Since the genre of rap took flight in the ’80s, its scope has expanded from the inner streets of the Bronx to encapsulate a worldwide perspective. As rap grew in popularity, the music became less about the social injustices of the streets and more about status of wealth and power. The popular rap scene is saturated with songs about partying all night, having sex with as many women as possible, the ills of being rich and famous and other topics along these same lines. This has resulted in an image crisis for the modern rap star, now seemingly stuck in between being whiny and arrogant.
Now I’m not blaming pop-star rappers for shifting their focus to more idle topics. How are they supposed to rap about problems they don’t face? However, the world of rap needs to be refreshed with some new tunes, and newcomer Dizzee Rascal might be the one to inject some life into this tired game.
Eighteen-year-old Dizzee Rascal hails from the streets of East London, which is made obvious by his pervasive African-British accent. The album, Boy In Da Corner, essentially accounts his life as a troubled youth, raised in a community of crime and hate, who desperately wants to fly away. The first song, “Sittin’ Here,” finds Dizzee rapping of innocence lost set to music sporting sirens and gunshots.
This song sets the tone for an album that addresses many of the problems Dizzee sees, such as teen promiscuity, larceny, gangs, and, of course, your garden-variety violence and poverty. But Dizzee is also a product of the community he sings about, which is apparent in his threats of violence and his self-proclaimed rudeness. In the song, “Cut ‘Em Off,” Dizzee yelps, “I’ll make you collapse/ leave gaps in your face” — one of the many instances of bravado.
Dizzee’s ability to convey a sincere sense of vulnerability creates a conflict with his propensity to make violent, defensive claims and display his arrogant side. In fact, this conflict serves as the ultimate irony of the album because although Dizzee perceives real problems in his community, he is also so deeply entrenched in this community that he represents the manners and negative tendencies of which he sings. Therefore, his bravado is best received when thought of as satire, which is believable in the context of the album.
The actual music plays a secondary role to Dizzee, but it perfectly complements the tone and sick flow of his rhymes. Dizzee’s vocal calisthenics are set to break beats that spasm and writhe in an orgy of frantic sound. The percussion is punchy without being intrusive and scatters delicately along with Dizzee. The bass more or less serves as percussion, only with more bite. Somehow it manages to sound both soft and industrial.
Usually the drum and bass are sprinkled with watery, staccato melodies. But the music owes just as much to atmospheric textures as it does to strictly musical elements. Sounds such as gunshots, sirens and voices help establish the tone of the music. The music ranges from sounding stripped-down and powerful to complex and delicate, but always meticulous and appropriate to the vocals it compliments. Unfortunately, Dizzee embraces the standard A-B-A structure, which sometimes seems a bit unnecessary, since several of the songs have relatively weak choruses compared to their verses.
However, the conventional structure does not substantially temper the great enjoyment that can and should be had by listening to this evocative, energetic album.
Dizzee Rascal is not the only positive force in the rap game, although he does offer a novel cultural perspective. Aesop Rock, Atmosphere, and Nas offer consistently stimulating, substantial rhymes, while Prefuse 73 creates some of the most complex, intricate beats the hip-hop world has ever experienced. Here’s hoping these artists continue to develop higher rap standards in the years to come.
Grade: A
