Reviews (page 5 of 7)
I think I like Grime music more as a concept than when listening to it, it had a couple of catchy tracks and I dig the beat production. I just can't take British rap, sounds like they're trying to rap with something in their mouths.
"Ahead of its time" insofar that it resembles modern UK rap, mediocre insofar that it resembles modern UK rap. But that's just these humble ears; fans of the British hip hop can fully relish!
Got tired of this pretty quickly.. probs won't be returning to it.
2000s hiop hop, grime. Made grime mainstream. Interesting samples, cool edge. Very distinct. Some tracks are kind of abbrasive. Struggle with the complete lack of melody.
I love the British take on rap but this isn't a repeat listen for me.
I don't even know. I tried to like it, but it was really long, the lyrics were mostly laughable, and it was often irritating to listen to. There were moments that I didn't mind. I think "Fix Up, Look Sharp" was decent. But I mostly didn't like this album.
To my ears it just sounds like American gangsta rap that is filtered through East London; a hypothesis which seems to be borne out by the American Nike trainers Mr. Rascal is wearing on the album cover. I've never been a fan of gangsta rap, so it is really not my thing. Having said that I appreciate that Dizzee Rascal did not include the stupid skits that most hip hop albums from America were doing all through the 90s and into the early 2000s. On the other hand, he still went and made an album that is way too long at 56 minutes. Nice Billy Squire sample in "Fix Up, Look Sharp", but that is the only thing that makes that track bop. I would prefer more internal and less external lyrics.
Flatten this Rascal That Danny Brown/Jpegmafia album from a few years back feels like the perfected version of this album.
i respect this as a record but unfortunately grime just isn't my thing
Dizzee Rascal appears to be a UK-Drill rapper, which is a genre of music I have little exposure to. Unfortunately, I wasn't grabbed by the music and I wasn't able to connect with his lyrics, but I can certainly acknowledge that that disconnect could just be attributed to my lack of context and intimacy with UK culture.
No era para mi hace más de 20 años y ahora sigue sin serlo.
I’m not familiar with grime so it’s hard for me to judge, but I did not enjoy this. Many of the beats sound like someone played random sounds on a drum machine and cheap keyboard and just went with it. The vocals are sometimes hard to understand and I’m not a big fan of his delivery - it’s often overly shouty. The rhythms are decent, but everything is secondary to the lyrics, which are alternately too difficult to understand or not that interesting to me. Not an essential album at all, except maybe to those into this particular style. This may have been pioneering in its own way, but that doesn’t make it good.
Grime ahead of its time, but not very refined. Listening is exhausting, bordering painful. For choosing those beats, Dizzie rightly belongs in the corner. Could have seen this working if the tracks were either full speed in your face, or chill head-nodders, but they're all just lost somewhere between.
Like some of the tracks but overall there are some awful parts of this album, and much better grime albums out there
thought i'd like this more but just not feeling it. some of the music's ok, i really am not crazy about the vocals
I remember this voice from "Bonkers" (not on this album though). This genre is called "grime". (British?) Rap with electronic sounds.
This album was not good. If this is the best rap that Britain has to offer then no wonder rap is not a British export.
so he was the UK's 1st international rapper? is that why he's on the list?? apart from that, it's a boring listen. musically it's nothing but loop tracks & sounds. lyrics are boring
This is what it would sound like if Big Shaq was serious
each song has a high point and also a low that makes me physically wince . only found one song that i think i would return to for casual listening. that being said some super interesting flows and production so it’s like . i dunno how to feel.
Tricky one to rate. I don’t love grime. I find some of the beats repetitive and some of the sound effects obnoxious. But the highs, like Fix Up Look Sharp, Wot U On and Do It are really good.
When I think of "Rap" and/or "Hip Hop" this is the stuff I think of. Not really music in my opinion
Not my type
Not too bad
He's dizzy, he's a rascal - not much else to say. I probably won't listen to this again
I just really don't get UK Hip-Hop, I guess.
First 30 seconds of each song was interesting, then just felt like monotony until the next song.
Brit rap
It's not really for me but I was fascinated by it. The low-end is so spare here that I thought there was something wrong with my headphones, yet the music doesn't necessarily lack "oomph" because the rest of the beat is so jagged and the vocal delivery is so passionate. I'd never heard of the grime genre before so I got a little bit of an education in listening to and reading about this album...it was eye-opening for sure, but I probably won't listen again any time soon.
I tried to approach this album with an open mind, I really did try. But, by Christ, I hated it. Sounded like a teenage boy let loose in a fully equipped music studio. "What does that button do?...Ooooh. Yeah". Gave up before the end., before I lost faith in modern music completely.
Not for me.
Just gets more irritating as it goes on, I just don't see what the appeal is here 1.5*
I'm aware of this artist, but haven't ever listened to an album of his. I'm just not feeling this one.
Not my kind of rap. Couldn’t understand half of what he was saying.
You can see how Dizzee’s lyrical style was the inspiration for many who came after him. But on this album his beats are wildly chaotic that it made several songs difficult to enjoy.
It's okay. I'm not a huge hip hop fan, but I've founds things about the other ones on this list. This one isn't really doing much for me.
2/5. Alkupuoli jepa, sitten pakka hajosi kummallisiin biitteihin, jotka pilasivat paljon.
I’m not averse to a bit of grim but I find the strident hectoring tone of this annoying after a while. A short while. The overall vibe just ain’t it
There are a lot of good rap albums on this list, but this is not one of them. Most of the tracks just did not land for me at all, and the production felt messy in a way that did not help anything. The only thing keeping this from being a one star is “Jezebel.” That track is actually catchy and shows what the album could have been if the rest of it had the same energy. Outside of that one song, though, this just was not it.
Aggressively british
Oh no. I've got no issues with the rapping, it's the EDM half of the "grime" sound that's nooooooot working for me. Yeesh.
++: I Luv U, 2 Far, Hold Ya Mouf, Jus' a Rascal, Do It! +: Stop Dat, Fix Up, Look Sharp, Round We Go, Seems 2 Be, Live O +-: Sittin' Here, Brand New Day, Cut 'Em Off, Wot U On? -: Jezebel 5,4/10
Not my thing
Some of the beets were interesting enough. Some of them were irritating. It’s not bad enough for a one, but there was nothing remarkable enough to make this album a “must listen”. This was dumb choice for this list.
This album is covered in what sounds like digital farts disguised as bass lines and warped digital effects. This is shit garbage.
Jag har inget emot det och Dizee är en bra rappare. Men den här typen av hiphop - grime? - är inte min musik.
Har inte riktigt tagit mig tid till att lyssna ordentligt. En genomlysning har det blivit och det är tungt, minimalistiskt och väldigt mycket London-förort. Helt klart godkänt, men för många låtar som är aldeles för lika varandra.
Nah
Langt síðan ég henti í tvist. Ekki algjörlega óþolandi, en oftar en ekki fráhrindandi hljóðheimur. Það detta inn áhugaverðir og töff bútar, en það er of langt á milli þeirra fyrir mín eyru.
I liked it overall. A couple tracks made me question things though. Update: on repeat listens this shit actually super annoying.
I know this is really grime and NOT hip-hop, but I was hoping this album would be a lot more fun than it ended up being. It's very aggressive, not particularly pleasant and I didn't find it catchy. Even some of the lyrics invoked a pretty miserable feeling. 2 stars.
This is like being hungover and walking down the road to get a flat white. Outside the nearby dairy there are some 14 year olds dressed in tracksuits, flat caps, and brand new Jordan high tops. They approach you, asking for loose change and trying to staunch you out. You know that their divorced mothers bought them those shoes, and that these adolescents are not worth your time. You tell them to fuck off back to the private school they came from.
Si c'était révolutionnaire quand c'est sorti, ça parait pas
À peine désagréable. Excellent album pour la visite qui traîne trop longtemps.
No more hip hop plz
Yeah, I can't deal with this. Shitty hip-hop with bad beats and incoherent lyrics that are over the top british.
I’ll never be able to get into British rap
A few good songs, but all in all not that good of an album. I can see its meaning to British rap & grime, but the songs didn't really make me feel anything.
I Luv U; Fix UP, Look Sharp; Hold Ya Mouf; and Jus' a Rascal were all fairly interesting. I'm tempted to give it 3 stars based on how many I ultimately found interesting, but this is just something I'd never go out of my way to listen to. It was rarely annoying and sometimes briefly good, so 2 stars it is.
Grime can be such a hard genre to get into. This album has some interesting moments, but really struggles to be attention worthy. Overall it's listenable, but not very good. 2.5/5 Won't listen again
I do not know what Grime is, certainly not well enough to know if Dizzee Rascal is a good representation of it. I actually think I see why some people would like this. But I am not one of those people.
Not my vibe.
mainly noise
Nope
This baby can be left in the corner indefinitely
likes to say his name a lot. nothing special passes the time
Da Boy In Da Corner needs Ritalin. Dizzee may have brought the grime-rap scene to the British mainstream but it's just not my cup o' tea. The production is too digital and flashy, the flow style too schizophrenic. There should be a warning on the album cover that this may cause epilepsy. Top track by far is "Fix Up, Look Sharp" which is more of a shout out to simple, classic hip-hop. A few others were pretty good like "Round We Go," "Jezebel" and "Do It." I think the editor is listing this and other brit-rap cause they are a hard-core brit-rep. The Rascal is a bit too jumpy on this record and for that pulls a meager 1.9 stars.
Its a very up and down album. There are tracks that just burst with energy and grab you and others that just seem to meander along. Dizzee improved his sound over the years and this was such an early album both in terms of his style and UK rap in general.
Nah. It probably does something for anyone who's into 00s hip-hop, but not me. It's not really bad, but it's like has no appeal for me at all.
Greit nok egentlig
Fix Up, Look Sharp was the stand out track (because it was simple). The rest of it had too much going on. The rapping is fine, but the backing tracks are less hip-hop and more ecstasy-fueled Rave music.
Fine, not really my vibe
I like his delivery and enjoyed the two singles (Fix Up / Jus a Rascal) but overall not really my bag.
Boh, tutte uguali, stesse drums ovunque, timbro voce brutto, l'unica cosa bella è l'accento
56/1001 Dizzee Rascal - Boy In Da Corner Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ❎ Whilst I can appreciate the impact this had on the UK grime scene and launched it into the mainstream. However, I've never been a fan of his delivery and this hasn't really changed my mind on this listen.
If you want to know what the genre grime is like, this is a good early example - or so I read. If you don't care then you won't care much for this album. To me, it's rap with heavy computer and synth dubs. But really heavy dubs that almost start sounding like fart noises as they drone on ad nauseum. I'm being a bit harsh because I really enjoyed the opening track Sittin Here. And Dizzee Rascal has solid flow as a rapper and his lyrics don't suck. But it got monotonous over 15 songs and nearly an hour of listening. Thankfully there were a few changes of pace like the 80's rock-sounding Fix Up, Look Sharp (sampling Billy Squire) and the Wu-Tang kung fu/eastern sounding Do It. Somewhere between a 2 and a 3, but I found myself too often looking at how many tracks were left. So 2 it is.
Not my thing. Mostly uninteresting computer-based grooves. Each track is highly repetitive. Thank goodness for genius.com because I couldn't understand a single thing he's saying - lyrics are occasionally interesting, occasionally ugh. Not a 1 because it was tolerable, if repetitive, and there were a few tracks I liked: Fix Up Look Sharp, Hold Ya Mouf, Seems 2 Be (very cool track - goes hard and has a very catchy chorus).
**A strange album. Each track has repetitive sounds (some annoying) few tracks with vocal noises.
i don’t mind his ACCENT but i just don’t care for the overall sonic texture of these songs. the beats all sound really compressed and yuck to me but some of the instrumental parts are kinda cool. i know grime was a huge cultural moment in the UK but (similar to the rave scene) it never made its way overseas in a meaningful way so it’s hard for me to understand why this is an essential album.
British rap sounds bad and the arrangements are waaaaay too much for me, feels very overwhelming at times. But those are both personal preferences and not enough to drop this to a 1.
I can’t believe this is one of the biggest exports in the UK scene ??? Like really??? Not that I didn’t enjoy it a lil, but like it’s not that good of a rap album. The sampling is nice, some vocals but overall it just falls extremely flat
An artist who deserved all of the praise that he got; however, the album is just rubbish. There's a reason why UK Rap never gained popularity, and this is why.
Not a huge fan of this genre but can appreciate why this is highly rated for a lot of people. Aside from the singles this wasn't one for me.
this was pretty terrible. annoying lyrics (absolutely atrocious pronunciation of the word “girl” that was said too much), terrible beats, way too long. one of the lowest 2s i’ll ever give and that’s only because it’s better than that other UK rap album i’ve heard from here
Ok
Nobody puts Dizzee in the corner?
Kinda grating, but a few ok songs
Ehhhhhhh
nahhh, not for me. Fix Up, Look Sharp was probably the only enjoyable track but I do appreciate hearing rap from the UK. I think there were better options though.
Im more of a Skepta guy
Very interesting stuff happening here, but not my vibe overall
I appreciate the sincerity- this is idiosyncratic stuff- and the stuttering beats aim in the general direction of what I like- but the vocal delivery is grating, and I just get the feeling that this was not made for the likes of me.
Yeahhh i’m sorry this wasn’t for me. The first part was definitely intriguing because of the beat but the lyrics and the flow weren’t with me.
I think I've been spoiled by American rap...
raro pero punch
Meh. Not my cup of tea. Some interesting electronic work.
Not my type. Stars for effort.
first track was really annoying and I really wasn't expecting anything good after that .... and I was correct. Respect to the UK rap scene but this asn't aged well at all. 3,5/10 fav songs : Fix Up, Look Sharp
Not my thing.
This fills a niche and I don't hate it, but I won't be seeking it out either.
Fun early 2000s rap. Love an English accent when rapping. The old school song worked for me. Decent listen but doesn’t rise above the noise. 2 stars in my harsher review structure but not bad.
I like most hip hop/rap music but did not enjoy this. Very repetitive and all sounded the same.
So to start off, this was definitely not my favorite genre. I felt like I was going insane most of the time I was listening to this "music". The instrumentation/programming was actually quite unique and engaging most of the time, but the lyrics and rapping felt like something from a 13-year-old urban English boy. I'm sure I just "don't get it", but this was painful to listen to for the most part. At least I enjoyed the non-verbal parts of it. Two stars.
Not loving it. There's something so "safe" feeling about British hip hop.
the production is wild but I just can't do the uk rap thing, I wish this wasn't a mental block for me but it is :( also doesn't help that I listened to this sitting at my work job desk in my fluorescent drab office box
It's ok, maybe I don't get hip hop, but the praise seems overblown, 2*
Even branching out into the UK grime scene, rap music continues to feature albums with limited imagination and overly long run times.
some good tracks but generally an annoying sound, some songs really grinded in me but i can respect it as a cornerstone for grime music
I think it is funny to hear English dudes rap.
Not my thing, did not finish. Some of it was okay, a bit scroobius-pip-adjacent, but yeah, I wouldn't relisten.
Didn’t like the background noises or the whining.
This mostly sucks. Lots of annoying noises. There was one song that wasn't horrible, though, so I'm generously giving Dizzee 2*.
A few hits and not bad for 19 yr old, but the highs do not make up for the lows. Any deeper commentary is at year 9 PSHE-level. FS: Fix Up, Look Sharp.
Argh. I get it - this is pretty insane from an 18 year old who basically invented this brand of UK grime. Mind blowing at the time. Dizzee knows a good beat and has some later bangers for sure but this album isn't for me. The lyrics 🥴
This guy is not without talent, but he only has one gear and that makes for an uninteresting album. Unfortunately, you can’t tell him any of that because he will apparently have a tantrum and physically attack you.
3/10 - British rap doesn’t hit for me
The streets but less funny
a little weird
Rating: 5/10 Meh.
Some interesting beats and textures but hard to be objective when this isn't your jam...
It’s monotone and too long. I see why people like it but it’s not for me at all. 1 star because I have to, plus 1 extra star for ‘Jus’ a Rascal’.
I'd heard "Fix Up, Look Sharp" before but didn't know anything else. I kind of liked Jezebel, but most of the album was not really my thing.
Okay cool, okay clever, okay original, but when BIlly Squier is your major sample, you've comporomised your claims to timelessness. And certainly this seems very much a time-bound cultural artifact, which causes one to view its cockneyfied hip-hop in a continuum with Dickens and Hardy novels, say, or the films of Mike Leigh and Ken Loach. Anyway, Streets are (is?) better.
Loved fix up look sharp and just a rascal growing up. Still do, but I don’t understand the album. The lyrics make me feel yuck
I could find myself liking this if I was in the right mood. A lot like Death Grips but less interesting. 4/10
You cant sound like a gangsta rapper and have a british posh accent at the same time, sorry.
Meh, had parts I thought were aight
British rap comes across as deeply unserious to me, and this album - with tracks like “jus a rascal” - was no exception
Honestly not a big fan. Have been trying to get more into hip-hop, but this album just doesn’t do it for me. Some ideas are cool, but songs don’t make me want to listen again. I see how some people could like it and would be cool for its time
Meh
Not really a great album. I think I preferred his later stuff where he brings more dance elements into his music.
Music for chavs, I guess chavs are an important enough sector in society to have representation. This has personality though, I will say 21st century British rap gets much worse and it’s just a genre America has always done so much better
Boring and too long
To be honest, I was disappointed by this album. "Stop Dat" is my favourite track by a country mile. I was wondering when this album would end. There are so much better British rap records out there. I do commend Dizzee Rascal's beatmaking skills. 2 stars for "Boy in da Corner".
Just another 2 star or D album that doesn't belong on this list.
Liked it at the beginning. Overstays its welcome.
I actually liked some of this. Some of the beats were cool. Some of it was annoying.
Did not like
Doesn't hit me the way the critical acclaim made me think it would.
24 hours later, I can't remember a single song.
Had never heard of the musical genre “grime”. After listening to this mess, hopefully will never hear it again
Grime British mandem rap - Beats are decent and sound modern - Songs get boring fast, monotone rapping
didn't mind his rapping but the beats were bad. I mean the rhythms are fine or whatever but the sound was not good
Not a fan of British rap in general.
Couldn’t get through it all, just wasn’t a fan of the beats at all. His flow wasn’t great either, I just don’t think British ppl should rap all that much tbh. 1.7/5
Annoying
Didn't work for me. Definitely a distinct style but not one I found interesting or successful.
Is this British rap? I look at this the way Europeans look at Americans playing soccer. Cute. If we did the 1000 greatest hip Hop albums how long until we got to England ? This sounds like the Top Boy soundtrack. Fine but probably not good, certainly not above average and just feels kinda silly.
Grime klinkt als een smeltkroes van dubstep, drum 'n bass en rap. Ik vind het zelf dan ook elke keer weer verbazingwekkend hoe weinig ik met grime kan, terwijl ik al die stijlen enorm waardeer. Zo ook dit album. Ik vind het album een beetje goedkoop en amateuristisch klinken, terwijl Duizelig z'n vak echt wel verstaat. Veel tracks zijn vervelend kaal, de raps zijn wat weggemoffeld, die plucky strings geluiden heb je na drie keer ook wel gezien. Ik verveel me over het algemeen genomen gewoon de tering eigenlijk. Je kunt beter een album aanzetten waar onze eigen Kubus de beats heeft verzorgd. Zo'n track als 'I Luv U' vind ik dan wel vet, met die vieze distorted 808 kick die wij Hollanders vooral kennen uit de gabbertijd, maar het is een uitzondering op dit album. 'Jus a Rascal' is ook wel leuk. Als ik in 2003 een jaar of 14 was en in Londen had gewoond dan was het waarschijnlijk een heel ander verhaal geweest, maar nu hou ik het op een 2.
I remember hearing dizzee rascal when this album was new and loving the beats… the beat still sound futuristic and the flow is fine but boy is this Alain just exhausting to me today, especially at 15 tracks long.
this project often makes me feel like i dislike uk hiphop but i don't really know why i like it less than american hiphop. genuinely i think a lot of it is the beats and the flows of the rappers, which i find lackluster. that being said, this album was a bit different from the others i've heard on this list. i was a bit conflicted about this one. sometimes i think it's pretty cool. the beats are really unconventional and dizzee's rapping is off kilter. it definitely feels different. that being said, the uniqueness and unconventionality often approaches the level of annoying to me. it's kind of neat, but it also makes me cringe a lot. i'm not sure what to make of this. it's interesting but i don't know if i really like it.
This was a rough one for me. When the opening track has a refrain of “just sittin here” you know you’re in for something impressive. But, it only takes one track that I like to save an album from the dumpster of a 1 rating and I did actually like “Fix Up, Look Sharp”.
Een ieder weet dat dit mijn genre niet is, en dat ik allang blij ben als ik de plaat kan uitluisteren zonder al te veel irritaties. Dat laatste is hier gelukkig het geval. Maar ik hoor ook weinig interessants en het nasale stemmetje werkt op de zenuwen. Dus geen hoogvlieger voor mij.
Ergens vind ik het accent en zijn stem wel grappig, maar de beat flowt niet altijd even lekker. Op een gegeven moment lijkt het allemaal weer op elkaar. En dan duurt zo'n album toch lang. Ik had eigenlijk gehoopt dat er meer bigbeat in zat, omdat uit deze tijd ook acts als Audio Bullys kwamen. Misschien had ik er daarom meer van verwacht. Ik vind het nu saai, een magere 2 voor Duizelige Raaskaller.
Not for me, didn’t enjoy at the time, still don’t. Not an awful listen 2.25/5
Not my thing.
Hey I like Fix Up Look Sharp but I could not stomach a whole album of this
The beat on “jus’ a rascal” sounded familiar but I couldn’t place it. Sorry but that accent is horrible for rapping. The beats were good.
Not for me unfortunately
I thought i liked Dizzee Rascal. Turns out i just like a couple of the popular tracks. The album is a grind. Very repetitive
One or two OK tracks in here, rest is filler
Not enjoying this one
I tried
Wow - ischmer doch sehr fremd. Eigentlich sehr kreativi Samples, aber nüd mies.
Favorite Track: Stop Dat
There are interesting pieces to this musically, but each song gets monotonous quickly. Ok, a couple more songs in and I’ve realized every song starts with a new idea. And each one is good. But then it never develops. It’s like spinning in a circle so you can’t tell where you are. “Look sharp” is my favorite song so far. There was more variety in it.
01) Sittin' Here - 7,0 02) Stop Dat - 5,5 03) I Luv U - 6,5 04) Brand New Day - 6,0 05) 2 Far - 5,5 06) Fix Up, Look Sharp - 7,0 07) Cut 'Em Off - 5,5 08) Hold Ya Mouf - 5,5 09) Round We Go - 5,5 10) Jus' a Rascal - 7,0 11) Wot U On? - 5,0 12) Jezebel - 5,0 13) Seems 2 Be - 5,0 14) Live O - 4,0 15) Do It! - 5,0 TOTAL: 5,67 (57/100) Current ranking: 354/418
Couple of decent tracks but overall the beats aren't there and the feel isn't right. Couldn't get into it. Not terrible but not great either.
He’s not untalented but as an album this was severely grating, repetitive and exhausting to listen to.
The production is pretty amateur sounding which makes the album somewhat unlistenable to me. He is talented as a rapper so I still think it is 'fine' overall
I've been playing this for a bit and wondering if I'm going crazy. This sounds like a terrible mix with some weird interference going on. I listened to a few other records on Spotify using the same headphones and different styles of music to confirm it's just this record. It's really off putting. The beats are cool and all but it's driving me crazy.
Boy In Da Corner certainly is outside my element. Rap with a British accent is strange to me. It is impressive how distinct sound in this is. 5.6/10
I really didn’t like Dizzee Rascal when he first came on the scene. And I was convinced I didn’t like this album. Then I listened and was a bit confused because it wasn’t how I remembered it. I remember listening to bits of it during the mercury song prize and it wasn’t the same. It seemed quite hypnotic and and easy to listen to. I managed to get through the whole thing without spewing. And then I realised I’ve been listening to the wrong album. I had listened to the completely instrumental version. That was hypnotic and quite fun. When I listen to the correct version with Dizzee rascal’s vocals, then I reverted to my original opinion. I obviously like the tunes but those vocals are just horrible.
I can hear the artistry in this. But god damn, if there were a situation where someone was trying to get information out of me that I didn't want to reveal, you could tie me to a chair and blast this at unspeakable volume and I'd tell you everything by the third track. It was unbearable. I tried on three different occasions and failed to get through more than two tracks at any given time.
I just couldn't get Inyo this
I listened to it. I can't remember anything worthwhile.
kind of too British…
I laughed when I saw this album on the list - didn't expect to see Dizzee Rascal here at all! I saw Dizzee at a festival in 2010 and ended up becoming a fan. Jus' A Rascal was stuck in my head for days afterwards! So I only really knew his later stuff. This however was very bad and very different to his later work It just felt a bit flat? 2 ⭐️
Hard to pinpoint why I don't love this - i just don't.
Not for me. I suspect there’s a reason no one outside of the UK gives a shit about grime. At least bonkers wasn’t on this one
Not a fan.
i only really liked i love you, i like the uniqueness of this but im not a big fan of the grime genre 5/10
Something different but didn’t love the beats and found his voice annoying.
This was my third rap album in a row, and none of them were Jurassic 5.
Ég fékk tilfinninguna að þetta væri misheppnuð tilraun til þess að verða Die Antwoord af því að framburðurinn var svolítið sérstakur en auðvitað koma Dizzee Rascal á undan þeim. Mér fannst hann bara leiðinlegri en þau þannig að hann fær ekki frekari hlustun.
British hip hop is always weird to me
I was exposed to grime a while back when I first started this challenge. Suffice to say that I did NOT enjoy what I listened to (it was Skepta). After listening to this specific record, I don't think my opinion has changed too much. This was a little more digestible than that Skepta record from earlier, but it's all still very abrasive and grating purely in terms of some of the samples used and breakbeat-style beats that one would expect to hear in grime music. There's definitely no shortage of energy in Rascal's lyricism, and he's pretty introspective throughout, so I'm certainly not slighting the man himself here. I can acknowledge the fact that Dizzee Rascal helped push grime to the mainstream (in England I assume) via the efforts of this record, and I will rate accordingly. I will probably never enjoy grime music as a concept though, and that's fine. It all seems very region-specific, as you rarely hear this type of music in America. This is for a very specific subset of people who equally enjoy jungle, drum and bass, and hip-hop.
It’s not unlistenable, but it’s close. The beat is occasionally good, but it’s also often way too loud over the vocals. The whole thing is just too chaotic most of the time. I also personally just cannot make out a lot of the lyrics because of his blended accents. For people who like this, great. I will probably never be one of them.
Oh my. I fricken HATED this when it came out. Maybe I've mellowed, or never gave it space, but now I just don't really like it. Two stars, up from one.
bro crawled so jpegmafia could idk do his shi
En tykännyt.
Erilaista ja propsit siitä, mut biitit oli liian tökkiviä. Karvan yli kaks tähtee
I found out that aggrieved and bragadocious British rap isn't for me. Extremely repetitive rap without compelling flow or interesting lyrics. The pseudo-tough guy act was hard to swallow. ("I hit MCs like croquet." Hard core stuff there.) Somehow, both Dizzee and Billy Squire were improved on "Fix Up, Look Sharp," so cheers to that synergy. It was
Can’t do it.
Once again crappy Brit gangster rap
In 2003, this album won the Mercury award--essentially, it'd been deemed the best album of 2003. This was a fact I'd stumbled across way back when my group had gotten Coldplay's A RUSH OF BLOOD TO THE HEAD, where I discovered that it'd lost to this album. In fact, albums from Radiohead and The Darkness, and The Thrills' SO MUCH FOR THE CITY (which, hey, I like that album) had **all** lost to this album. This album, which--OK, I'm not British, and I was a little kid in 2003, so it's not like I would've known about this thing at its height. I can't throw the "Well, **I've** never heard of this album before" card at it. But I still hadda wonder the obvious--what **is** this thing's deal? What did British critics see in it? According to whoever wrote this album's Wikipedia page, it was its success that helped grime music gain mainstream exposure. So, hey, let's look at it like that--this is the album that brought grime to the common folk's attention. This album, more than any other, should explain the appeal of grime. And, honestly, it's because of this album I think I finally know why people don't like grime so much. In short: it can be pretty obnoxious. Every song this album is just... Loud. And kind of repetitive. I get the feeling that they were supposed to be "hype," but I don't get that feeling. I'm just... Kind of tired, honestly. And wondering, with every new song that pops up, how long it'll be 'til this album is over. Seriously, I do **not** think this thing needed to be just shy of an hour. The fact that way too many of the beats are kind of complete ass doesn't help. Seriously, the bass on some songs sounds like a bad, extended fart. Like, goodness, once I get over the novelty of this all being rapped in a Cockney accent... And, boy, don't even get me started on some of the obnoxious vocals and vocal effects sprinkled throughout this thing... What's funny to me is that this is actually the first UK rap album I can say I dislike. Like, A GRAND DON'T COME FOR FREE started out atrociously, but by the time it ended it'd actually managed to win me over. KONNICHWA, meanwhile, I think is just plain good aside from its lead single. They both had me wondering, in different ways, what UK rap and grime had done to make it so infamous to Western ears. And, well, I get it now. At least I have my own understanding of it. So, y'know, even if I'm never gonna listen it again (unless I wanna get a headache), I **am** happy I heard it, in some weird way. I wouldn't **recommend** anyone else to listen to it, but still. And, like, the only reason I'm not giving it a 1 is because... I'unno, a "1" always feels to mean unless I feel like an album **really** deserves. I figure if this album was shorter, or at least if I'd taken it in smaller doses instead of taking the brunt of it all at once, I wouldn't have been so down on it. Or maybe I would have, who knows? It's pure generosity that this thing might not actually deserve. So... Take it or leave it, I guess. (Speaking of things this album don't deserve, by the way--seriously. This album over the one with "Clocks"? Goodness me, British people have weird tastes.)
While British rap makes me laugh, this feels a lot like M.I.A's album where it's very simple beats backing some average/mediocre lyrics and flow. Way too long as well.
Not for me. Made it very hard to concentrate on work with the yelling and distracting noises. Low 2
I was really keen to give “Boy in da Corner”, and Dizzee Rascal, a chance. I credit the 1001 list for introducing me to a lot of great hip-hop so far, and thought perhaps my Tower Hamlets residency would give me a greater affinity for Dizzee Rascal (he went to school fifteen minutes from where I now live). Alas… I was wrong, and just couldn’t get on board with “Boy in da Corner”. Praised in 2003 by press and public alike as a great step-forward for hip-hop, and now synonymous with the UK’s grime movement, this album prioritises beats and electronics over melody, heart and soul. While the production is impressive (masterminded by a teenage Rascal), for me it’s not enough to compensate for such a lack of warmth. It’s worth singling out the songs I did enjoy, though. One of my highlights was “Fix Up Look Sharp”, which brings in the self-professed “big beat” against a sung-through hook and one of the most propulsive performances on the record. Another was “Just a Rascal”, one of the best “introduction” songs to an artist that I’ve heard in hip-hop, serving as Dizzee Rascal’s own theme tune. Dizzee’s vocals are solid across the record: he has a unique timbre which frequently cuts above the noise and elevates the record’s energy. For the best examples of this, check out his animated and impassioned performance on “Stop Dat”, or “Hold Ya Mouf”. The lyrics are pointedly conversational but lack much wit or depth for me: you also need an accompanying lyrics sheet to decode all the yelping. Beyond that, though, I struggled with most of the songs front-to-back. Solid production and interesting beats just couldn’t quite sustain themselves across a full record for me, and the repetition didn’t help. Songs like “Sittin’ Here”, “2 Far” or “Jezebel” are built around a single (fairly irritating) loop, or then we have those like “I Luv U” or “Round We Go” which repeat the same phrase over and over. Songs like “Sittin’ Here”, “2 Far” or “Jezebel” are built around a single (fairly irritating) loop, or then we have those like “I Luv U” or “Round We Go” which repeat the same phrase over and over. Songs like “Sittin’ Here”, “2 Far” or “Jezebel” are built around a single (fairly irritating) loop, or then we have those like “I Luv U” or “Round We Go” which repeat the same phrase over and over. Until it ends… and mostly, I just feel relief.
This wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great either. I wasn’t a huge fan of the music itself, but I could tell there were some real heart felt lyrics within the album. Sadly, I didn’t look up lyrics as I listened, so I did miss a lot of what was being said. I’m somewhat familiar with grime, so it was cool to hear the album that helped move grime towards the mainstream. But overall it’s not my thing.
Not a big fan of grime - I’m sure in its genre it’s great, I just can’t appreciate it prkperly
hmmm...
Not my cup of tea.
Respect because I do think this is very ahead of its time - by at least 5 years. And likely inspired many artists. However. It also hasn’t aged very well. Choppy and clunky beats and drops.
Not sure why but it just didn't capture my attention.
I want to like this, but the beats are too thin / sparse and the choruses that are present just don't land for me. I'm finding out I have a pretty narrow band of rap that appeals to me, and this falls well outside of it.
Inte för mig. Men man kanske fattar grejen lite ändå
Troep
Not my jam.
Listened to the first song which was fine but it’s not my music
not for me
Hmmmm
Glad I stuck with it, but the first few tracks didn't draw me in at all. I don't think I'll listen to it again though. Far too much EDM influence for my tastes.
It appears to me that Dizzee Rascal hasn't much to say. The raps seem juvenile and undeveloped.
Bits and pieces of some of the tracks are interesting to listen to. More than that is asking for a migraine.
On the one hand, i was completely uninformed about this artist and this larger genre. It was interesting to be exposed to it. On the other hand, this wasn't really for me. It was quite long and while the production was good I wasn't interested in the lyrics at all.
Grime: es una especie de hip-hop mezclado con ritmos arrítmicos electrónicos. Bastante insufrible. Un 2.
Couldn't quite get into this...
That is not how I remember Fix Up, Look Sharp sounding. It's like a weirdo happy clappy indie rock beat.
C'est insupportable, je peux comprend l'appeal mais ça fait juste m'étourdir de les entendre me rapper à 25 dans les oreilles
I like hiphop that doesnt sound like everything else but this is just not good and to appear in the list like noo
I learned a new term today, regarding genres: grime. It's essentially a fusion of hip-hop and EDM, with emphasis on very heavy, "dirty" beats on the EDM part. Hence, grime. I think it's a combination of the grime genre and the fact that this is UK hip hop, but in any case, this is unlike any other hip-hop on this album, hands down. Still, this album and genre didn't really resonate with me much.
Not for me 2/5
not special
Good music, not a fan of the lyrics
Some of the beats go pretty damn hard, but "grime" isn't really my thing and production on these earlier albums feel somewhat dated to my ears. Overall sound doesn't hold up as well to modern hip hop with the somewhat thinner sounding instrumentation, but that's just my 2 cents. "Fix Up, Look Sharp" is a bop, check out the live version off the deluxe version of Tongue n' Cheek.
Grime: es una especie de hip-hop mezclado con ritmos arrítmicos electrónicos. Bastante insufrible. Un 2.
"When Dizzee thinks very deeply—worrying about growing up, about those around him who won't grow up, about dying before he grows up—he sounds like, what else can we call it, the real thing". Where in the hell did this village voice reviewer get this from? He must have been listening to a different album.
First time hearing. 1.5x.
I couldn't stand the vast majority of this. Somehow I've never been able to get into grime, but I expected something more here - more than half of the tracks are basically unlistenable for me. I couldn't tell if the spoken word intro to "Seems 2 Be" was a joke or unintentionally cringey. The radio hits are way more palletable, and I enjoyed "Brand New Day" and "Do It!" (which sounds like a precursor to cloud rap), but that was about it. Fave Tracks: Brand New Day, Fix Up Look Sharp 1.7/5
I quite like Dizzee Rascal's more well known singles (Holiday, Bonkers etc), but this does nothing for me. He seems to have solid flow, but the whole thing feels very repetitive, and doesn't do anything for me.
Ok, now I like a fair amount of rap, from across 5 decades. I would not include this album among the most influential or best 200. Half of those are likely Wu related. But I digress. The beats are not unique, the lyrics lack originaly. This album is not awful, but for me, it's lacking. Maybe hearing Run DMC in the last couple of days has skewed my estimation? I don't think so, but I'll pass on Dizzee.
I was looking forward to this. I remember this album coming out and how much praise it was getting. And I really like Bonkers (not on this album though). This didn’t really hit for me though. Listenable, but not for me.
I hated this yesterday morning and then I put the remainder of the album on when I was a bit drunk in the evening and was feeling it. So, context dependent I guess. It was interesting to listen to, anyway.
Biitit on käännetty niin kovalle että tekee aika tiukkaa vastaanottaa tämä aistimellisesti. Ja miksi grime on aina niin Hi-Fi:ä? Harmi - pidän pohjavireestä.
Man, it was really weird to find this album on the list. Like, it’s fine, but more a goofy distraction than anything influential or must-hear
some catchy songs but most of the time I have no idea what he's saying. just sounds like a bunch of mumbling.
Not doing it for me. Sorry Dizzee.
I didn't give it a fair and complete listen but have low hopes that the later songs were a lot different than the earlier ones. Didn't hate it...
Assertive and energetic sound, with a dizzying flow and idiosyncratic vibe I like. Uncomfortably dark and misanthropic lyrics, particularly rough when he speaks about women. Ultimately, it's a lot to take and way too long. Fave Songs: Sittin' Here, Do It!, Stop Dat, Brand New Day, Fix Up
Not really my thing. I do like some rap/hip hop but it needs to be more tuneful. More catchy. I don’t get that from this
Not my thing for sure.
As with the other grime album that popped up, I can’t say I’m a fan of this. Still kind of interesting, though.
Listen the brits did a lot of things. Great rock and roll hell, we owe you big time. Stay away from rap, please.
I just can’t enjoy UK rap. Always just sounds funny to me
- beats were honestly fire - the rest of this was not my thing tbh, tough to finish
- it was solid at first - but it quickly felt cheesy - I just don’t love British rap
Jezebel is Panini for Millennials Best Song: Brand New Day Worst Song: Wot U On?, Live O
Not a fan. I like hip hop but Dizzee Rascal isn't my style. The song Bonkers by Dizzee, which is not on this album, is good and fun to listen to. Too bad that this album didn't deliver like that song.
No, thanks.
Just really not my kind of music
Nobody puts Dizzee Rascal in the corner...oh, wait.
I am not a fan of rap/hip hop, and I am sure this is influential for grime, but this is not for me. The overall production sounds good, but I found a lot of the beats really annoying and I did have to skip a few tracks. I also found this to be really distracting and hard to focus on work while it was playing. There are some good moments here are there, but this is my least favorite rap/hip hop album I've gotten yet. I am sure if you like this type of music it is really good, but it is not for me. 1.5/5
I never got into Dizzee.
Grime Rap? EDM mixed with British Hip-Hop. Repetitive and brings nothing to the table.
Too British for me
Mystically British album 1/5, I'll give it a 2 because I think if I wasn't thrown off by the accent I might be able to get behind this Sounds like a parody of rap music
Rap with the British accent doesn't quite hit as hard. Almost sounds a little comical. Can't tell if its my crappy work headphones, but the mixing of the album seems out of whack, music is too loud and is distracting. Also not crazy about the heavy electronic sounding backing music.
It’s okay.
Honestly, not my vibe to begin with but a little dull.
couldn't find anywhere to stream this in full. something to it, very impressive for a teenager, I can't get into it at all because London accents sound so silly
This is just Too British For Me.
Very weird. Kinda like it.
Hardcore Rap
This album didn’t really stand out to me particularly it’s not that but it’s not that great.
Ah, grime. Britain’s questionable contribution to hip hop. Can’t say I enjoyed this much - hard to understand and whack beats. Kind of funny.
Not very good, but not my genre
Oh man. I now understand that Dizzee Rascal is quite well respected as a pioneer of grime. But I'm not sure I like or get grime that much.. I could appreciate it on some level and I get it tells stories of a more gritty side of the UK. But I did overall find the music irritating. Soz. Fix up look sharp is a great throw back though
I feel very old saying this but, what is this Dizzee Rascal saying? For me you need to be able to hear and understand rap like this, surely that's the whole point, the lyrics need to be really good and say something, but with this I just can't follow it so I just lose interest very quickly. People always say that grime is all about the gritty UK and whatnot, and I want to listen to that but I just can't follow it. I guess grime just isn't a genre for me but I'm glad that I've been made to give it a good go here. Sometimes you just need to accept something is for the kids and the important bit is to be able to look across to them and think 'I'm glad they're having a good time'
Yes i did like this when i was 16-19. Revisiting this was tough. I enjoyed some songs but it ran too long and the album is so sharp and piercing to the ears it hurts sometimes. That being said. İt's much better than Moby.
I liked this less than I expected to. The two big singles and Hold Ya Mouf are good fun songs and stand out from the rest, but otherwise, the lack of light and shade just got a bit abrasive. He's clearly a master at what he does, but it feels like this was the album that he made before he realised that you're also allowed to have a bit of fun.
This wasn't really my style. I could listen to it but I would never listen again.
Not for me
I can't say I expected to get 2 rap albums in a row, but I'll take it I guess. Anyway, Boy In Da Corner is a weird album. It was one of the first big albums of the Grime genre, and I can't say I'm the biggest fan of it. It's not bad or anything. I just don't really get it myself. The rapping is decent enough. I don't really know if the accent works for rapping though. The beats aren't bad. They're well made. The writing isn't the best, but it's good at times. Surprisingly enough, I did somewhat start to warm up to it a bit by the end. That took a while though, as this album does drag quite a bit. Overall, I kind of understand why this was put on the list, but I wouldn't really recommend it myself. It just isn't my thing. High 2/5.
I should hate this. Its Grime apparently. I have no idea what he is saying. Its probably a blessing. I like the arythmic beats and the sample arrangements going on in some of these songs such as ' I Luv U' and '2 Far'. The beats on 'Fix Up' are great too. I've heard far worse than this, I wonder if it is because he is British that I don't find it alienating/ irritating? My take out from this is the drum machine and bass patterns going on underneath the rest, which I like and can appreciate. If this is an introduction to Grime, then it isn't a bad one. A mid 2.
I actually love the beats and aggression, however the rapping and length of the album hinders.
Det är galet dåligt men samtidigt hittade jag någon form av musik i några låtar. Tack vare det så kravlar skivan upp till 2.
This is just not my bag
Listened to 2.3 songs. Couldn’t do more.
Couldnt really hear what he was saying but the beats were intriguing
Well now I have a few less brain cells and i'm nearly an hour closer to death. I will always look back and regret this time I spent listening to this drivel.
its not bad but towards the 2nd half I was just waiting for it to end
Not a fan of this type of rap
34/100
Maybe could have been 3 stars as I was nodding my head a lot but all the misogyny put me off
not really into this
Decent for what it is, I enjoyed the bits where I couldn't make out what he was saying, didn't really hold my attention though
Apparently and according to Wikipedia, the genre for this album is Grime, but to me it could be Hip-Hop or Rap. Not too bad.
not my kind of grime
This was an interesting one. I'm not too familiar with UK rap, so this was basically my first exposure to it. The beats remind me of some nine inch nails-inspired stuff. Very gritty and borderline abrasive. Not typical of a rap record. I can see how this album influenced a lot of the newer sounds we hear today in UK rap and even spilling over into NY rap. I wasn't really a huge fan of this sound tho. That being said, I'm glad I listened to this.
AJ: explicit rascal.
Some OK tunes but otherwise annoying mumble rap.
Dizzee feels like that friend who makes music that you wanna support but you just don’t really like it that much
Had a good vibe, but his voice is like when you get a rock stuck in the tread of your shoe and you have to walk around with that feeling and that little clack of the rock contacting the ground, and there should be no clack, but there is a clack.
really boring
I acknowledge it has merit, but it’s not what I want to listen to.
I could easily name 1001 other albums I'd rather listen to. Musically some of the beats were kinda cool.
Growing up, I had heard of Grime, but never really listened to it. This style is definitely out there, heavy and "grimy", but I don't think I could listen to more than 30 minutes of it.
The British rap drill genre is always interesting to me. The beats and production are always pretty cool but the accents of the rappers make it either very difficult to understand or makes it sound cooler than some typical rap. This album was more of the hard to understand than cool but the production in this was pretty solid. Overall it wasn’t that enjoyable though as it felt very raw and unpolished compared to some other rap albums. 5.5/10
Rating here is more a matter of taste than execution. No doubting the innovation on this LP when it comes to wordplay and pushing lexical/vocal structures to their limits in artistic ways, just happens that several of these linguistic experiments rubbed me the wrong way. Album also ran a big long - could’ve been much punchier if each track slimmed down a bit.