It's 9:27 AM when Dizzee Rascal arrives in Houston, Texas from London. With rapper Bun B at his side, Dizzee enters a house and slides a wad of cash across a table in exchange for a pair of sunglasses customized with gangster vision. From beneath his shades he peers at the thuggish crowd in the living room. Mamma's boy. Strapped with gat. True gangster. Dizzee reads them all, seeing right through their tough exteriors.
"That was Bun B's idea," Dizzee says proudly about the new music video for his song "Where's Da G's." This theme of defending or disputing another's realness comes up often on the British emcee's third album Maths + English. "That song [is] just a bit cheeky, it looks at the whole thing about some people taking this shit too serious, like, you have to be a serial killer before you can be a rapper. Most people, they aint really been in no deep, deep trouble like that and they dont need to force it for the sake of rapping. As far as the black community, all this shit looks good on TV but where does it really get us?"
It's a true to life observation from Dizzee, who five years ago, at the incredibly young age of 19, was stabbed multiple times in the chest mere weeks before the release of his debut Boy in Da Corner. That's as real as it gets. Thankfully Dizzee recovered and that year went on to win the 2003 Mercury Prize, becoming the first rapper to take home the prestigious trophy, shutting out rock giants Radiohead and Coldplay. Boy in Da Corner ushered grime music into the spotlight, with Dizzee front and center.
The night of our interview Dizzee takes the stage with a ferocity that completely upends the emcee's soft spoken demeanor seen just hours before during our conversation on the tour bus. The 23-year-old is already a master performer. SuicideGirls caught up with him after sound check at Los Angeles' El Rey Theater to talk about Maths + English, today's obsession with celebrity, and what to do when bloggers attack.
Erin Broadley: So how have things been going? Tonights the last night of your tour with EL-P and Busdriver.
Dizzee Rascal: Ah, its been good, man. All the shows have been lively. Ive been away so long as well; its been a nice welcome. [Smiles] Weve had mosh pits, circles, people break dancing
EB: Nice. One of the biggest criticisms of audiences in L.A. is that people dont move during shows. They just stand there with their arms crossed. Fuckin move!
DR: Yeah, exactly. Standing there just watching. We got that a bit yesterday in San Francisco. Its one of the few places where the people are allowed to smoke weed in the venues. They were just stoned like, Uh, what? They were feelin it enough to stay throughout the whole show and cheer at the end. [Smiles] Its been good, though.
EB: You and EL-P havent come to fisticuffs yet?
DR: [Smiles] Yeah, Ive beat him up a few times. Hes a slag.
EB: Maths + English came out a year ago in England but was just finally released here through Def Jux. You have your own label, Dirtee Stank, so what led to the decision to put it out with Def Jux instead of independently?
DR: I really werent ready to put it out myself yet. I cant put that kind of work in right now. Its not my thing. Def Jux got chose cause theyre an independent hip hop label thats been successful at putting out different, left-of-center hip hop. Out of the few labels that we met, they actually got it. So that was a good start. Theres a lot of confused labels that cant see a place for this music. If they cant see it, they cant see it. But that dont mean I have to fuckin stop cause they cant see it.
EB: What do you think are some of the biggest American misconceptions about grime music or what youre doing stylistically?
DR: I dont think about it too hard. Ill hear bits and bobs like, Oh, hes not street no more, hes not fuckin underground, or whatever the usual bullshit that every band, or every artist that dont make the same songs as they made five years ago, gets. Whatever. You cant argue with these bloggers. Its not important, really. Get on with it. I refuse to make the same songs I made five years ago. Theyre getting it twisted what I should be doing, what I should be, and obviously the kind of people that try and decide that now werent around when I was really deep rooted in the underground. They caught onto it later. I didnt see these kids at the raves.
EB: Its hard with the way Internet culture has really latched on to artists. I dont know if theres a sense of entitlement more in America than in England, but audiences feel like you owe them something more.
DR: Yeah! Its true. Its deep. Everyone feels like theyre a part of the music industry now. From the outside, theyre all critics. Its crazy that its got to a point where I really have to be more ignorant than ever. Otherwise I wont make no true music. You cant satisfy them bastards, either. The one way youre satisfied is by doing the fuck what you want.
EB: What have you noticed the biggest similarities or differences are with fans here versus back home?
DR: I dont know. Ive just had fun. Theres some ignorance still towards my accent or the fact that Im British.
EB: Really?
DR: Yeah, I was on [a radio show] in New York a couple weeks ago and someone rung up like, Yo, who cares about them overseas niggas man, straight away People still need to have their eyes open to it. With rap theres still some people from the south that wont accept the east, people from the east that wont accept from anywhere, people from the west that dont know what the fucks happening
EB: [Laughs] Its interesting, too, when you have people like that guy who called in who say nobody cares yet theyre voicing their opinion so obviously they care enough.
DR: To call the radio, yeah. [Laughs] Its the revenge of the nerds, innit? Revenge of the pussy. The pussys got more voice than anything nowadays. Nerds, they run shit now.
EB: [Laughs] Nerds run shit.
DR: They do! All they have to do it sit behind their thing and become a god king of the bloggers.
EB: On this album though there are songs that deal with either defending or disputing realness and authenticity. And in the video for Wheres Da Gs? you are wearing the gangster vision sunglasses
DR: Yeah. That was Bun Bs idea for that video. Just scoping the people out
EB: This whole discussion about someones realness or authenticity, a lot of popular music -- not just rap or hip hop -- has become a cult of personality-type thing.
DR: Right, exactly. The worlds a system of celebrities right now. Everyone wants to be famous for the sake of being famous. In the case of the 50 Cent personality or the Britney Spears or whatever, its not that theyre not good artists -- they are -- but its become more about the person. That song [is] just a bit cheeky, it looks at the whole thing about some people taking this shit too serious, like, you have to be a serial killer before you can be a rapper. Most people, they aint really been in no deep, deep trouble like that and they dont need to force it for the sake of rapping. As far as the black community, all this shit looks good on TV but where does it really get us? The guns and the crack and the drug dealers and all that. It aint all as glamorous and fun as it looks on TV and in the songs.
EB: Do you think this is a never-ending discussion in hip hop?
DR: It is because there will always be a contradiction. Ill write a song where Ill fuckin say Ill shoot you or whatever, just because its what Im feeling. But as long as youre a human being youll be contradicting yourself anyway. So fuck it, as long as you can be as serious as you can in the moment, if it at least feels real, thats all I can do, innit? Im not being preachy or self-righteous. Aint nothing aint been said before; Im just saying it my way Youve got to just be real about it. I know some of the deepest guys, theyve got feelings too.
EB: Youre a self-described workaholic and have a lot of energy. Has it gotten harder to find new ways to say what it is youre trying to say?
DR: I always get worried before an album or when I have to make music. I always get scared, Oh how am I going to come up with it all? With this one I was like, Aw, this shit needs to be fun. I dont need to worry about critics or what everyones saying. Just have fun with it. I wanted to make big festival bangers like Sirens and Old Skool -- massive shit. Tried to go for the stadium thing. Big things like Flex, its dancey. There are some deep moments on there but not like Boy in Da Corner or Showtime.
EB: Youve said that you like to leave a lot of room for your vocals but youre often praised for your ability to have really straightforward, tight lyrics and delivery.
DR: A lot of the music I came up listening to as far as rap or garage and all that was minimal. So I was used to emceeing over minimal tracks and just subliminally knowing when to stop when Im making a track. As far as the tightness of the lyrics, I try and make it a bit humorous and Im a pretty to the point person myself and I know it needs to be punchy in beginning, middle and end.
EB: Theres nothing worse then people who try and over-mystique their music.
DR: Exactly. Sometimes I get slack for being too simple! Especially at home and especially from underground people. A lot of people like the more difficult, more twisty-turny kind of style and I can do that all day long as well but sometimes, it depends on what song you make and it dont need it. Sometimes I want little boys and little girls and their grandma to be able to say the whole every word for word when theyre in a club or pub or wherever.
Dizzee Rascal heads back out on tour June 27th. For more information go to www.myspace.com/dizzeerascal and www.dizzeerascal.co.uk. Buy Maths + English here.
"That was Bun B's idea," Dizzee says proudly about the new music video for his song "Where's Da G's." This theme of defending or disputing another's realness comes up often on the British emcee's third album Maths + English. "That song [is] just a bit cheeky, it looks at the whole thing about some people taking this shit too serious, like, you have to be a serial killer before you can be a rapper. Most people, they aint really been in no deep, deep trouble like that and they dont need to force it for the sake of rapping. As far as the black community, all this shit looks good on TV but where does it really get us?"
It's a true to life observation from Dizzee, who five years ago, at the incredibly young age of 19, was stabbed multiple times in the chest mere weeks before the release of his debut Boy in Da Corner. That's as real as it gets. Thankfully Dizzee recovered and that year went on to win the 2003 Mercury Prize, becoming the first rapper to take home the prestigious trophy, shutting out rock giants Radiohead and Coldplay. Boy in Da Corner ushered grime music into the spotlight, with Dizzee front and center.
The night of our interview Dizzee takes the stage with a ferocity that completely upends the emcee's soft spoken demeanor seen just hours before during our conversation on the tour bus. The 23-year-old is already a master performer. SuicideGirls caught up with him after sound check at Los Angeles' El Rey Theater to talk about Maths + English, today's obsession with celebrity, and what to do when bloggers attack.
Erin Broadley: So how have things been going? Tonights the last night of your tour with EL-P and Busdriver.
Dizzee Rascal: Ah, its been good, man. All the shows have been lively. Ive been away so long as well; its been a nice welcome. [Smiles] Weve had mosh pits, circles, people break dancing
EB: Nice. One of the biggest criticisms of audiences in L.A. is that people dont move during shows. They just stand there with their arms crossed. Fuckin move!
DR: Yeah, exactly. Standing there just watching. We got that a bit yesterday in San Francisco. Its one of the few places where the people are allowed to smoke weed in the venues. They were just stoned like, Uh, what? They were feelin it enough to stay throughout the whole show and cheer at the end. [Smiles] Its been good, though.
EB: You and EL-P havent come to fisticuffs yet?
DR: [Smiles] Yeah, Ive beat him up a few times. Hes a slag.
EB: Maths + English came out a year ago in England but was just finally released here through Def Jux. You have your own label, Dirtee Stank, so what led to the decision to put it out with Def Jux instead of independently?
DR: I really werent ready to put it out myself yet. I cant put that kind of work in right now. Its not my thing. Def Jux got chose cause theyre an independent hip hop label thats been successful at putting out different, left-of-center hip hop. Out of the few labels that we met, they actually got it. So that was a good start. Theres a lot of confused labels that cant see a place for this music. If they cant see it, they cant see it. But that dont mean I have to fuckin stop cause they cant see it.
EB: What do you think are some of the biggest American misconceptions about grime music or what youre doing stylistically?
DR: I dont think about it too hard. Ill hear bits and bobs like, Oh, hes not street no more, hes not fuckin underground, or whatever the usual bullshit that every band, or every artist that dont make the same songs as they made five years ago, gets. Whatever. You cant argue with these bloggers. Its not important, really. Get on with it. I refuse to make the same songs I made five years ago. Theyre getting it twisted what I should be doing, what I should be, and obviously the kind of people that try and decide that now werent around when I was really deep rooted in the underground. They caught onto it later. I didnt see these kids at the raves.
EB: Its hard with the way Internet culture has really latched on to artists. I dont know if theres a sense of entitlement more in America than in England, but audiences feel like you owe them something more.
DR: Yeah! Its true. Its deep. Everyone feels like theyre a part of the music industry now. From the outside, theyre all critics. Its crazy that its got to a point where I really have to be more ignorant than ever. Otherwise I wont make no true music. You cant satisfy them bastards, either. The one way youre satisfied is by doing the fuck what you want.
EB: What have you noticed the biggest similarities or differences are with fans here versus back home?
DR: I dont know. Ive just had fun. Theres some ignorance still towards my accent or the fact that Im British.
EB: Really?
DR: Yeah, I was on [a radio show] in New York a couple weeks ago and someone rung up like, Yo, who cares about them overseas niggas man, straight away People still need to have their eyes open to it. With rap theres still some people from the south that wont accept the east, people from the east that wont accept from anywhere, people from the west that dont know what the fucks happening
EB: [Laughs] Its interesting, too, when you have people like that guy who called in who say nobody cares yet theyre voicing their opinion so obviously they care enough.
DR: To call the radio, yeah. [Laughs] Its the revenge of the nerds, innit? Revenge of the pussy. The pussys got more voice than anything nowadays. Nerds, they run shit now.
EB: [Laughs] Nerds run shit.
DR: They do! All they have to do it sit behind their thing and become a god king of the bloggers.
EB: On this album though there are songs that deal with either defending or disputing realness and authenticity. And in the video for Wheres Da Gs? you are wearing the gangster vision sunglasses
DR: Yeah. That was Bun Bs idea for that video. Just scoping the people out
EB: This whole discussion about someones realness or authenticity, a lot of popular music -- not just rap or hip hop -- has become a cult of personality-type thing.
DR: Right, exactly. The worlds a system of celebrities right now. Everyone wants to be famous for the sake of being famous. In the case of the 50 Cent personality or the Britney Spears or whatever, its not that theyre not good artists -- they are -- but its become more about the person. That song [is] just a bit cheeky, it looks at the whole thing about some people taking this shit too serious, like, you have to be a serial killer before you can be a rapper. Most people, they aint really been in no deep, deep trouble like that and they dont need to force it for the sake of rapping. As far as the black community, all this shit looks good on TV but where does it really get us? The guns and the crack and the drug dealers and all that. It aint all as glamorous and fun as it looks on TV and in the songs.
EB: Do you think this is a never-ending discussion in hip hop?
DR: It is because there will always be a contradiction. Ill write a song where Ill fuckin say Ill shoot you or whatever, just because its what Im feeling. But as long as youre a human being youll be contradicting yourself anyway. So fuck it, as long as you can be as serious as you can in the moment, if it at least feels real, thats all I can do, innit? Im not being preachy or self-righteous. Aint nothing aint been said before; Im just saying it my way Youve got to just be real about it. I know some of the deepest guys, theyve got feelings too.
EB: Youre a self-described workaholic and have a lot of energy. Has it gotten harder to find new ways to say what it is youre trying to say?
DR: I always get worried before an album or when I have to make music. I always get scared, Oh how am I going to come up with it all? With this one I was like, Aw, this shit needs to be fun. I dont need to worry about critics or what everyones saying. Just have fun with it. I wanted to make big festival bangers like Sirens and Old Skool -- massive shit. Tried to go for the stadium thing. Big things like Flex, its dancey. There are some deep moments on there but not like Boy in Da Corner or Showtime.
EB: Youve said that you like to leave a lot of room for your vocals but youre often praised for your ability to have really straightforward, tight lyrics and delivery.
DR: A lot of the music I came up listening to as far as rap or garage and all that was minimal. So I was used to emceeing over minimal tracks and just subliminally knowing when to stop when Im making a track. As far as the tightness of the lyrics, I try and make it a bit humorous and Im a pretty to the point person myself and I know it needs to be punchy in beginning, middle and end.
EB: Theres nothing worse then people who try and over-mystique their music.
DR: Exactly. Sometimes I get slack for being too simple! Especially at home and especially from underground people. A lot of people like the more difficult, more twisty-turny kind of style and I can do that all day long as well but sometimes, it depends on what song you make and it dont need it. Sometimes I want little boys and little girls and their grandma to be able to say the whole every word for word when theyre in a club or pub or wherever.
Dizzee Rascal heads back out on tour June 27th. For more information go to www.myspace.com/dizzeerascal and www.dizzeerascal.co.uk. Buy Maths + English here.
VIEW 5 of 5 COMMENTS
jena:
I wish I could've heard this. I love his accent soooooooooooo much.
mark_plus_beer:
i really must see him live some time , i've passed up the chance one for some reason