once foreboding, bleak, and entrancing. It’s a
grimy, primitive record: he rhymes like a cockney Ol’ Dirty Bastard,
while most of the beats sound like they were recorded using a Casio keyboard
and an 8-track of ColecoVision sound effects. The overall feel of Boy…
is one of rebellious desperation. The songs are Dizee’s knowing winks
at a society that’s marginalized him and his ilk, e.g. “Sittin’
Here;” “I think I’m getting weak ‘cause my thoughts
are too strong.” The Sex Pistols told the world England was dreaming;
Dizzee’s awake and unhappy. “2 Far” further echoes the
Pistols’ “God Save the Queen:” “Don’t tell me
about royalty/ Queen Elizabeth don’t know me/ …I live street/
And she lives neat.” Dizzee Rotten, anyone? There’s more standard hip- hop fare here as well; “Fix Up,
Look Sharp” is a great appropriation of sampling staple Billy Squire’s
“The Big Beat,” perhaps the best since Run DMC’s “Jam
Master Jammin’.” Cut ‘em Off” contains a brilliant
nod to the late Notorious B.I.G.: “Kick off your door/ I ain’t
got a four- four/ I’ll have to settle for a long metal bar.”
The Raskit, as he occasionally refers to himself, knows his history. Several press outlets have tried to hype Dizze as a kind of Euro 50 Cent (he has been stabbed multiple times.) His penchant for wearing his heart on his sleeve should dispel that notion quickly. The album’s closer, “Do It,” is a kind of companion piece to The Streets’ you-can-do-it anthem “Stay Positive.” Dizzee acknowledges the feelings of hopelessness inherent in an adversarial situation, but stresses the possibilities of escape and doing for oneself. His last words, “You can do anything, I swear to you” are delivered with such feeling and force one knows he believes. If there’s any justice in this world, Dizzee Rascal’s debut will move him from the corner to center stage.
2004 1-42 Online |
Slick
Rick notwithstanding, England has never really been known as the birthplace
of internationally known hip- hop artists. Mike Skinner (AKA The Streets)
called attention to the British hip- hop scene with his great debut, Original
Pirate Material. With his own maiden voyage, the Mercury Prize winning
Boy In Da Corner, Dizzee Rascal ensures the spotlight won’t
drift too far from Britannia’s lyricists for a while, and with good
reason.