Dizzee Rascal | |
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.jpg) Rascal performing atRock am Ring 2013 | |
| Born | Dylan Kwabena Mills (1984-09-18)18 September 1984 (age 41) London, England |
| Other names |
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| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2000–present |
| Works | |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Full list |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Bow, London |
| Genres | |
| Labels |
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| Formerly of | Roll Deep |
| Website | dizzeerascal |
Musical artist | |
Dylan Kwabena Mills[1]MBE (born 18 September 1984[2]), known professionally asDizzee Rascal, is a British rapper andMC.[3] He is often credited as a pioneer ofBritish hip hop andgrime music and was ranked byComplex as one of the greatest British rappers of all time.[4] His work has also incorporated elements ofUK garage,bassline andR&B. Dizzee Rascal's music is also often credited with bringing UK rap into the mainstream and became the country's first rapper to achieve international recognition.
After signing with independent labelXL Recordings in 2002, the rapper released his self-produced debut albumBoy in da Corner in 2003. which received widespread critical acclaim and earned him theMercury Prize in 2003, eventually being certifiedplatinum by theBritish Phonographic Industry. It is often regarded as the best British hip hop album of all time. It was followed up with the albumsShowtime (2004) andMaths + English (2007), which were also critically praised and were certified gold, both peaking within the top ten of theUK Albums Chart. His next album,Tongue n' Cheek (2009) saw a departure from grime for a more pop-oriented sound. It garnered fourUK Singles Chart number one singles—"Dance wiv Me", "Bonkers", "Holiday" and "Dirtee Disco"—and went platinum in 2010.
His fifth album,The Fifth (2013), continued his experimental commercial sound and although it received less favourable reviews than his previous albums, it still peaked in the top 10 of theUK Albums Chart. He returned to his grime roots with 2017'sRaskit, and has since releasedE3 AF in 2020 andDon't Take It Personal in 2024. Throughout his career, Dizzee Rascal has worked with a number of notable artists includingArctic Monkeys,Calvin Harris,Florence + The Machine,Robbie Williams,Shakira,Ty Dolla Sign,UGK andwill.i.am.
Dylan Kwabena Mills was born on 18 September 1984 inForest Gate, London. HisNigerian father died when Dizzee was young,[5] and he was raised inBow,[6] in a single-parent family, by hisGhanaian mother Priscilla, about whom he says, "I had issues as a kid. I was violent and disruptive. The way my mum helped was by finding me a different school every time I got kicked out, always fighting to keep me in the school system."[7][8][9]
He attended a series of schools ineast London, includingLangdon Park School, and was expelled from four of them, includingSt Paul's Way Community School. Reportedly, it was around this time that a teacher was the first to call him "Rascal".[10] Cagey about exactly what Rascal's youthful "madnesses" entailed, in early interviews he mentioned fighting with teachers, stealing cars, and robbing pizza delivery men.[9] In the fifth school, he was excluded from all classes except music.[10] He also used to attend YATI (Young Actors TheatreIslington).[9] One of his teachers at school was the comedianShazia Mirza, who taught him science.[11]
He began making music on the school's computer, encouraged by his music teacher Joseph Robson,[9] and during the summer holidays attended a music workshop organised byTower Hamlets Summer University,[8][12] of which he is now a patron.[8] He was a childhood friend of footballerDanny Shittu, whom he described as "almost like a big brother", and at whose house he made his first mixtapes and tracks.[13] Unusually among his friends, he read the heavy metal magazineKerrang! and was a fan of the grunge bandNirvana.[13]
Around the age of 14, Dizzee Rascal became an amateurdrum and bass DJ, also rapping over tracks as customary insound system culture, and making occasional appearances on localpirate radio stations.[14] Aged sixteen, he self-produced his first single, "I Luv U".[10] In 2002, he jointly formed theRoll Deep Crew, a 13-piece garage collective, with former school friends. He also signed a solo deal with therecord labelXL.[15]
During his early career, Rascal worked with his mentorWiley to create the still-unreleased song "We Ain't Having It" and rapped on some Sidewinder recordings. He made some instrumentals including "Go" and "Ho" and "Streetfighter". Rascal had an ongoing feud, from late 2003, with fellow underground grime artistCrazy Titch, which began when a fight broke out between the pair during a set on a guest show on the pirate radio station Deja Vu FM. The set, which features many seminal early grime artists, was filmed, and has accumulated over a million views on YouTube[16] and resulted in the two exchangingdiss tracks.
After winning a Sidewinder Award for Best Newcomer MC in 2002, Dizzee was a judge on theSky1 showMust Be The Music.[17]
He also did a verse on the Roll Deep remix of "Let's Push Things Forward" on the 2002 albumWeak Become Heroes and 12" single byThe Streets.
Dizzee's first solo album,Boy in da Corner, was released to universal critical acclaim in August 2003, entering theUK Albums Chart at No. 40. The album peaked at No. 23. In the same week the album was released, whilst performing with Roll Deep Crew in Cyprus, Dizzee was stabbed six times.[18][6][15] Many tabloids suggested that this event was connected to an apparent feud between Dizzee and garage actSo Solid Crew, and his pinchingLisa Maffia's buttocks.[9] After Dizzee was hospitalised, So Solid Crew member "Megaman" – real name Dwayne Vincent – was questioned about the incident, but was released by Cypriot police.[19]
Following the success of single "I Luv U" and the album, the second single fromBoy in da Corner was "Fix Up, Look Sharp". The single, released in August 2003, gave Dizzee his first UKTop 20 single and also became the biggest hit from his debut album. In September, Dizzee was awarded the prestigiousMercury Prize for the best album of 2003.[6] He was the youngest person at 19 years old to do so and the second rapper, afterMs. Dynamite the previous year. The album was also chosen as the No. 1 album of the year byPlanet Sound, and as one of the top 50 albums of the year byRolling Stone.[20] His unique style, as "words pour out at a high pitch and pace, as if syllables are the only thing that can hold back a scream", have given him a sound that hip hop heads can embrace as something new and original in the hip hop scene.[21] Later in the year he collaborated with theBasement Jaxx on their third album,Kish Kash on the track "Lucky Star". The track was released as a single in November 2003 and gave Dizzee his third top 30 hit. The third and final single, taken from his debut album, was "Jus' a Rascal", which became his fourth top 30 success. The song was also featured in the filmKidulthood released in 2006.
"Jezebel" was not a single from the album, but was well received, gaining exposure and popularity on the underground scene. The song told the tale of a young London girl, who through years of going to parties, getting drunk, doing drugs and having sex earned herself the titleJezebel. He made his US concert debut on 7 February 2004 at Volume inWilliamsburg,Brooklyn.
In 2004, Dizzee Rascal won theNME Award for Innovation. His second album,Showtime, was released in September of the same year, eclipsing the peak of his debut album by entering theUK Albums Chart at No. 8. The first single from the album, released two weeks earlier in August 2004, was titled "Stand Up Tall"; it was written and produced by grime producer DJ Youngstar of Pulse-X. The title track was featured on the soundtrack for the firstFIFA Street video game.
The second single "Dream", another top 20 hit, was released in November 2004. It sampled (and used the chorus of)Captain Sensible's song "Happy Talk", originally from the makers ofRodgers and Hammerstein musicalSouth Pacific. The "Dream" music video consisted of a mock 1950s style children'smarionette show depicting scenes corresponding to the lyrics about Dizzee's youth: street culture, crime, single teenage mothers, pirate radio and garage clubs.
Later in 2004, Dizzee Rascal was part ofBand Aid 20, a group of British musicians who re-recorded "Do They Know It's Christmas?" He did not sing in the song; rather, he rapped two lines of it ("Spare a thought this yuletide for the deprived, if the table was turned would you survive?" and "You ain't gotta feel guilt just selfless, give a little help to the helpless"). Dizzee Rascal was the first person to add to the song since the original was released;[22] this would mark the first time that Dizzee reached thenumber one spot in theUK Singles Chart, albeit as part of the ensemble.
In 2004, Dizzee Rascal made an international endorsement deal with urban brandEckō Unltd. and designed his own shoe withNike in 2005.[6]
In March 2005, thedouble A-side single "Off 2 Work" / "Graftin'" was released. "Graftin'" was the third and final single from theShowtime album, whilst "Off 2 Work" was a new track that did not appear on either of his albums. The accompanying music video featured Rascal in various ordinary workplace situations (as a policeman, a fast food vendor, a businessman, etc.) and asPrime Minister, announcing his engagement toCherie Blair. It would prove to be Dizzee's lowest charting single to date, peaking at No. 44.
Dizzee's third album,Maths + English, was released on 4 June 2007. He stated in an interview before the album's release that "Maths" refers to producing, in terms of beats, deals and money[23] and "English" to writing lyrics.[24] The first single off this album, "Sirens", was released on 21 May.
The album was one of the 12 nominees for the 2007Mercury Prize, which ultimately went toKlaxons' albumMyths of the Near Future.[25] During the year, Dizzee worked with cross-genre artistBeck on a remix of the song "Hell Yes", and provided guest vocals on anArctic Monkeys track, the B-Side to their single "Brianstorm" named "Temptation Greets You Like Your Naughty Friend". Dizzee's version of the same song was featured as "Temptation" on his third album.
The official US album was released on 29 April 2008; it contained two tracks not on the European release, but it did not include the track "Pussyole'". It was Dizzee's first album to be released under theDefinitive Jux label.[26]
In 2008, Rascal recorded a song for suicide charityCALM; the song "Dean" was about a friend of Dizzee's who took his own life. In December of that year, he was arrested following an alleged incident involving a baseball bat in southeast London. He was released on bail to return to a police station later in December.[27]
Dizzee Rascal released his fourth studio album,Tongue n' Cheek, on 21 September 2009. It included his four number-one hits "Dance wiv Me", "Bonkers (withArmand Van Helden), "Holiday" and "Dirtee Disco". Its release was announced onFriday Night with Jonathan Ross, where Dizzee Rascal revealed some details about the album, including track information and production. In a collaboration track withChase & Status titled "Heavy", Dizzee Rascal said, "Grime had a little time without me still no grime without me, No life without me, no Risky Roadz, noGrime Daily" seemingly seeking to create the impression that grime had petered out since he left the scene. On 23 May 2008,Calvin Harris, whom he collaborated with on the number-one hit "Dance Wiv Me", revealed on his Twitter[citation needed] that he was producing a Dizzee track; at theEvolution Festival inNewcastle, and when on tour supportingThe Prodigy, he confirmed that two new singles called "Road Rage" and "Dirtee Cash", both of which featured on the album, would be released. "Dirtee Cash" peaked at No. 10 and Road Rage was never released as a single.
At the 30th annualBrit Awards, Dizzee Rascal won the award for Best British Male. He later performed a mash-up entitled "You Got the Dirtee Love" withFlorence and the Machine. This collaboration was released as a charity single the following day and peaked at number 2 in the UK charts.
On 31 May 2010 Dizzee re-released the albumTongue n' Cheek with a few new tracks including "Dirtee Disco", which was released on 24 May 2010. The track went to number 1 on theUK Singles Chart.
In August 2010, it was revealed that he was to collaborate withColombian popstarShakira on the English version of "Loca", the lead single of her albumSale el Sol. He stated that "I know it sounds a bit mad now, but you'll see it and see what's going on, it's me doing something different man, on a merengue tip".[28] On the week of 14 October 2010, Dizzee made his first appearance on the USBillboardHot 100 after the song peaked number 32.
On 6 February 2011, it was announced Dizzee would support the Red Hot Chili Peppers at their Knebworth House show in the summer.[29]
On New Year's Day 2011, Dizzee Rascal releasedDirteeTV.com alongside the Newham Generals, D Double E and Footsie. The 25-track mixtape was released as a free download, and included features from fellow rappers JME, Kano, Scrufizzer, Example, Rapid, Chronik, Hyper andSmurfie Syco. The mixtape featured new and old tracks by Dizzee Rascal.
In 2012 he was also expected to have a collaboration with Snoop Dogg on either his new album or Snoop Dogg's new albumReincarnated.[30] His first collaboration withDJ Fresh, "The Power" was the third single from Fresh's third studio album, released in September 2012. Dizzee performed during theopening ceremony of the2012 London Olympics.
OnCalvin Harris's third studio album,18 Months, Dizzee Rascal paired up with Harris andDillon Francis to create the track "Here 2 China". Dizzee Rascal's albumThe Fifth was released in 2013. The lead single was "Goin' Crazy" featuringRobbie Williams.
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In June 2016, Dizzee Rascal collaborated with Calvin Harris for the third time on the single "Hype", which reached number 34 on the UK charts. A year later, he released the single "Space" with a livestreamed teaser trailer and announced his sixth studio album, titledRaskit, which was released on 21 July 2017, peaking at number 10 on the UK albums chart.[31] Later that year, he collaborated with French rapperOrelsan on the song "Zone" (also featuringNekfeu).[32]
Dizzee Rascal released an EP titledDon't Gas Me in September 2018.[33] The EP also marked the first time Dizzee and Skepta worked on a track together, releasing Money Right which peaked at number 68 on the UK singles chart. He also began appearing inLadbrokes adverts on television, with "Bonkers" playing in the background.
In August 2020 Dizzee Rascal announced his seventh studio album, titledE3 AF, which was then released on 30 October 2020. The album peaked at number 13 on the UK albums chart.[34] In November 2023, he released a single titled "How Did I Get So Calm" from his forthcoming eighth studio album "Don't Take It Personal", which released on 9 February 2024.
When starting to make music in his teenage years, Dizzee Rascal "learned to rap fast" over drum and bass tracks with 170-180 bpm, in contrast to the slower tempos of UK Garage.[14] He also recalls being influenced bycrunk (Three 6 Mafia,Lil Jon),grunge music,Black Sabbath and byTimbaland's work around that time.[14][35]
Dizzee Rascal once told author Ben Thompson in an interview withThe Observer magazine that "everything I do is for the music – I want to master it likeBruce Lee mastered martial arts".[36]
Dizzee Rascal worked closely with his mentorWiley, who created one of the first grime tracks, called "Eskimo".[37] In 2005, music criticSasha Frere-Jones observed that despite Dizzee's large mainstream exposure, grime still was not having a commercial breakthrough in the US, although it was "becoming familiar".[37] His DJ, DJ Semtex, said in 2004, "the biggest conflict I have is with major labels because they still don't get it".[38] Andy Bennett and Jon Stratton highlight in the bookBritpop and the English Music Tradition (2010) how Dizzee Rascal alongsideSway andM.I.A. created music that explored new soundscapes with new technologies, with lyrics expressing anger at Britain's "racialized" subordination of minority groups and that the innovation that generates new musical forms like grime anddubstep that are, inevitably, politically engaged. The chart success of grime-influenced artists like him is heralded as a signal in the way that white Britons are adapting to a new multicultural and plural musical mix in contrast to previous bands.[39]
The first white label release of "I Luv U" was made on Rascal's own label, Dirtee Stank, released when he was 16,[40] although both of his albums and their subsequent singles have been released underXL Recordings. It was not until 30 September 2005, that Dizzee Rascal 'revived' the label and made his first signings, Klass A[41] andNewham Generals.
The label was formed and is owned by Dizzee Rascal, and is co-run by Dizzee's manager, Cage, label manager, Laurence Ezra, tour manager Paddy Stewart and executive producer Teriy Keys. According to Cage, Dirtee Stank exists to promote gifted artists with "social problems" that might scare off other labels. "People who, through the conditions they live in, might not be stable."[41]
The single "Dance Wiv Me", featuringCalvin Harris and Chrome, was released through the label on 7 July 2008; the track becameJo Whiley's Pet Sound for the Week beginning 2 June 2008, thus gaining a large amount of radio airtime. The single charted at Number 1 on download sales alone, a week before its physical release. Dizzee's next two singles, "Bonkers" and "Holiday", were also released under the record label, and these two again charted at Number 1. Dizzee then released his 4th album on the label (Tongue N' Cheek) which along with three number ones spawned the top 10 hitDirtee Cash.
As of August 2011, the Newham Generals (D Double E & Footsie),Smurfie Syco and Pepper are signed to the label.[42] In 2014,Merky ACE was added to the Dirtee Stank line up.[43]
During the2008 US presidential elections, Dizzee gave a live interview toNewsnight presenterJeremy Paxman, in which he describedBarack Obama as "an immediate symbol of unity". Addressed by Paxman as "Mr Rascal" at one point, he said he felt that hip-hop played an important part in encouraging young voters and humorously suggested that he could well one day become prime minister.[44]
In March 2005, Dizzee Rascal was arrested for allegedly carrying an illegal weapon after a search during a car stop in east London; he was found to be in possession of pepper spray. The driver of the car was also arrested after being found in possession of pepper spray, anASP baton and cannabis.[45]
In February 2008, Dizzee Rascal's ex-girlfriend, model Kaya Bousquet, whom he had dated for two years, died in a high-speed crash on theM1 motorway.[46] Later that year in December he was arrested and held on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon after allegedly approaching a motorist with a baseball bat in a road rage incident at Sevenoaks Way,Orpington.[47]
Dizzee Rascal said in 2010 that he planned not to use drugs or alcohol at all in the future. He toldThe Independent, "I'm not having any alcohol. No weed. I'm not doing anything – except some boxing to release energy."[48] In 2011, however, when asked what his favourite drink was during an interview withGQ, he answered "Do I drink [alcohol] now? To be honest with you, the whole living clean vibe didn't last long. My biggest mistake was probably saying it in an interview, to be fair. I tried living mad clean – but I like partying as much as anyone else."[49]
In November 2013, Rascal received an honorary Doctorate of the Arts from theUniversity of East London.[50]He was appointed aMember of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the2020 Birthday Honours for services to music.[51][52]
On 7 March 2022, Dizzee Rascal was convicted of assaulting his former partner Cassandra Jones, with whom he has a daughter and a son, at a property in Streatham on 8 June 2021, after a 'chaotic argument'. Upon leaving court, he knocked a camera from aPress Association photographer's hands and threw it across the street.[53][54] He received a community order, which included a 24-week curfew, as well as a restraining order prohibiting him from contacting Jones for a period of 12 months. An appeal against his conviction was dismissed in January 2023.[55]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee/work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | BT Digital Music Awards | Best Use of Mobile | Boy in da Corner | Won | [56] |
| Mercury Prize | Best Album of the Year | Won | [57] | ||
| Urban Music Awards | Best Newcomer | Himself | Won | ||
| MOBO Awards | Best Newcomer | Nominated | [58] | ||
| Best Garage Act | Nominated | ||||
| 2004 | NME Awards | Innovation | Won | ||
| MOBO Awards | UK Act of the Year | Won | [59] | ||
| Brit Awards | Best British Breakthrough Act | Nominated | [60] | ||
| Best British Male | Nominated | ||||
| Best British Urban Act | Nominated | ||||
| Ivor Novello Awards | Best Contemporary Song | "Jus' a Rascal" | Nominated | [61] | |
| Q Awards | Best Album | Showtime | Nominated | ||
| 2005 | Brit Awards | Best British Urban Act | Himself | Nominated | [60] |
| PLUG Independent Music Awards | Album of the Year | Boy in da Corner | Nominated | [62] | |
| Hip-Hop Album of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Artist of the Year | Himself | Nominated | |||
| New Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Male Artist of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| 2006 | Brit Awards | Best British Urban Act | Nominated | [60] | |
| 2007 | MOBO Awards | Best UK Male | Won | [63] | |
| Best Hip-Hop Act | Nominated | ||||
| Best Single | "Sirens" | Nominated | |||
| Best Video | Nominated | ||||
| Antville Music Video Awards | Best Narrative Video | Won | |||
| Mercury Prize | Best Album of the Year | Maths + English | Nominated | [64] | |
| 2008 | MOBO Awards | Best UK Male | Himself | Won | [65] |
| Best Hip-Hop Act | Nominated | ||||
| Best Single | "Dance wiv Me"(withCalvin Harris) | Nominated | |||
| Popjustice £20 Music Prize | Best British Pop Single | Nominated | |||
| Rober Awards Music Prize | Best Music Video | "Toe Jam"(withThe BPA &David Byrne) | Nominated | [66] | |
| UK Music Video Awards | Best Dance Video | Nominated | |||
| Best Urban Video | "Sirens" | Nominated | |||
| 2009 | Urban Music Awards | Best Male | Himself | Won | |
| MOBO Awards | Best UK Act | Nominated | [67] | ||
| Best Hip-Hop Act | Nominated | ||||
| Best Video | "Bonkers" | Nominated | |||
| Brit Awards | Best British Single of the Year | "Dance wiv Me"(withCalvin Harris) | Eliminated | [60] | |
| Ivor Novello Awards | Best Contemporary Song | Nominated | [68] | ||
| MTV Video Music Awards Japan | Best Dance Video | "Toe Jam"(withThe BPA &David Byrne) | Nominated | [69] | |
| Q Awards | Best Video | "Holiday" | Nominated | ||
| Best Track | "Bonkers" | Nominated | |||
| The Record of the Year | Record of the Year | Nominated | |||
| UK Music Video Awards | Best Dance Video | Nominated | |||
| 2010 | BT Digital Music Awards | Best Independent Artist | Himself | Won | [70] |
| Best Male Artist | Nominated | [71] | |||
| MOBO Awards | Best UK Act | Nominated | [72] | ||
| Best Video | "Dirtee Disco" | Nominated | |||
| Best Album | Tongue N' Cheek | Nominated | |||
| Mercury Prize | Best Album of the Year | Nominated | [73] | ||
| UK Music Video Awards | Best Music Advertisement – Television or Online | Won | |||
| Music Producers Guild Awards | UK Album of the Year | Won | [74] | ||
| Ivor Novello Awards | Album Award | Nominated | [75] | ||
| Best Contemporary Song | "Bonkers" | Nominated | |||
| Brit Awards | Best British Album of the Year | Himself | Nominated | [60] | |
| Best British Male Solo Artist | Won | [60] | |||
| BET Awards | Best International Act | Won | |||
| Q Awards | Best Male Artist | Nominated | |||
| 2011 | Ivor Novello Awards | The Ivors Inspiration Award | Won | [76] | |
| 2012 | Q Awards | Best Solo Artist | Nominated | ||
| 2013 | Antville Music Video Awards | Best Commissioning Artist | Nominated | ||
| Camerimage | Best Music Video | "Bassline Junkie" | Nominated | [77] | |
| MOBO Awards | Best Video | Nominated | [78] | ||
| UK Music Video Awards | Best Urban Video – UK | Nominated | |||
| "I Don't Need a Reason" | Nominated | ||||
| Best Art Direction & Design in a Video | "Goin' Crazy"(withRobbie Williams) | Nominated | |||
| Best Pop Video – UK | Nominated | ||||
| "Wild"(withJessie J &Big Sean) | Nominated | ||||
| Best Editing in a Video | Nominated | ||||
| 2014 | BET Awards | Best International Act: UK | Himself | Nominated | [79] |
| Hungarian Music Awards | Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year | The Fifth | Won | ||
| 2015 | UK Music Video Awards | Best Urban Video – UK | "Couple of Stacks" | Nominated | |
| "Pagans" | Nominated | ||||
| 2018 | Berlin Music Video Awards | Best Narrative | "Bop N' Keep It Dippin" | Nominated | [80] |
| UK Music Video Awards | Best Urban Video – UK | Nominated | |||
| Best Styling in a Video | Nominated | ||||
| Webby Awards | Best Music Video | Won | [81] | ||
| 2019 | Berlin Music Video Awards | Best Narrative | "Money Right" (withSkepta) | Nominated | |
| D&AD Awards | Best Production Design | Wood Pencil | [82] | ||
| UK Music Video Awards | Best Production Design in a Video | Nominated | [83] | ||
| Webby Awards | Best Music Video | Won | [84] | ||
| 2023 | The National Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series | "Jungle" | Won |
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