Dizzee’s new album hits September 30th. Includes guest spots from Jesse J, Tinie Tempah, Will.I.Am, and more.

It’s been a minute since we’ve heard from Dizzee Rascal, 2009 to be exact, when he dropped his last LP, Tongue ‘N Cheek. The grimecee will drop his new album, The Fifth, on July 1st in the UK, which will include collaborations with Will.i.am, Tinie Tempah, Calvin Harris, Jessie J, Robbie Williams, Bun B, Trae the Truth and Angel. There is no date currently set for the U.S. release.

Tracklist:

Deluxe:
‘Superman’
‘I Don’t Need A Reason’
‘We Don’t Play Around’ ft Jessie J
‘Good’ ft. Angel
‘Spend Some Money’ ft. Tinie Tempah
‘Arse Like That’ ft. Sean Kingston
‘Something Really Bad’ ft. Will.i.am
‘Goin Crazy’ ft. Robbie Williams
‘Bang Bang’
‘Love This Town’ ft. Teddy Sky
‘H Town’ ft. Bun B and Trae Tha Truth
‘Heart Of A Warrior’ ft. Teddy Sky
‘Life Keeps Moving On’
‘Here 2 China’
‘Bassline Junkie’
‘Watch Your Back’

Standard:
‘Superman’
‘I Don’t Need A Reason’
‘We Don’t Play Around’
‘Good’ ft. Angel
‘Spend Some Money’ ft. Tinie Tempah
‘Arse Like That’ ft. Sean Kingston
‘Something Really Bad’ ft. Will.i.am
‘Goin Crazy’ ft. Robbie Williams
‘Love This Town’ ft. Teddy Sky
‘H Town’ ft. Bun B and Trae Tha Truth
‘Heart Of A Warrior’ ft. Teddy Sky
‘Life Keeps Moving On’
Bonus Track – ‘Bassline Junkie’

One of the strangest, but dope, collaborations we’ve seen yet, Texas-by-way-of-London-via-Brooklyn-est-in-Canada.

Official song of the London 2012 Olympic Games, due August 5th on Itunes.

Dizzee’s got a new mixtape, you’ll have to grab it at his website though. Hit the link below…

1. DirteeTV.Com Intro
2. Guts & Glory – Dizzee Rascal, Scrufizzer
3. I Want It All – Dizee Rascal, D Double E, Footsie
4. Catch Me If You Can – D Double E, Example
5. Minimus – Dizzee Rascal
6. Hype – Dizzee Rascal, Footsie, D Double E
7. Success Or Failure – Footsie
8. Zane Lowe Skit
9. Kryme – Dizzee Rascal
10. Boy Dem About – Dizzee Rascal
11. Ain’t Havin It – Dizzee Rascal
12. Paper Chase – Dizzee Rascal, Scruffizzer
13. Right Path – Scrifizzer
14. Nangfest – Dizzee Rascal, D Double E, Footsie
15. Levels – Dizzee Rascoa, D Double E, Footsie
16. Grime Superiors – Footsie, Chronik
17. Warrior Within – Dizzee Rascal, D Double E, Footsie
18. Wavestation – Footsie
19. Pumpin’ It Out (Remix) – D Double E, Kano, Footsie, Hyper, JME, Rapid
20. Beef – Dizzee Rascal, Footsie, D Dobule E
21. Answer The Phone – Smurfie Syco, Footsie
22. I Ain’t Like You – Dizzee Rascal
23. Bodyworkz – D Double E
24. Skit
25. Gassed Up – Dizzee Rascal, Footsie

Dizzee Rascal – “Dirtee TV.Com” (The Mixtape)
]]> http://www.hiphopsite.com/2012/01/03/dizzee-rascal-dirtee-tv-com-the-mixtape/feed/ 0 http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/03/23/dizzee-rascal-talks-2011-plans/ http://www.hiphopsite.com/2011/03/23/dizzee-rascal-talks-2011-plans/#comments Wed, 23 Mar 2011 08:21:55 +0000 http://www.hiphopsite.com/?p=31971

Dizzee Rascal speaks with Zane Lowe about what to expect this year. He says new music is coming, but not to expect an album this year.

New video from Dizzee Rascal for the 5th single off the platinum selling 2009 album Tounge n’ Cheek. This track will appear only on a deluxe version of the album that will be released later this year. Check it out above.

We loved Dizzee’s Tounge ‘N Cheek album, but one complaint by critics was that he traded his grime style for a poppier sound (hey, we don’t mind Calvin Harris beats at all). With “Heavy”, he’s back on his grime shit and it feels good. Mad energy on this.

LISTEN: Dizzee Rascal + Chase & Status – “Heavy”

Are they still doing mash-ups at these award shows? Apparently so, as Dizzee Rascal flips his own “Dirtee Cash” with Florence & The Machine’s “You Got The Love”. The original “Dirtee Cash” is on Dizzee’s currently UK only release, Tongue N Cheek, which is his most accessible and probably his best album yet. Dizzee took home the Best Male Solo Artist award.

Dizzee Rascal is sort of like the U.K. equivalent to Jay-Z. Totally different styles and completely different artists, Dizzee is London’s rap media darling, always releasing albums to great critical acclaim and success. Dizzee has built a solid fanbase with his off kilter garage/grime style with his last three albums, the last one Maths & English released in the U.S. by Definitive Jux. So how will it sound when Dizzee goes for a more “pop” sound with his latest, Tongue n’ Cheek?

Thankfully, the sound of British pop is completely different than the American pop music, so the result is surprisingly tolerable – and in fact, good. The album kicks off with “Bonkers”, a ridiculous electro-hop anthem produced by Armand Van Helden that beats you over the head and stabs you repeatedly with uncontained house energy. The song went on to be a #1 single in the U.K., suggesting they have a very different idea of what “pop” music is than we do.
More down to earth however are the Calvin Harris assisted singles “Dance Wiv Me” and “Holiday”, both which feature the brilliant song-writing and production of Harris. Here, Dizzee completely abandons the grimy style of his past, in trade for a more lighthearted, melodic, and most of all – fun – style, which works surprisingly well. This pair of tracks finds Dizzee covering the usual topics club rappers go on about, but doing so in his unmistakable trademark style.

And it’s Dizzee’s style which makes him such a pleasure to listen to, perhaps even more so if you are from the opposite side of the globe. Listening to him rattle off profanities in his unapologetic British accent on the B-More flavored “Road Rage” is hilarious, as is the laid back “Leisure”, where he proclaims “I couldn’t give a toss, man”. Coupled with excellent production, Dizzee’s style is all his own.

What’s remarkable however is that Dizzee doesn’t stick to one production style throughout the entire album. He constantly defies expectations of what the next track will sound like, and does so without sacrificing the quality or integrity of the rest of the record. Sure to follow suit with his other hit singles is the Tiesto produced “Bad Behavior”, a minimalist track from the big-room house producer, as Dizzee floats atop the beat with ease. Also standing out is the semi-conscious, dancehall tinged “Can’t Tek No More”, as well as the 90′s dance throwback “Dirtee Cash”.

Usually when artists decide to alter their signature style to reach a “wider audience”, the results are disastrous. Here is a case where the opposite is true, however the U.K. has a much broader definition of “pop music” than we do. Unfortunately, many U.S. listeners will simply not “get” Dizzee Rascal, as his sound is so remarkably different than what we define as hip-hop in a either an underground or commercial sense.

]]> http://www.hiphopsite.com/2010/01/25/dizzee-rascal-tongue-n-cheek/feed/ 2 http://www.hiphopsite.com/2009/07/04/def-jux-offers-free-sampler-on-amazonmp3/ http://www.hiphopsite.com/2009/07/04/def-jux-offers-free-sampler-on-amazonmp3/#comments Sat, 04 Jul 2009 10:55:48 +0000 http://hhsblog.covelop.org/?p=553

You gotta love the balloons. Definitive Jux celebrates the 4th of July (or not) by teaming up with AmazonMP3 for a free sampler album, featuring new and classic tracks from Cage, El-P, Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif, Chin Chin, Company Flow, Del, Rob Sonic, Hangar 18, Dizzee Rascal, and Murs. Cop that shit. – DJ Pizzo

The LP opens with “World Outside”, a earthy, metaphysical beat mixed with clanging silverware sounds, as the Yardie emcee suggests that there is a whole other side to hip-hop than what is heard in the hood (hence, Dizzee’s existence).  “Sirens” picks things up a bit, with a nasty, multi-layered track, packing distorted guitar stabs, dirty drums, and yes, sirens, as Dizzee runs through the streets of London, police in tow. But Dizzee really doesn’t hit a home run until “Where’s Da G’s” kicks in, his take on the dirty south sound. Here, he delivers a blistering dis verse to all fake gangster rappers, followed by Bun B and Pimp C, who effortlessly adapt to Dizzee’s unique sound. Later on “Flex”, we get this year’s “Fix Up”, with an up-tempo little club jam that probably packs floors in the U.K. (and clears them in the U.S.).

No worries though, Dizzee’s doing his thing. His sound is rather unique and he manages to make it work, hardly conforming to what is expected. The perfectly titled “Da Feelin’” is a song about summertime, as Dizzee fast raps over drum and bass rhythms and chipmunk’d soul vocals. “Temptation” also defies contemporary sounds, as he duets with the Artic Monkeys, which takes chopped guitars from the Monkey’s original track, while frontman Alex Turner lends the hook. The album’s most British moment, “Wanna Be” is also fun, as Lily Allen’s hilarious hook asks “so you wanna be a gangster? Tell me just one thing / What you know about being hard man? / Your mom buys your bling!”

Unfortunately, the album does dip into mediocrity from time to time. While the songs with guest artists help flesh things out and lend some unique sounds, other times some of Dizzee’s solo tracks hardly seem distinguishable from one another. “Bubbles”, “Paranoid”, “Suk My Dick”, and “U Can’t Tell Me Nothin” are each decent contributions from the artist, but may only please the super fans.  Problem is, this makes up ¼ of the record.

The new U.S. edition of the album has a slightly altered tracklist from its U.K. counterpart. Curiously missing is the single “Pussyole” – a rumored dis to fellow grime-cee Wiley. New to the American collection is an El-P remix of “Where’s Da G’s”, and while it’s hard to top the original, Bun B sounds extra ill on a Def Jux beat. Also included are new cuts “G.H.E.T.T.O.” and “Driving With Nowhere To Go”.

Different? Yes. Good? That’s up to the listener. While many complain that hip-hop is stale at this point in the game, Dizzee Rascal may be exactly what they are looking for. While his accent and accompanying style are an acquired taste, Maths and English will strike a chord with a dedicated cult following. – D.T. Swinga

   Showtime is an album of schizophrenic extremes, from the ominously smothering walls of bass and threatening lyrical paranoia of “Graftin’” or “Face” that are pure grime (“I’m a lovely lad/I’ll give you the loveliest beating/you’ve ever had”) to the kiddy playground optimism and tuneless singalong of “Dream” and the lovely, mellow thoughtfulness of “Imagine” which asks his audience to put ghetto life “in perspective”; if they were “sipping wine” in a country mansion, would they “shiver at the robberies” instead of wanting to be gangsta?

     Despite the, er, rawness of his sex talk (“when I penetrate/I cause mass hysteria/and pleasure-pain”, from “Girls”) and more sights-raising advice (“If you know you’re from the slums/keep reppin’/no doubt/stay ghetto if you must/just remember/to get out”); between the R&B choruses of “Get By”, where Dizzee supplies more memorable lyrics than Kweli managed for Kanye, the Rascal is much closer to Eminem than Nas. He can be manic, dark and vicious, and he spends more time than strictly necessary defending his fame, though he does it insightfully. Crucially, however, he’s also charming, witty and frequently funny, if in a more understated way than Mathers.

     While at first, some may not like his high-pitched voice or his, at times, almost indecipherable, high-speed flow, but by the end of this colorfully busy album you’d be hard pressed to deny that he’s both talented and as real as anyone in the game. Despite what he may claim, it needn’t kill you to respect him; this is flawed but undeniably dope.

     With the current surge of overseas music making an impact on the industry this side of the Atlantic, (Radiohead, The Streets, and Coldplay to name a few) it seems that the states are welcoming more acts outside of the U.S. with open arms. Riding high on his popularity and success overseas the 19 year old Dylan Mills better known as Dizzee Rascal attempts to assault the states with his unique hybrid of Hip-hop, drum & bass and UK garage fused with tales of guns, sex, crime and poverty. All of this projected through the eyes of a turbulent UK youth on his debut album Boy In Da Corner.

     Dizzee certainly does possess the tools to make him huge. From being awarded the UK’s Mercury Music Prize for best album of the year beating out the likes of Coldplay, Radiohead, and the Darkness and becoming the first rapper and the youngest ever to win, to his already constant rotation on video (“Fix Up Look Sharp”), and chaotic past that seems to be the allure
of many a hip hop act (Dizzee was stabbed five times last summer by rival hip-hop group So Solid Crew). It seems the kid from East London is primed to make his U.S. splash with his States release. The question is whether or not the fickle hip-hop community is ready to accept an artist who is so unconventional. That because of his husky Cockney accent he may not be able to hold the attention of those here in the States. 

     One thing is for sure…you have not heard anything like Dizzee Rascal here in the states.  He not only emcees but he also produces his whole album, which is unique in itself. The issue at hand is just how different his sound is. It seems that his musical output was birthed from the mind of a bastard child in exile. The production is executed combining disturbed bass frequencies and choppy synthesizers to create the subsonic soundscapes trapped inside the mind of young Dizzee From the outset “Sittin’ Here” just scratches the surface of how abstract this LP is. His accent is difficult to become accustomed to but it’s the production that may lose many. This critic for one is not a fan of UK garage or drum & bass so the out of the ordinary clatter of “I love U” is unbearable. “Stop Dat” oozes of electronic pulses, which attempt
to pass for rhythms but sound more like a video game out of the 80′s. “Live O” sounds lifted from an Atari 2600 game with its electronic soundscape. Different can be good at times but just because it’s different doesn’t automatically qualify it is classic or dope.

     As an emcee Dizzee is alright. Once again his husky accent and slang are quite different than anything heard here in the states besides the occasional Guy Ritchie film. He spits a variety of subjects, none of which are new or very intriguing. More or less if he was stripped of his accent and the foreign fascination he would become say Memphis Bleek or a European
version of Cash Money. He spits his street narrative on “Sitten Here” and launches the every emcee braggadocio on “Cut ‘Em Off” and “Hold Ya Mouf” and fires off chicken head tales on “I Luv U” and the hoe whose been around joint “Round We Go.” Sure, at times he has joints that work (“Fix Up, Look Sharp” and “2 Far”) and he can put together an intriguing rhyme scheme as seen on the rock guitar driven “Jus a Rascal” but it becomes a bit too experimental and abstract for this critic to take a liking too. As said before different doesn’t always translate to great.

     After all is said and done “Boy In Da Corner” is distinctive but not great. But just like the movie, Lost in Translation, this critic can see why it can become a success, but just can’t grasp the Brit-hop hype.  It may be award winning and unique, but just isn’t dope enough to purchase. But who knows? It can possibly become a huge smash here in the states or it
can end up like the award winning Sofia Coppola film – lost in translation.?