Album Review Of Dizzee Rascal's "Maths + English" US Release

The grime scene is fierce and brutal, even towards its most talented players. Amongst longtime fans, Dizzee Rascal's name has become synonymous with "sell out" since signing a deal with XL in the U.K. last year. Next thing we know, Dizzee's face is everywhere; he's appearing on TV, touring around the world, etc., while his mates are still struggling in the streets and small studios in London. Recording with Arctic Monkeys and Lily Allen didn't help his street cred. Another reason for disdain towards Dizzee might stem from the "student surpassing his teacher" scenario. Dizzee signed to a bigger label before his mentor — THE Godfather of Grime — Wiley. But by the time Maths + English reached US soil, things had worked themselves out. In the last two years, Wiley has shown that he belongs at the throne in the underground, while Dizzee proved he’s the best candidate for crossing over. Dizzee shows that fame isn't diluting the sound of the streets and he's been a stellar representative of the entire genre. Maths + English has so many stories to tell and Dizzee tells each one with full authority and passion.For the U.S. release of Maths + English (a slightly different version of the album was released in the UK last June), Dizzee had plenty of choices for collaborators and probably could have chosen anyone in the U.S. hip hop scene, thanks to El-P and Def Jux. Dizzee could not have chosen better than UnderGroundKings Bun B and Pimp C. No more talk of selling out, his collab with the US's tuffest rappers revived Dizzee's street cred and introduced the real essence of grime music to a whole new audience in the U.S. During the promotion for the U.S. release, Dizzee did something else that won back his fanbase at home: he found himself in the AOL studios with the chance to freestyle over Lil Wayne's "Fireman" riddim. Dizzee's performance was wicked; news spread like fire and burned out any memory of Dizzee being unworthy of his fame.So, with all of this in mind, I flipped on Maths + English and cranked the volume.The album begins with "World Outside," a relatively slow, mellow tune that introduces Dizzee. Airy synths swirl as Dizzee discusses his position as a rising star, almost as an apology to his best mates for not being 'round. He explains where he's been, what he's been doing and reminds us that there is a world outside the hood, a refreshing message in such an insular genre. Hip hop itself is largely self-referential and oriented in the local community, but grime is much smaller and more localized (hence the omni-present East London accent). It's rare to hear lyrics describing the world at large. The next song, "Sirens," is one of my faves on this album and it was the first to get a video:Dizzee keeps it gully on "Where's Da G's?" which has such a beautiful, old-school West Coast hip hop riddim for Dizzee, Bun B and Pimp C to rap over. The message disses fake gangsters/"fashion gangsters" who don't run things like Original Gangsters do. This is very similar to a handful of other songs getting airplay this year (see Elephant Man's "Our World" featuring Daseca); the frequency of this message popping up in mainstream music may suggest this is a universal problem. The music is simply gorgeous, bringing the OG vibe for the rappers to build onto. The combo of Dizzee with the UGK is superb and makes this tune a true classic, right next to 2Pac's and Biggie's best tunes. It's really too bad that Pimp C isn't around to see the U.S. release of this album and the video for "Where's Da G's?" because he would have plenty reason to be proud. The tune is a huge hit and introduced the UGK to a whole new audience in the UK. I noticed that there are two different versions of the video for this tune. The "clean" version has a slightly different ending than the "dirty" version (though to be honest, they seem backwards).CleanDirtyThe next song, "Paranoid" describes all the B.S. that Dizzee has had to handle in his rise to fame. He describes the universal feeling of downpression caused by people who want to rinse him, use him, cheat him, cast him down, and otherwise take advantage of his status. In "Suk My Dick," Dizzee is stuck between two worlds, the hood and the industry, and he's unable to please everyone. Where the previous song spoke of beef and grief in a way to which most people can relate, "Suk My Dick" is specific to Dizzee's personal issues. The next tune, "Flex," is another candidate for best tune on Maths + English. The music is bubbly with acid-rave synths and a beat that meshes hip hop with a particular euro-techno rhythmic style. The lyrics are also bubbly and lighthearted as Dizzee admires how ladies dance! The chorus repeats how he loves it when ladies flex like that, move like that, whine like that, etc. even name-dropping his love for Bogle with a Butterfly (dance moves). Flex Video"Da Feeling" totally surprised me. Partly because I hadn't heard it yet, partly because the beat is 100% old school Drum and Bass! Dizzee takes us back to the days of huge warehouse parties with Mickey Finn chatting doubletime over feverish DnB music. Next up is "Bubbles" which, as Dizzee explained a few weeks ago, means sneakers/tennis shoes/trainers. The riddim that Dizzee spits over is excellent with elements of hip hop, rave, and Indian ragga. The Dre synth shows up super-subtly once again. This is the song to listen to as you get dressed to go out on the town. Dizzee's got his bubbles on and he's looking fresh; he's dressed to impress and you will be too. "Excuse Me Please" sounds like it was recorded ages ago, or was thrown together quick to fill out the album. It's certainly not a bad tune, it just sounds like it could have been part of Boy In Da Corner or Dizzee falling back on older themes. The message is very similar to "Suk My Dick" with aggression towards downpressors everywhere who are making the world crazy. The riddim is sweet — smooth funky jazz elements that don't match the lyrics at all. "Hard Back (Industry)" is a funny tune where Dizzee spells out how to get big like he did: "Take my advice, you'll be ballin'..." The riddim is heavy with an early-'90s sound and Dizzee recommends everything from “don't cover ground that's already been done,” to “get a manager,” to “watch out for pretty females!”"Temptation" is the first song on the album that uses a traditional grime riddim. This song is HOT! I can't believe this one hasn't gotten more airplay or a video yet! This is another candidate for biggest tune. The well-known collaboration between Dizzee and Lily Allen is next. "Wanna Be" has a catchy beat and Lily's voice adds sugar and spice to Dizzee's tuff tones... Though Lily is anything but gentle towards our Boy, dissing him for being a fake gangster! Of course Dizzee defends his position. It's difficult to listen to this song without being reminded of Dizzee's previous hit, "Who's That Girl?" "G.H.E.T.T.O." rides another HOT grime riddim and will have kids around the globe chanting "I'm G-H-E-T-T-O" every chance they get. And the album wraps up with another acid-rave influenced tune called "Driving With Nowhere To Go." At first I thought the album fell off after "Da Feeling," but I was wrong. The album stays solid all the way to the end. "Excuse Me Please" is a dull moment, but it picks up again with "Temptation" and hits hard until it's done. For true-school grime fans, be sure to spin "Temptation" and "G.H.E.T.T.O." while die-hard rap fans need to hear "Where's Da G's?" and "Sirens." Music fans who lean more towards U.K. rave music will delight in "Flex" and "Da Feeling" while Lily Allen fans definitely need to hear "Wanna Be." So as you can see, there is something for everyone on Maths + English. Though long-time grime fans may still think Dizzee is a sell-out, many other music fans will revel in their introduction to Dizzee's special recipe of grime, rave and hip hop. One song I noticed is on the UK release but not the US release is "Old Skool:”