Born Dylan Mills, Dizzee Rascal is a brilliant 19-year-old MC whose debut Boy In da Corner is an aurally harsh documentary of urban Brit life. Dizzee’s cockney raps are the center of attention, there are no rhythms to grab on to, and the rough-around-the-edges production only adds to the discomfort. Unlike Tupac and Notorious B.I.G., whose socially conscious messages were overshadowed by rap music’s demand for a hook, Dizzee’s raps play over angular synthesizer farts and stilted beats.
All the cuts on this album pretty much play out the same way musically-low-pitched bass-stabs rumble and the electro-beats oddly syncopated. But each tune tells a slightly different story, detailing the immortal invisibility a rebellious 19-year-old normally would have. It doesn’t make him come off as a pretentious bloke; it only makes him more likeable. “Fix Up, Look Sharp” showcases Dizzee’s renegade nature and attacks societal demands of image: “Stand up in the Parks, keep a firm, steady stance / Keep the beanies touchin’, keep the beanies hot flushin’.”
Dizzee will initially instill fear in his listeners the first time around. His cockney inflection isn’t familiar to Americans, his ruminations on gangs and street-life persist, and the harmonic backbones are eerie, lack warmth and viciously hack through the mix. But his vulnerability shines through precisely because he insists on the hostility he’s trying to cultivate. On “Cut ‘Em Off,” he urgently raps “I socialize with the crew and the gang/ Roll ‘utes on the street is where I hang/ I’ll make you collapse, leave gaps in your face.” Listening to Dizzee is like watching your little brother try to pull off gangsta rap-first it’s weird, but it becomes endearing. The title and lyrics of “Jus a Rascal” sum up his persona. And there’s nothing scary about a little rascal who’s got the rhymes.
