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Dizzee Rascal Information
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'Dylan Mills', known professionally as 'Dizzee Rascal', is a solo artist 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 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 and ragga, with some more eclectic samples, from metal guitars to found noises added in. After winning a Sidewinder award for 'best newcomer MC' in 2002, his album "Boy in Da Corner" was released to critical acclaim in 2003, preceded by the 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".
In September 2003 Dizzee scooped the Mercury Music Prize for best album, simultaneously the first rapper and youngest person (at 19) to do so.
In 2003 he also collaborated on Basement Jaxx's third album "Kish Kash" on the track "Lucky Star".
In 2004 Dizzee Rascal won The NME award for Innovation.
His second album, Showtime, came out in September 2004.
The single "Dream", released in November 2004, is based on an unusual 3-3-2 time signature. The chorus is a cover of Captain Sensible's song "Happy Talk". 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 rerecorded "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 single "Off To Work" was released. It 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.
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.
Samples
*Download sample from "I Luv You", Dizzee's debut single.
Dizzee was a former member of the East London crew: Roll Deep. They released their solo album In at the Deep End in June of 2005.
Discography
Albums
* Boy in Da Corner (2003) UK #23
* Showtime (2004) UK #8
Singles
'From Boy in Da Corner:'
* "I Luv U" (2003) UK #29
* "Fix Up, Look Sharp" (2003) UK #17
* "Lucky Star" (Basement Jaxx featuring Dizzee Rascal) (2003) UK #23
* "Jus' A Rascal" (2003) UK #30
'From Showtime:'
* "Stand Up Tall" (2004) UK #10
* "Dream" (2004) UK #14
'Guest appearance:'
* "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (as part of Band Aid 20) (2004) UK #1
'From Showtime/Non-album single:'
* "Graftin'"/Off To Work" (2005) UK #44
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