Dizzee Rascal – ‘Raskit’
Back in 2009, Dizzee Rascal
released his 4th studio album ‘Tongue n Cheek’, an album that was as
obvious as it was awful. Rascal (real name Dylan Mills) seemingly ditched his
grime roots of albums like ‘Boy in Da Corner’ and ‘Maths + English’ that had
made him so popular and respected in London in an attempt to appeal to the
masses, yet this pop album resulted
in many diehard fans viewing Mills as selling out and abandoning his roots.
This was also apparent on his last album ‘The Fifth’, a truly dire album that
featured awful beats, awful lyrics and awful collaborations with awful artists
like Will.I.Am & Robbie Williams... not exactly grime is it Mr Rascal. Many fans had seen this as the death of
Rascal, a once great grime artist who had stepped down from his throne in an attempt
to make some money in the pop world. But, in 2017, it seems that Rascal is back
to his best. New album ‘Raskit’ fully embraces his grime upbringing whilst seamlessly
weaving US rap vibes throughout the record.
On ‘Raskit’, Rascal wastes no
time in ensuring that the listener clearly understands this shift in sound with
album opener ‘Focus’, a fiery grime attack that instantly stamps Rascal’s
authority on this record. This sets the tone for the majority of this album
which mainly feature the fast-paced grime bars that made Rascal so popular
around 14 years ago. And this idea of old-times is rather interesting in terms
of ‘Raskit’. There is a clear theme of nostalgia on this album with Rascal
mainly tackling his naysayers, the line “Why they talking like I never made bare
grime?” certainly vindicates this. ‘Make it Last’ & ‘Bop N Keep it
Dippin’ both revolve around stories from when Rascal was growing up, again
adding to this element of nostalgia and reminiscing. There is no hiding from
Rascal’s insults on ‘Raskit’, no matter who you are. Tories, hipsters, other MC’s,
fans asking for selfies, Chelsea fans all get it in the neck at some point on
this record.
The production level of ‘Raskit’ is
also something that needs to take note. Producer Dan Farber has concocted an
extremely clever array of beats for Rascal to spit over. The beats main advantage
revolve around the fact that they successfully aid Rascal’s vocals whilst also
incorporating mad sounds that allow you to appreciate both the lyrical ability
of Rascal and the beats provided by Farber.
Despite its many pro points, Raskit
does have its crack. To me, it feels like an album of 2 sides, the first 9
songs are extremely good, they all feature fast-paced lyrics and beats and
sound inexplicably clever, whilst the rest of the songs after ‘Bop N Keep It Dippin’ all seem like filler
tracks and they don’t really add much to the overall sound of this album. ‘Way I
Am’ in particular as it feels like a track that would not have been out of
place on one of Rascal’s pop records.
‘Raskit’ is also too long; this album does not need 16 tracks. I understand
that Rascal is attempting to dismay his critics by showing that he is still
able to do grime so that could be why he has included so many tracks, however
it is simply not required.
Overall, ‘Raskit’ is an exceptionally
strong album, especially when compared to Rascal’s last two records. There are
a number of plaudits including his lyrical ability, the speed of his bars and
the beats provided. There are also no features on this record, a rare sight on
a grime record, and this is also another advantage of Rascal’s, he is clearly
confident enough in his ability that he feels comfortable in attacking a whole
album on his own, and that has to be applauded. It feels to me that the once
shamed knight of the realm has finally returned to claim back his crown.
Overall
Rating- 8/10
Fave
Tracks- ‘Make it Last’, ‘Space’, ‘Business Man’, ‘Bop N Keep It Dippin’, Wot U
Gonna Do?’, ‘The Other Side’
Least
Fave Tracks- ‘Way I Am’
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