Dizzee Rascal
Dizzee Rascal is a good example of a wayward teenager from a problem family, who can achieve the success in case he finds an occupation of a great interest. Music became such an occupation for young Dizzee, who got to correctional class because of his poor progress and problems with the law. First, he was interested in electronic music as both a listener and a composer.
While experimenting in this style, Dizzee Rascal managed to create something new that did not exist earlier in hip-hop world, combining traditional American rap, British Drum'n'Bass, typical R&B and original Garage House. His texts of the songs were based on strict conditions, in which Dizzee Rascal had grown and considerably formed the image of a bad boy, who mended his ways. Dizzee does not deny that he likes rap as this style allows to tell the world about rough street realias, in which he often became a witness without embellishment.
Dizzee Rascal released his first album Boy in da Corner under the label XL in 2003. Audience did not expect from the young British delinquent such an agility and took his work with a slight amusement. The first studio work was important not only for Dizzee but became revolutionary for British hip-hop in whole thanks to the new sounding of familiar rhythms and rough, sometimes even aggressive, and very emotional performance. However, some of London underground representatives were prepared to such Rascal's trick as his early single with a simple title “I Luv U” numbed rave and hip-hop admirers looking for something new and peculiar in music.
In the same year, Dizzee received the Mercury Music Prize, which impressed not only music public but the musician himself.
In 2004, Dizzee Rascal recorded and released his second album Showtime, which contained 15 tracks. The second album just as the first one became golden and occupied the place on the British charts. Dizzee’s popularity grew steadily but, along with fans, the number of sharp-tongued critics, who claimed that Rascal’s music cannot be called hip-hop, increased too. We cannot say certainly whether they are right or not but if Rascal’s work contravenes the canons of his music style, it does not make his songs less striking, memorable and catchy for listeners. Dizzee Rascal, commenting this, states that the reason is in a banal misunderstanding of everything that differs from common standards and emphasizes that lack of understanding always creates fear.
Meeting the challenge and sharp criticism from some music experts, Dizzee Rascal continues to perform and create. He released two albums in 2007 and 2009. In 2010, he received BRIT Awards prize as the best male performer. Considering that Dizzee lost the nomination in 2004, the triumph in 2010 was very important for him and for the army of his admirers.
