Dizzee Rascal - Boy in Da Corner
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Dizzee RascalEdition: Music CD
Audio: French (Unknown)
Format: Enhanced, Extra tracks
CD Release Date: 2004-01-20
Music Label: Matador Records
Soundtracks:
- Sittin' Here
- Stop Dat
- I Luv U
- Brand New Day
- 2 Far (Feat. Wiley)
- Fix Up, Look Sharp
- Cut 'Em Off
- Hold Ya Mouf' (Feat. God's Gift)
- Round We Go
- Jus' A Rascal
- Wot U On?
- Jezebel
- Seems 2 Be
- Live O
- Do It!
Free Music Notes for Boy in Da Corner
Free Music Review: Fix Up, Look Sharp......(Dizzee's Debut is Impressive stuff)
Hit: 5 Stars
For the genre "Grime" where Dizzee's music, is heavily influenced/derived by. He has managed to exceed it's niche market potential, and become a credible artist in his own right. and through the use of an original & unique production approach, rapid quick-fire wordplay, and a completely urban view, from an insider's perspective, and an amalgamation of: 2-step / Electronica & Grime. He has skillfully circumnavigated, the problem of a 'one album release, and subsequent folding under the weight of the general publics expectations' syndrome.
"Sitting Here"...is a languid and wistfully reflective number, with sparkingly mutated twinklely Electronica, reminiscent of a musical jewellery box jangle that has been cut & Edited to fit within the context of the track, and that shares the resemblance of some of the more melodic moments of electronica outfit "Plaid". Yet Dizzee takes the vocal stance of a more observational storyteller. Reinterpreting his versions of watching the world pass him by, with the lyrics: " Cos it's the same old story, crazy boys keep getting on my nerves, And it's the same old story, police don't give me no peace, Yeah, it's the same old story, friends slowly drifting from the ends, Yeah, it's the same old story!!". It's a sombre note to start the album on for sure, but also neatly serves to show the relative diversity of his lyrical delivery, which he sets out to amply demonstrate over the course of the album.
"I Luv U", shows Dizzee's excellence, as a producer of original sound compositions. The production here takes on a far more claustrophobic and restricting sound. With clever sampling emulating a dramatic and ominous soundtrack (not too dissimilar to early 'Horror House' films. But more impressively is the wordplay, between Dizzee & a female scorned by he's unceremonious dealings with her. With clever interplay from both parties, the main chorus which breaks down like this: [Girl:] "Ain't that your girl??" / [Dizzee:] "Nah it aint my girl" / [Girl:] "I swear that's your girl" / [Dizzee:] "Course it ain't my girl" / [Girl:] "She got juiced up" / [Dizzee:] "oh well" / [Girl:] "She got chatted up" / [Dizzee:] "oh well!"........Shows Dizzee using London slang to to build a track around what is in theory a conversation we've been made privy to. And has the double effect of showing that Dizzee, isn't someone that's afraid to take chances artistically. (So much so, that This was one of the first tracks released as a single in the U.K.).
"Fix Up, Look Sharp", is far more of a club-orientated track, build around a thumpingly brutal and squared off 'Big Beat' Loop, that's as rowdy & Swaggering, as it is Outrageous. More of a chest-beating exercise for Dizzee, as the delivery here, is certainly more hostile & Aggressive than, previous tracks, with Dizzee proudly boasting "I stay sweet as a nut, sweet like Tropicana, When i have head, your head splits like banana". with an almost surprising rock-influenced chorus extolling its love of the 'Big Beat' sound (this rock-styled chorus isn't as much as a suprise as you might think, as Dizzee has repeatedly mentioned in interviews, an appreciation of 'Rock' music). This feels like the track most likely to be played in the 2-Step/ Garage / Grime-oriented clubs, that Dizzee's music is derived from. (This was also one of the first single releases in the U.K.).
"Brand New Day", feels partially a tribute for a return to the older days, when live was a lot simpler, with Dizzee reminiscing on how " We used 2 fight wid kids 4rm other estates, Now 8 millimetres settle debates", with a resignation in his voice that those days are long gone. And the acknowledgement that Dizzee is losing friends to needless violence hasn't escaped his attention either, with his statement " Looks like i'm loosin friends, There's a lot of hostility in my endz" said with a noticeable amount of regret. Even the production here reflects the somber mood here, with the squared off beats of before, replaced with a melodious keyboard/synth, that feels more singer/songwriter than Electronic. Yet Dizzee still remains duly hopeful, that the situation isn't completely irreversible, with the lines " But its a Brand New Day, New opportunities, wot can i say?" & " I know its wrong 2 question but i need answers" being two particular lines that stand out.
Seeing as this album is resolutely one that's been fashioned by it's urban surroundings, and remains not only a fairly accurate representation of the town and streets that Dizzee was raised in, but for this mostly confrontational collections of songs that deal with: Violence, Disenchantment, Social injustice, Girls, and mounting hostility & teenage pregnancy, to reveal a talent from the U.K. that has the potential to do a great many things, in his new position. And with an production that is largely original, largely dense and claustrophobic ("Tricky" would be very well advised to have Dizzee do, the production for any further albums, as the more gloomy & Moody tracks would fit Tricky's style perfectly). and resolutely thinks outside the box (Check out "Live O's" aquatic, submarine radar sampling track, or the Skewered oriental-tinged "Do It", that feels like a world music track modernised for the electronic age, both uniquely different and beautifully produced. Not since "Mike Skinner' - The Streets" has a voice so accurately (and intelligently) represented or reflected the mood and attitude of the London streets.
But there a but...(there's always a 'But'). Dizzee doesn't hold back on the London slang & terminology, and so phrases such as "bobbies (Police). she got batches (Kids), estates (blocks of Flats/ apartments), Roll Deep (his musical collective, of friends/musicians), fakish cats (fake friends), dappa (either smartly dressed, or tough/connected guy), & clobber (to hit someone), could well be a bit of a deal-breaker for those that aren't willing to put the time and effort to digest exactly what, Dizzee's referring to, when he mentions this. (obviously having an understanding of this will improve your enjoyment of this album immensely).
And apart from a handful of tracks the mood here is pretty much hostile, stand-offish, Anxious, Tense, Intense, paranoid and unrelenting. And with a large percentage of the production adhering to this vocal aesthetic (excepting a couple of tracks), those unprepared for the unflinching look or insight into London's urban streets, will shortly be reaching for the headache pills shortly after, (downtempo this ain't). But that's not to say that Dizzee lacks a sense of humour, with the line "I socalize in Hackney or Bow, I wear my trousers ridiculiously low", show that Dizzee isn't immune to some of the more amusing sides to London lifestyle.
This isn't an album for everyone, and for every 4-5 people that love it, they'll be someone that no matter how many times they listen to it, just won't be able to penetrate the album's dense production, abrasive rapid-fire vocal delivery, Unsettling themes, (Dizzee at one point, notes: "If I had the guts to end it all, believe -- I would"), just isn't designed for mass-market consumption. Yet irrespective of all that, there's a talent here, that just refuses to be ignored. Sure!!.....it's not an album that'll change your life, but this (along with "The Streets"), are taking the themes of U.K. urban themes/Everyday lives and building consice, intelligent and thought-provoking structured & original songs from them. And at the very least (the very least), they deserved to be heard, before deciding whether their brand of unique U.K. storytelling is for you. Essential stuff!!
Boy in Da Corner Poster
Young, angry, articulate, and frighteningly talented, 18-year old Dizzee Rascal is the voice of a new generation. Alongside Wiley and his fellow Roll Deep Entourage members, East London's Dizzee was propelled to underground fame. His record is Spin's #12 Album Of The Year, it went gold in the UK, and it won the prestigious Mercury Prize in 2003. This domestic release contains one bonus track plus the first two videos.Dizzee Rascal is the latest Brit to try to land on America's rap shores after countless predecessors have failed. Rascal boasts a frenetic verbal presence--the Cockney equivalent to Busta Rhymes--and his first single, "Fix Up, Look Sharp," is as good as you could want: old-school drum breaks meet futuristic flows with a memorable, holler-if-you-hear-me hook. What Rascal has going against him is the fact that he sounds, well, British, and American audiences seem to like their flows homegrown, not imported. Moreover, with pulsing, electro bumps dominating most of the album, the sound is closer to Tricky's than Trick Daddy's. That said, Boy in Da Corner offers boundless energy and Rascal's enthusiasm is palpable. "Jus' a Rascal" is crunked out enough to make Lil Jon proud while "Live O" moves smoothly and steadily with a submarine's deadly grace. Though Rascal won't knock 50 Cent off the charts anytime soon, his debut loudly proclaims that rap's geopolitics may be shifting. --Oliver Wang
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