Dizzee Rascal - Heavy

With every door that Dizzee Rascal opens on his path to world domination he is met by someone with a copy of 'Boy In Da Corner' criticising him for selling out. Heavy is the sound of Dizzee kicking the haters out of his way and reminding the world that he is still the best MC the UK has produced in years. Over a massive beat courtesy of Chase & Status fly the words "Grime's had a bit of time without me, there's no life without me" at machine gun speed. Dizzee might bee hanging out with Jonathan Ross these days but his core is shaped by the past and 'Heavy' knocks any doubts over his future right out of the park.

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Why is UK rap so keen to drag up the past?

Looking at the charts is never a good way of understanding what is going on in music but over the past twelve months the UK top 40 has shown a definite shift in the success of UK grime and rap.

Just last week Skepta became the latest name to crash his way into the charts with the single 'Bad Boy'. He follows the likes of Tinchy Stryder, Chipmunk, Ironik and Wiley in a list of London rappers and MC's achieving mainstream success and acknowledgement. What is intriguing however is the means by which they are crossing over from the underground to the commercial radio stations and television music channels. The key appears to be in sampling a well known song and using it as a hook in your own. Practically everyone is doing it from the top to the bottom and it's paying dividends as more and more names go from cult to household status.

Sample culture in hip-hop is nothing new however when you consider that everyone from N-Dubz to Dizzee Rascal have had huge hits backed up by well known samples you begin to suspect that a formula has been found and is now being exploited. What is confusing is that none of these samples are from interesting, credible or even untapped sources. No, we're talking about Elton John, Underworld and even the Andrew Oldham Orchestra blasting out of teenagers mobile phones here. Take the aforementioned Skepta and 'Bad Boy'. Using the hook from 'Born Slippy' it tells the tale of how Skepta is a bad boyfriend, regularly failing to compliment his girlfriend. The official video has been viewed over a million times on YouTube and entered the charts at number twenty five despite a lack of radio play or national advertising.

The success of artists like Skepta and N-Dubz makes for a refreshing change from the processed and packaged acts they share chart space with but you have to wonder why someone young in 2010 wants to sample INXS like Professor Green has done on 'I Need You Tonight' or Elton John's 'Tiny Dancer' as featured on last year's number one smash from Chipmunk and DJ Ironik. Perhaps it makes a single stand out on a radio play list and it almost certainly appeals to major label bosses looking to smooth the edges of grime for mass consumption but it feels like originality is being lost in the process. Even Dizzee Rascal, a man who needs no tricks to have a hit, is guilty, using 90's rave anthem 'Dirty Cash' on his single, err.. 'Dirtee Cash'.

There are parallels in America too, only instead of decade old trance and Mum friendly names from the eighties it's names like Vampire Weekend and Santigold being used to great effect. Drake, a Lil' Wayne protoge and former actor, rose to prominence by releasing a mixtape including him rapping over Lykke Li's 'Little Bit' whilst Kid Cudi recently added his own verses to Vampire Weekends 'Ottoman'. This could well be a move to appeal to blog reading, alternative music fans but it certainly seems better than Tinchy Stryder sampling Olive's 'You're Not Alone'. Moreover, US stars have recently had big British success using samples of alternative acts via Chiddy Bangs 'Opposite Of Adults' (sample= MGMT 'Kids') and Jason Derulo who took Imogen Heap's 2005 track 'Hide and Seek' and turned it into a smooth R'n'B hit. These two examples show that you don't need to wait until Magic FM have played something before you can use it.

There is hope however. Tinie Tempah, himself a recent chart topper, uses an M.I.A vocal hook on his track 'I'm Hot' – a highlight from his 2009 mixtape. Hopefully more will follow his lead or even better, start creating things of their own. Until then all we can do is watch on at what is dredged up from the riverbed of the past.

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Define Crossover

'I Luv U' came out in 2003



In 2009 Dizzee is on stage performing with Dame Shirley Bassey at The Royal Albert Hall. (6mins 12secs in)

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For The Record: September

September is over- here are the best albums of the month. Click the links for full reviews.

The Cribs- 'Ignore The Ignorant'
Jamie T- 'Kings and Queens' (Album of the month)
Japandroids- 'Post Nothing'
The Big Pink- 'A Brief History Of Love'
Dizzee Rascal- 'Tongue 'N' Cheek'
Brand New- 'Daisy'
Vivian Girls- 'Everything Goes Wrong'
Girls- 'Album'

Download these:

The Cribs- We Were Aborted
Jamie T- Castro Dies
Japandroids- Wet Hair
The Big Pink- Velvet
Dizzee Rascal- Dirtee Cash
Brand New- Vices
Vivian Girls- I Have No Fun
Girls- Lauren Marie.

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Dizzee Rascal- 'Tongue 'N' Cheek'

Hands up who has ever wondered what Dizzee Rascal’s penis looks like? If you had to say do you think it looks more like a banana or a didgeridoo? The answer is apparently both. ‘Tongue ‘N’ Cheek’ takes great pleasure in telling everyone who hasn’t sampled a night of pleasure at chez Rascal (about 2% of the female world it seems) just what it’s like- in graphic, aboriginee detail.

Much has been made about how ‘Tongue ‘N’ Cheek’ is Dizzee Rascal’s ‘pop’ album and that he’s seizing an opportunity to get number one singles and sell out arenas. On the strength of this album that will most certainly happen but the idea that it’s a pre-determined idea for a lowly grime star to steal a piece of the pop pie seems outlandish when you listen to the lyrical content of the record. This isn’t Dizz’s pop music album, it’s his popstar album. Dizzee has clearly been living the high life for years and the tales of girls, fast cars and money on display here drip like champagne off a naked thigh. Take ‘Freaky Freaky’ for example, it’s basically what happens after he ditches Calvin Harris and leaves the club from ‘Dance Wiv Me’ going on to list the names and locations of all the girls Dizzee has flexed for real. “Just like Shana, didn’t give me no drama, after the show she was on my banana, after my seeds like a farmer.” He raps before going on with “Ask Angie gosh she familiar, got out my dick at the back of the cinema, Jamie Foxx you know the Kingdom one, she blew me till’ my kingdom come”. The latter is actually quite funny but the whole song is essentially Russell Brand covering Lou Bega’s Mambo Number Five. Not much better is the Wacky Races meets Grand Theft Auto aggression of ‘Road Rage’. Placing Dizzee behind the wheel it extols the virtues of how much he speed he can gather and how due to being ‘minted’ and the fact his windows are ‘tinted’ he is above all law enforcement. This is all good in a Too Fast Too Vin Diesel way until Dizzee states “Couldn’t give a fuck about a junction, couldn’t care less about a red light’s function” which kinda makes him sound like Driving School struggler Maureen Rees. There are brilliant moments of humour though where Dizzee (you hope) realises how bonkers his life is. Like on ‘Money, Money’ when he says “I’ve got an attitude like a smelly shoe, if I lay my trainers out I bet the stretch to Timbuktu, Got so many fitted hats I don’t know what the fuck to do.”

Despite the crass sexism and the peacock displays of masculinity there is a cheekiness to Dizzee that stops this being a total disaster. You will already know the singles (Who doesn't want to go on ‘Holiday’ with this man?) but they could all be dwarfed by the genius sampling on ‘Dirtee Cash’, a song that is only slightly less of a sure fire number one than this years X Factor winner. The fact that seven years after his Mercury winning debut album you can genuinely put Dizzee alongside Simon Cowell’s latest cash cow is testament to how far young Dylan Mills (Still only 24) has come. ‘Tongue ‘N’ Cheek is a vacuous but fun party record that suspension of disbelief aids immeasurably. When he says on ‘Bad Behaviour’ “I’m just looking for love” you know he’s revealing a hidden truth. He might correct it with “I mean looking for women thrilling and willing to get in the tub” but we all know he’s still just a Rascal.

6/10

For DrownedinSound.com

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April- June in 38 Tracks

The best tracks of the past three months not included in the albums previously mentioned are:

1. The XX- Crystalised
2. Wild Beasts- Hooting and Howling
3. The Big Pink- Velvet
4. Bombay Bicycle Club- Always Like This
5. Simian Mobile Disco- Audacity Of Huge
6. Dizzee Rascal- Bonkers
7. Graffiti Island- Wolf Guy
8. Lost Knives- Solstice (Neo Tokyo remix)
9. Jamie T- Sticks 'n' Stones
10. Dirty Projectors- Stillness Is In The Move
    
    
11. Discovery- Osaka Loop Line
12. Kill It Kid- Send Me An Angel Down
13. Julian Plenti- Fun That We Had
14. The Dead Weather- Treat Me Like Your Mother
15. Mumford and Sons- The Cave
16. Marina and The Diamonds- I Am Not A Robot
17. Magic Wands- Black Magic
18. The Northwestern- All The Ones
19. Mika Miko- I Got A Lot (New New New)
    
    
20. Django Django- Storm
21. Bloc Party- One More Chance
    
22. Kurt Vile- Freeway
23. Crystal Fighters- Xtatic Truth
24. Perfume Genius- Write To Your Brother
25. Everything Everything- Photoshop Handsome
26. Cocknbullkid- Clean Apart
27. Wave Machines- I Go I Go I Go
28. Local Natives- Sun Hands
29. Girls- Hellhole Ratrace
30. Cymbals Eat Guitars- All The Hazy Sea
31. Slow Club- When I Go
32. Amanda Blank- Might Like You Better
33. Crocodiles- I Wanna Kill
34. Delphic- Counterpoint
35. Three Trapped Tigers- 7
36. MPHO- Box 'n' Locks
37. Johnny Foreigner- Feels Like Summer
38. Friendship- Graveyard Shift.

April- June quarterly review

April-June Spotify playlist

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June: Blog Highlights

June will forever be remembered for one event, an occasion so monumental it will go down in the history books and be remembered for ever more. A once great and succesful figure but one that had fallen on tempestuous and difficult times in recent years tragically released this as their new away kit.

Michael Jackson, the King of Pop also passed away.

In blog-land these things all happened.

I had a few chats with Maximo Park, Dizzee Rascal, Beth Ditto, Marina and The Diamonds and Florence and The Machine.

Blur came back and tore Rough Trade East a new one. Watch it here.

Bloc Party and The XX debuted new singles. One is a lot better than the other but Bloc Party try hard bless them.

Crocodiles introduced themselves to the world.

Pains of Being Pure At Heart put in a set of two halves in London.

T-Pain jumped the bling shark with his new Big Ass Chain.

And I made my first effort in beoming the next Scott Mills by appearing on Radio 1's Steve Lamacq show talking about Lost Knives.

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On the phone with... Dizzee Rascal

Gigwise

You’ve all heard, it’s arguably the single of the year- definitely the most famous. ‘Bonkers’ is a three and a half minute blast of everything that is great about Dizzee Rascal. Equal parts innovative and fun it combines the East London rappers quick flow with block rocking beats from Armand Van Helden and a deadpan chorus courtesy of someone sounding distinctly like Stephen Hawking (The eminent professor no doubt denies this). The only word to describe it is indeed bonkers. That or ‘highly successful number one smash and the catalyst for a year to remember’ which, whilst less succinct, is certainly true for the man known to his Mother as Dylan Mills.

“It feels good man,” says Dizzee of the singles accomplishment “it’s my second number one on my own label so I’m very proud.” So does this taste of the high life and last summers ‘Dance Wiv Me’ herald the new era of Dizzee the Pop star? “I think after my third album I became a main stream artist so if I’m going to be a main stream artist I want to do it properly and be as successful as I can be.” It’s a strange journey that Dizzee has gone on since he emerged in 2003. He released a Mercury Music Prize winning album in ‘Boy In Da Corner’ and made those who had written off UK hip-hop in a post So Solid Crew time reassess their opinions and hail the boy from Bow as a fiercely talented and wildly innovative artist. Compare that 19 year old boy with the man sitting on Jonathan Ross’s couch in a dapper white suit looking at home alongside Tom Hanks recently and you know there’s been a journey and a half in the subsequent years. “Yeah, I’ve grown up simple as that. I was 17 when that album (‘Boy In Da Corner’) came out and now I’m 24. I’ve been around the world and got more responsibility in my life so a lot has changed for me.” What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt along the way? “How to make big pop tunes. As far as my career is concerned that’s the best thing I could have possibly learnt.” And what is the secret formula? “Hooks, loads of catchy hooks.” And a message to anyone hating on Dizzee Rascal for ‘selling out’ or ‘going pop’ from the man himself, “Nothing, I don’t think about them but hopefully I’ll make something they like again in the future.”

With two successive number one’s the next step is a big selling album, a feat that has eluded Dizzee thus far. ‘Boy In Da’ Corner’ was critically successful and the follow up albums ‘Showtime’ and ‘Maths + English’ have a fine selection of hits sprinkled over them but Dizzee has yet to release a truly defining, chart hogging album- until now. ‘Tongue ‘N’ Cheek’ is the album; we’ll let Dizzee explain the rest. “It’s out early September and it’s my party album. There are loads of hooks and good times on there. You won’t find anything else like ‘Dance Wiv’ Me’ but there’s reggae and dance stuff on it, really eclectic and exciting.” Any early favourite tracks? “I’ve got a track called ‘Freaky Freaky’ that I really like, that one goes down nice. I’ve got a track produced by Calvin Harris too called ‘Holiday’ and that’s going to be the next single in August.” With a new album to promote and a fan base multiplying by the day Dizzee is set to spend the rest of the year on the road, beginning with pretty much every festival with a stage and an audience. “Yeah I’m playing Glastonbury main stage just before Spinal Tap! I’m doing Wireless in Hyde Park, Rock Ness, a few in Europe and Ibiza Rocks too. We’re going to bring a lot of energy, we always do but the new tracks really suit that sort of environment for sure. I want to play to the biggest crowds possible. I’ve been on tour with The Prodigy and I want a live show like theirs where it’s banging from beginning to end and be doing it twenty years down the line like them.” Having supported the likes of Prodigy in the arenas and stadiums will people be seeing you headline similar sized venues soon? “I definitely think that it’s not going to take too long and the music I’m making at the moment definitely suits that environment.”

So with an album set to blitz the charts and airwaves on its release, stadium shows in mind and a festival season to rule it all looks good for Dizzee Rascal but what’s next? What keeps you wanting to make music? “I want to be as successful as I can be for as long as I can be, I want to keep making music until the world ends basically. I’ll keep going as long as I’ve got the energy to fight everything that comes my way. As long as I’m expressing myself and making other people happy then I’m doing what I want to do. That’s what drives me.” Something tells us that there are an awful lot of people who want to see Dizzee Rascal take on the world on his quest to make everyone dance with him. The world doesn’t stand a chance.

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*Yawn*- Age Old Debate Rears It's Head- Again.

The Guardian today decided to take another look at the class divide in the current indie music scene, roughly 10 months after their sister paper The Observer did so. Link

Under the tagline "Who will be the future of British indie - posh toffs, or laddish oiks?" Matt Bolton dissects the current and ongoing disparity between working and middle class bands. The discussion is ultimately moot because it doesn't matter what sort of school a band went to or how many bedrooms their house has. Music is not divided by class it's divided by quality and creativity. Some of the greatest popular music this country has created has come from the lower echelons of the social scale. From The Beatles harmonies and innovation via Joy Divisions heart on sleeve honesty to Pulp's combination of the mind and groin the history of British music is rooted in its working class 'oik' roots.

However running parallel to these bands were middle class 'toffs'. The Rolling Stones decadent London glamour, The Clash's intellectual rallying and Blurs art school pop brilliance all came from more 'privileged' backgrounds. If there is a gap or separation in 2008 between the classes it's that the working class bands are simply not stepping up the plate or creating anything interesting. The Enemy and The Courteeners are not poor in my opinion because they went to a state school it's because they lack originality, creativity and intelligence. It can be done as Elbow and Dizzee Rascal show by continuing to innovate and create whilst never singing about lager or ripping off Paul Weller.

At the moment 'British Indie' (Whatever that is) should worry less about starting rival school fights and focus more on the meaningless pop acts infiltrating and diluting a rich tapestry of culture built up over 5 decades. Who cares where a band came from? It's where they are going that matters and what they will deliver on the way there.

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