Dizzee Rascal
Maths & English
XL / Definitive Jux
By Eavvon O'Neal
The other night, I was in this bar on Avenue B arguing over topical hip-hop issues. Firstly, arguing about hip-hop in a bar whose jukebox plays only classic rock and soul standards is funny in its own right, but in addition to this, speaking on hip-hop’s responsibility to the entertainment industry adds extra layers of guffaw. Of course, the conversation itself has been held in innumerous bars across the States, and is a subject that makes everyone forever uncertain of their stance. Where does the responsibility of the artists come into play when at least a part of content (whether it be due to interpretation or unabashed internet) is used to entertain, and what affect does that have on the malleable minds who gobble it up blindly?
Dizzee Rascal is a fan of hip-hop, the American hybrid with a chemical makeup far more involved that we all wish to admit. His third album, Maths & English, in every facet of its existence, is a work dedicated to crossing over to an American audience while maintaining a foot firmly planted in his roots. It’s tough to straddle an ocean, let alone the tastes of the mainstream, yet Dizzee’s approach finds him able to hold his ground and speak his mind, while adding his own interpretations to an ongoing discussion of hip-hop’s social graces.
The name of the game is cross fading, but not necessarily the actual mix -- more so the transition, and “World Outside,” illustrates that bluntly. The ambient low swirls and sirens flood the higher end of the track, while a slow pounding sub stumbles beneath Dizzee’s explanation of his distance from his inner-city life. He’s doing it so that he can raise up his culture instead of watch it fall into the wake of fads and trends. “I wouldn’t call it no escape/ the roads are in my heart/ making it that much more difficult for me to climb the charts,” further explaining his tether to his upbringing and also his longing.
“Sirens” continues with the same feel, and lays out a story of stick up kids, projected over the durrtiest guitar mixed with laser pulses that then drops into a punk hardcore mindfuck, making the darkest images bleaker. This track is interestingly juxtaposed to “Where Da G’s,” the first single for the album that is more or less challenging caricature emcees that haven’t lived like the song prior depicts. It’s filled with plucky synths and high-end whistles that recall early West coast rap, and helps remind us that Dizzee is a huge fan of classic production.
The album continues in this challenging fashion, calling out emcees and judgmental critics who disapprove of real G behavior (“Suck My Dick”) and also contain songs that are simply dance floor fillers (“Flex”). “Bubbles” and “Wanna Be,” the later of which features Brit sweetheart Lily Allen, prove to be other standouts, allowing the appeal of the album from being lost to those who don’t really care about content and just want non-stop party jams.
As a whole, this album is clearly a progression of Dizzee’s work. It’s certain from the changing of his lyrical focus, which was all about name-dropping on Boy In Da Corner, has now moved to topics outside trying to get us to remember the name of a rapper. More so, Maths & English is an album that adroitly melds different factions of hip-hop showing that Dizzee has grown as not just a performer, but also as a lyricist.
It’s clear that Dizzee doesn’t really know how to battle the duality of a Hip-hop superstar, which will prove to work out for the best. Hip-hop was never about what is right or wrong, but what feels right at the time. The music is better if the artist is constantly plagued by his or her battle with justifying their presence and their decisions, making every album another attempt at finding unattainable clarity. Thank God for human conflict!
Dizzee has taken this approach with a headier, more conceptual drive than many of his contemporaries, who dilute the musical landscape, by dropping another gem. In today’s industry, this growth is necessary to the well being of an artist, and while Dizzee may enjoy having fun, he is serious about personal success.
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