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.
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