Boy In Da Corner

1001 greatest classic rock albums of all time is that way, fellas

Love that this is on here. A British classic through and through. Not sure it's quite a 5, but I'm giving it one anyway just to offset all the crap the Americans and racists are talking about it...

Essential. Amazing achievement at such a young age.

I live in this part of London, and work with young people a little younger than Dizzie Rascal was when he made this. The local crews use our building as a backdrop for their music videos - there's still a big grime scene, as well as drill and probably a dozen other offshoots I don't know about. The thing is, an eighteen year old kid from the estates producing this is fucken amazing. Technology made music accessible, both to listen to and make. Pirate radio spread reggae, hip-hop and jungle, and it got blended into new sounds, and kids could make music in their bedrooms that spoke about their own lives, in their own voices. And the music is great - the beats varied and carrying a really specific sense of place, edgy and paranoid. The rapping is sharp and smart and it's lyrically strong, especially for a kid of his age. Great album. 4.5

My expectations were low and they shouldn't have been, cause hot damn this is fun stuff from across the pond. Grime probably gets a bad rep because a lot of UK rap strays into club music and feels a little stodgy. But when he's fully on, this has a wild mix of intense beats, wild samples, and lyrical styles all over the map. It's like Death Grips made a record with ODB but they all had Atlanta swagger. A little overlong, and when Dizzee slows things down it loses a lot of steam. But if he's on, it's straight fuckin' fire.

Pre: I was obsessed with this when it came out, but I also remember that obsession quickly fading to just a few songs (sittin here, I luv u, fix up look sharp, and jezebel), so it’ll be interesting to see how the whole thing holds up today. Post: I liked some of the other songs more than I remembered (especially jus a rascal, which is grating initially but improves), but it’s still just a 4.

Well, look at that—yet another genre I can do without. Grime. I hadn't heard of it before. If this album is representative of the genre, I have no desire to figure out the differences between grime, rap, and hip-hop. At least one thing is certain: none of this is music. That said, I finished today's "Album of the Day" very quickly—and that's the best thing about it. 1/5

Moronic, repetitive noise. The rapper just shouts cliched lyrics over awfully produced backing music.

this is the debut album of british producer and rapper dizzee rascal, released when he just turned 18. the bulk of the tracks on the album were created when he was a teenager. dizzee had been paying attention to the underground hip hop scene, and during his high school years learned how to make cool beats using cubase and MTV music generator. compared to a lot of other hip hop albums where rappers collaborated with producers, this guy did all the beatmaking himself. the album was very successful upon release and helped introduce the world to the gritty, granular world of grime music. uk grime beats are very interesting aren't they? a whole nother take on beat production compared to other hip-hop subgenres, it's super sharp, compressed, aggressive... these punchy sounds fit dizzee's way of spittin rhymes. the highest point here is him rapping, really... a lot of power grime, garage and uk rap artists have shit flow, shit rhymes and essentially just spew nonsense for a few minutes, but this guy takes it very seriously. i want to hear him freestyle. i really tried to get into what i listened to, but a lot of the bars just get drowned out by how crazy and choppy these beats are. i think it's a matter of taste. the pizzicato sounds and the big bass fart waves... the weird vocal processing? i don't know. i'm just not british enough for grime.

This was almost unlistenable. I don't get Grime as a genre. Although it's more Garage than Grime it just reminds me of the posers in 'People Just Do Nothing' the cult BBC sitcom about the Djs from Karupt Fm and as a result I can't take it seriously.

There's thousands of crap that sounds just like this on Soundcloud. I'm clearly missing whatever is supposed to elevate this above that amateurish garbage. This trash can stay in da corner.

Never heard a good Hip Hop album from the UK, and this one is no exception.

Not for me

The genre on Wikipedia is considered 'Grime'. It is pretty grimey in the sense that it's horrendous. While it may not be as bad as Britpop, UK rap is making a strong case for itself.

england, einmal mehr grime.

Rap Woche? Etwas viel auf einmal. Mir ist Dizzee etwas zu unruhig.

I don't know what I just listened to, but it was weird and not in a good way.

British hip hop has come a long way, but there's always something a bit jarring the first time that accent comes out. It's such an American genre, so entwined with the African-American experience. But it's not just the lack of the cultural moment (certainly racism isn't exclusive to the US), but there often feels like there is just a disconnect on the style. “I Luv U” is a misguided piece all around, and I don't feel like I need to say more. But “2 Far” makes the case more clearly, because it's a much more straightforward lyric. It manages to feel like an old person trying to rap as a joke (the voice is particularly hard to take seriously… it combines the most histrionic aspects of ODB with Hugh Laurie playing an upperclass twit. The beats also feel way more Club, a little more like a dj poking around with his soundpatches, a bit more squelchy, for lack of a better word. I guess that does ring true for the culture, but this sort of music is kryptonite to me. The best bit is that big drum sample in Fix Up Look Sharp. But certainly there is a bit of stylistic intrigue… hip hop in the US was not really so deeply ingrained with dance music at the time, though clubs absolutely played it to dance to. Maybe that's the purpose of this? But it really does make me wonder who this is for. People who love hip-hop can find a hundred better rappers (who deserve to be here and are not). People who don't, why would this squeaky goofy brit change their mind? ⭐️⭐️

I hit play on Spotify and thought hang on this is not too bad. Oops my mistake that was the last album I listened to playing again. Yes this is the rubbish I expected. Hasn't aged well for me. Was possibly a bit new and different on arrival. But I lost interest in this pretty quickly. Been giving higher scores lately but for this a Red Symons: 2. Previous album is a bit more approachable, has some bigger hits. Perhaps it should be on the list not this one?

Honestly better than I thought and I got pretty worried when I saw Mercury Prize in the wiki. But this wasn't too bad.

I'm a hiphop head but I just find most of these beats annoying. Brand New Day is probably the best example of grating, annoying backing sound. 2 Far is even worse--cheesy delivery and beat. His rapping style doesn't really help--his flow and even his voice kind of reminds me a lot of Danny Brown, who also has beats I don't always like, though the latter has some classics. 1/5

IM A SPIRITUAL LYRICAL MIRACLE INDIVIDUAL SKIPPIN AND FLIPPIN AND DIPPIN AND SKIPPIN AND ILLEST TO SKILLEST TO KILLEST REAL HIP HOP DONT YOU EVER FORGET IT ITS THAT UNDERGROUND SHIT AND IT’S THE WHITE BOY THAT SAID IT -Papa Franku, 2014 (May he rest in peace) This shit sucks. Makes me wish for more britpop. ⭐️

Not on Apple Music. Rating based on other album.

Hip Hop, 67 eme album =>1/5

I have a hard time taking British rap seriously for the vast majority. Lil simz is the only exception I can think of off the top of my head. The accent with the music screams try hard idk

No the worst rap album - still couldn't tell grime from the other sub-genres though. Just not the type of music I like.

I wasn’t sure about this after track 1, but it grew on me and I thought it was pretty fun by the end.

Beyond painful…

My ears fucking hate this

The review explaining about listening to grime more like dance than hip hop helped me appreciate bigger lesson - take as is; don't compare to anything

British rappers are so funny to me man they just sound goofy and their names are ridiculous. What do you mean your name is Dizzee Rascal??? What kind of whimsical ass name is that? Lmao

Noise with a British accent! But not bad.

Pretty good hip hop that I have never heard before today. It's very distinctly UK style. Good variety of beats and good vocals. The music is very different from what I was expecting, not in a bad way. It's nice to have some variety.

too long

This just deeply wasn't my thing. It's not bad, I thought I Luv U was pretty neat, but this album overall wasn't the kind of thing I'd really listen to. Amazing that he made it while only 16 though.

The British accent was not made for rap

No thanks. At the least Ill give it credit as a different more experimental instrumental type of music. Nothing Id listen to again.

It was ok

He has really good flow, but the production choices are making this lose some stars

A bit too much for me, I like the occasional song, but not too much…

3,5 stars

Grime nije primamljivo ime žanra a ni sam žanr nije nešto primamljiv.

Yeah I don't understand this at all and I didn't enjoy listening to it.

not for me

Grime werd volwassen, en gaaf!

Thirty seconds in I knew this wasn’t for me. The bass reverb is fun and creates a new sound/instrument in its own right but the rest of this is just not appealing at all to me. Definitely impressive that this guy put together what is apparently the defining album of the genre at 18 and then moved on to other styles but I would never seek this out on my own and it is no M to the B.

It’s a genre defining album with some bangers, but it’s also at least half of the time unlistenable. Two ⭐️ plus one for nostalgia.

Admittedly, I always had a hard time with UK Grime and I listened to this album a bunch around when it came out but could never get into it. I don't know what the intervening 20+ years have done to me but I enjoyed this one a lot more this time. Still not my favourite genre and the album is a bit too long and bumpy at times but it's worth celebrating for the innovation and genius.

I understand that the English are insecure about their place in hip-hop and want to feel seen, but this thing 100% missable.

Amazing how many 1 star reviews have no concept of what this album is. The introduction of new Genre into the mainstream, self produced by a 15 year old kid from an estate in east london. It was a new sound and painted a picture of London life for a lot of kids growing up at the time. It blew up. Amazed that the production stands the test of time, sounds better than most drill or trap that's so popular know and only exist because of this album. You can not like the genre, but it's crazy to dismiss this as garbage.

Not a huge fan of his delivery but I’m digging the beats and what he does with each song. I’m more of a fan half way through than I was at the start. And that fandom continued. Choice cut : luv you

2 plus 2 that's 4 minus 1 that's 3 Would I listen again: no, sorry (but i do enjoy some of his other songs and i didn't make the connection until later) Deserves to be on this list: due to the popularity of the genre, yes, but hardly 2.6

I don't think I need to listen to any British rap before I die. In fact, it might kill me. 2.

prime early grime. great sampling and forward thinking production make this still sound good years later. Sittin' Here is a classic imo

i had no idea this was going to be so proto-PC Music/bubblegum bass/hyperpop or whatever the hell hyperpop turned into.... i LOVED it. SOPHIE could've produced I Luv U!!! and he was just a teenager when he made this?? bonkers.

Beatsen kanske inte riiiktigt hållit för tidens tand, men överlag kul och annorlunda!

Grime är jäkligt coolt ändå.

Lite coolt ibland men för det mesta lät det inte speciellt bra.

Förmodligen före sin tid, men det var inte för mig.

Really sharp electronic beats. Quite abrasive but the energy in the rapping works well.

I always start my reviews on albums in this genre, that I am just not normally a fan of rap. Nine out of ten times, I'm just not going to be into an album if it's a rap album. It's just not my thing. So, I really don't feel like I have any clue or justification to saying whether an album is good or bad. For me personally, it seemed quite long and repetitive. In reading about the album, it sounds like it helped bring grime music to the mainstream, as well as Dizzee Rascal being one of the first mainstream British rappers. So, seems like it should have a place on the list, but it's just not my thing.

worst one yet

this is NOT GOOD. British rap is ass and this is also from bleak period for the genre.

I'm a fan of Grime and I like some of Dizzee Rascals songs - their very nostalgic taking me back to high school yet I wasnt the biggest fan of this album - I think this is early grime and I prefer the more modern refined version.

This was solid. Very much not something I heard before. I enjoyed it. Quirky brit rap. Good beats. Good vocals. Well integrated samples. And just fun.

Intense, but good

A Brit classic.

Enjoyed this.

Oh dear. Not terrible, but I find it difficult to rate this as it's not a genre I'm really familiar with.

Caca de vaca.

I really dislike most rap so this was tough for me.

Dajem 2 samo zato što je Dizzee, al ovo mu je lagano najgori album ne razumem zašto je ovaj izabran za listu

Birth of British grind music. Definitely an important album. But personally I couldn't get past Dizzee's voice. Sometimes it works really well with the song, but most of this album I was trying to tune it out. Good thing the beats are always so phenominal. Love the way it sounds. Gotta give this a high 2

Still sounds good as hell.

I have no experience with grime (hadn't heard of it before today). For me its disjointed, technoish and a little hard to really get into it. He does flow differently and i can see its a talent and a skill. I also think the mixes have a flow thats different and could be pleasant to some. So I am going wiht a 3 because I appreciate what he is doing, but its not my thing.

This was a hot fucking mess. And this won the MERCURY PRIZE? Are you kidding me? I mean, he’s good at rapping really fast and manically I guess.

No thanks

Bruv, Dizzee kept it bare simple on this one: straight‑up minimal beats, no fancy layers, just that raw East End pulse. Man’s spittin’ real street bars over rhythms that snap clean, innit. If you only know him from the big chart tunes, you’re gonna be like, “Where’s the rest of it?” Allow it though. Just sit back, vibe, let the energy do its thing. Critics can waffle about whatever deep meaning they reckon they’ve found. I ain’t bothered. I just rate Dizzee, fam. My Rating: 4/5

Nothing really compares to fix up look sharp, does it?

I love hip hop but there is just something I am not getting when I hear this guy. He’s not bad but as they say in UK, he’s not my cup of tea

Finally, something interesting. I don’t think I’ve heard anything like it before, mainstream or indie. After multiple 70s folk rock snoozefests, I feel a renewed energy to keep going through the list.

Miserable that this isn’t for me - but this was reeeeaally not for me://

Tried and failed to get through the first few tracks

Without realising it I was served up the 'Instrumentals' version of this album. It was quite enjoyable, I was puzzled there were no vocals but that didn't detract from the album. I was about 10 tracks in when I noticed this and switched to the 'proper' version, and immediately wished I hadn't. The vocals were extremely limited and actually took a lot of the enjoyment away from me - so much so that I actually skipped a lot of the tracks where I'd already heard only the instrumental version. I'm a bit torn how many stars to give it, I think 3 is about right for me.

I get this is innovative but its really hard to listen to. I normally like rap.

The equivalent of putting every spice in your cupboard on your food and being confused by the taste

Don't think I've ever listened to this album despite enjoying the singles a lot back in the day. Fix up look sharp in particular is great and would get a fair amount of play at le bateau. Dizzie has the delivery of an English Danny brown at points, he definitely stands out from other grime (is he grime?) artists. The album tracks were weaker than I'd hoped though, still good lines here and there but the beats didn't grab me as much. Pretty good but not as good as I'd hoped. 3.5 but more a 3

I saw Dizzee Rascal at the height of his powers, the Bonkers "pop" era, at the Guild in Liverpool around 2008. Didn't know what to expect really, I only knew his main hits, but he was a pretty good performer. I once saw LMFAO at the Guild, pre-really big fame. Remember one of those lads tried it on with two of my undergrad friends. This album is decent, good beats, good rapping. Impactful. Just A Rascal and Fix Up Look Sharp hold up really well. I think 3.5 is fair.

Man, I can't believe this was released 23 years ago.... I'm old :( This was big in the UK when it was released. Predictably a lot of negative reviews from across the pond. Don't think grime or UK rap translates well for them. Their loss. Fix up, look sharp and jus a rascal were huge and are still good. Liked hold ya mouth too. I think it's 3.5 but I'm going to represent the UK and give it 4

Pretty good interesting hip hop from the uk.

Not my cup of tea but I can appreciate it

I fucking hate grime.

Something incredibly different and fascinating about UK hip-hop. One of those things that lyrics don't connect with me on any level but still want to listen for a bit in repeat

#456/1001. I thought this album was released a year or two ago - the sounds and the attitude are still something fresh and new. Then again I did listen to M.I.A when her stuff came out - not to say it sounds the same, but something similar in the attitude and in the way songs are crafted, cut and paste digital production liberating new methods of expression. This is not an easy album, not really hiphop (or grime) for the masses, but I think the honesty and in your face production still managed to charm enough for dizzy to become big and then huge (well, dropping the harshest grime quirks sure helped as well). But where to liaten or play this album? Later material is club friendly, but songs from an under 20-year old outcast who tries to find his place in the world might get tiresome after long run - well it sort of already did. But respect for redefining, or at least being the front man of flogging the genre.

kinda fun, would never listen again

2/5. I’m not usually a huge stickler for vocals in music. I love a lot of “bad” singers whether that be Bob Dylan or Phil Elverum. But for some reason, Dizzee Rascals voice on this album just annoys me. It deserves some flowers for being one of the first UK Rap records to actually gain international attention I guess, but in the 23 years since its release there’s just so many better albums in British hip-hop that in retrospect I don’t see much of a reason to revisit this outside of historical context. The vocals are as previously mentioned annoying, the lyricism is nothing to ride home about, the flow is passable, the beats are basic UK grime stuff. not a big fan.

The archetype for grime. This sounds innovative. Brit rap. Fun listen and decent.

Oof, didn't like this one. Didn't hate some of the beats/instrumentals, but boy did I not enjoy an hour of this

#428 I got a little swept up in Dizzee at the time, I owned his first couple of albums and even caught him at Leeds Festival, however, returning to this is highlighting why I haven’t listened for so long, and that is I’m not really a fan of UK Garage or Grime. Fix Up, Look Sharp is a certified banger and Jus’ a Rascal is good too but as I delve deeper, it’s just not my thing. I guess I just like chart friendly stuff from Dizzee. Heard before? ✅ Would I revisit? ❌ Listen before you die?❓ Fave track(s): Fix Up, Look Sharp; Jus’ a Rascal Rating: 5/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Juu ei oo mun musaa.