DIZZEE RASCAL (UK)
Friday 13.7.2018 @ Joensuu, Ilosaarirock
Pretty much everyone in Britain can tell you where they were the night of the 2012 Olympics’ opening ceremony. But only one person can say they were onstage in a specially-made ‘E3’ baseball jacket singing “Bonkers” to a TV audience estimated at nine hundred million.
“I was ready for the actual performance, so I just enjoyed it”, Dizzee Rascal...
Read more »
DIZZEE RASCAL (UK)
Friday 13.7.2018 @ Joensuu, Ilosaarirock
Pretty much everyone in Britain can tell you where they were the night of the 2012 Olympics’ opening ceremony. But only one person can say they were onstage in a specially-made ‘E3’ baseball jacket singing “Bonkers” to a TV audience estimated at nine hundred million.
“I was ready for the actual performance, so I just enjoyed it”, Dizzee Rascal remembers. “But it was before, when they let the crowd in for the first dress rehearsal, that really got to me. It was the biggest production I’d ever seen in my life, and when I saw everything all together - the Mary Poppins, the Harry Potter shit - and realised that I fitted into it, I nearly cried. Swear to God. Generally, I’m just living my life, but that was one of those moments when you have to take a step back and think ‘Fucking Hell! I only grew up just over the road, and now this is happening”.
It’s hard to believe ten years have now passed since Dizzee Rascal’s Mercury prize-winning debut album Boy In Da Corner set fire to the UK Garage and Brit-rap rulebooks to leave listeners basking blissfully in the toxic fumes. Perhaps even more surprisingly, it’s five since he established a new template for crossover success with ‘Dance Wiv Me’ - the Calvin Harris collaboration Dizzee had to re-activate his own Dirtee Stank imprint to take to number one because the record label which brought the world Adele thought it was “too commercial”.
In the intervening half decade, any number of young UK pretenders have followed Dizzee through the hole he smashed in British pop’s glass ceiling. Boasting Ivor Nevello’s, a Brit Award, 5 number one singles (Holiday, Bonkers, Dance Wiv Me, Dirtee Disco and Shout) and platinum albums, Dizzee is a bonafide star.
The Fifth, released in 2013 was Dizzee’s first album since signing a multi-million pound worldwide deal with Universal, forsakes the UK urban comfort zone by putting together “a crack team of experts” on a Dirty Dozen-style mission highly possible to “go for the global jugular”. Collaborations on the album included Jessie J, Will.I.Am, Angel and Tinie Tempah. Looming large alongside notable contributions from Rihanna and Chris Brown veterans Warren Okay ‘Oak’ Felder and Andrew ‘Pop’ Wansell, not to mention Madonna’s hook-scientist of choice Jean-Baptiste Kouame, are four tracks recorded with RedOne (the all-conquering Swedish/Moroccan production house that gave the world Lady Gaga’s ‘Poker Face’, J-Lo’s ‘On The Floor’ and Nicki Minaj’s ‘Starships’ to name but three). Collaborations with Jessie J, Will.I.Am, Calvin Harris, Angel and Tinie Tempah
The Fifth’s numerous other highlights include a brazenly indie-tinged head to head with Robbie Williams on “Goin’ Crazy”, whose video brings together these two masters of that particular art in a spectacular Quadrophenia reboot on pimped out scooters, and a suitably banging reunion with the newly dapper Calvin Harris on “Near 2 China”. “I didn’t even recognise Calvin at first when I first saw him again”, Dizzee chuckles “he’s certainly switched up his personal style a bit”.
Live performances from Dizzee are special and a chance for fans to connect and give them the party of their lives. High octane sing a long sets with that all important swagger keep the crowds jumping time after time. Just ask anyone who was at Glastonbury as he buried the Pyramid stage on Friday night in 2013 before headliners The Arctic Monkeys). An accomplished and experienced live performer who gives more bounce to the ounce.
Happily, the man Jeremy Paxman once called Mr Rascal has still got plenty to say, and Dizzee’s recent underground hits (Pagans EP and Nutcrackerz featuring UK MC Gigg)s have some of the most accomplished flows of his career. More “bangers” are to follow this year with Dizzee getting busy in the studio and getting ready to unleash more of his trademark anthems. Time remains for just two thoughts for the day from the minister of dirty stinking bass: “It’s amazing what you can achieve when you pull your finger out” and “All the bottles are empty, ‘cos we drunk it... mission accomplished”.
Domestic
