Home > Music > CD Review > Dizzee Rascal, 'Maths + English'

Dizzee Rascal, 'Maths + English'

Nimble Brit rapper branches out beyond grime

By Adam McKibbin

Special to Metromix
April 28, 2008

Critic's Rating:

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Backstory: At 19, Dizzee Rascal won the U.K.’s prestigious Mercury Prize for his debut album, “Boy in Da Corner,” which helped popularize the choppy, aggressive “grime” style of British hip-hop. He flaunted his gritty upbringing, showed off his stab wounds, and was predictably hailed as the British answer to 50 Cent.

Why you should care: Dizzee’s churlish cockney flow certainly stands out from the crowd, and his rapid-fire delivery helps compensate for some very tired lyrics. “Maths + English” also presents some of his most direct, party-oriented pop writing to date: the frantic dance jam “Flex,” the summertime celebration “Da Feelin’” and the breezy “Wanna Be” (featuring Lily Allen).
 
Verdict: “Maths + English” suggests continued growth for Dizzee, and an admirable willingness to go beyond his usual comfort zones—even to grab guitars or Arctic Monkeys samples. And he remains a compelling narrator, particularly at his angriest. But the beats sometimes sound like afterthoughts and the endless self-aggrandizement quickly grows wearisome (Dizzee Rascal seems almost pathologically obsessed with proving that he is more street than you).

X-Factor: While courting an American fan base, Dizzee busts out one of the strangest samples of the year: a brief blast of “Yankee Doodle Dandy” in the juvenile “Suk My Dick.”