Dizzee Rascal, “Showtime”

Thank Dizzee Rascal for putting the United Kingdom on the

hip-hop map. Twenty-year-old Dizzee Rascal hasn’t changed his

sound, but he has fixed himself up and his emcee skills still look

sharp.

If you follow mainstream hip-hop, and are usually chanting hymns

of icy grills and ridiculous necklaces, then you are not ready for

Dizzee. Definitely check this album out if you are interested in a

whole new sound for hip-hop culture. Dizzee Rascal hails from East

London and keeps his accent throughout his highly evolved and

highly original dance-computer-techno-rap.

Crazy, crazy sounds on “Showtime” seem so novel and out of place

when in comparison to the majority of popular hip-hop music. Don’t

expect simplistic rhyme flow and beats, but expect to be in shock

because of the album’s originality. On the song “Learn,” Dizzee

“expects your respect,” and on the personal song “Dream,” he asks:

If you don’t have a dream/ how you gonna’ have a dream come true?

The songs “Respect Me” and “Get By” both have a cool Oriental

computer melody to compliment the lyrics.

Perhaps the best track is the song “Imagine,” in which Dizzee

inquires: Imagine one day I was leavin’ the hood?/ Would you call

me a sell out?/ Would you follow if you could/ or would you just

tell me to get the hell out? For the year 2004, “Showtime” is a

highlight, for hip-hop, Dizzee Rascal is a prizefight.