Music Banter - View Single Post

Ol’ Qwerty Bastard · 06-21-2015, 06:58 AM

GRIME

Boy In Da Corner by Dizzee Rascal

Out of the genres I mentioned on the OP, grime is the one I'm the most familiar with. In fact, a week or two ago I downloaded a handful of grime albums to help me get into the scene. As far as I've seen through my web surfing, it seems that the essential grime album is Dizzee Rascal's Boy In Da Corner so with that being said, it seems like the perfect place to start.

Prior to my first listen of the album, the only familiarity I had with Dizzee Rascal was hearing his name a few times in the past, and to be quite honest I'm not even sure where it was I heard it. Nonetheless, the album's intro track Sittin' Here quickly familiarized me with the style to expect from the English emcee.

The production of the track is stellar, and immediately gave me high hopes for the album. Not only that, but Rascal's approach is quite intriguing as well as his flow changes speed throughout the track, and by the end of it I feel as if I'm already used to his heavy UK accent.

The next track Stop Dat features a much more aggressive production style, and Dizzee matches that aggressiveness himself with his rap style. While the song is a stellar cut that I enjoyed just as much as the first, I still momentarily forgot about it following the next track I Luv U, which upon further research appears to be the first single released by the grime artist. The track contains hard-hitting synths mixed with an almost haunting organ in the background, and what is easily the best word play I've seen from Rascal thus far.

The sixth track, Fix Up, Look Sharp is the next stand-out for me, as Dizzee Rascal spits over a beat with a Billy Squier sample. I also realized at this point that I've had more exposure to Rascal than I realized, as it was apparently featured in an episode of UK TV show Skins.

While the production of the album has been superb to this point, I was still looking for something more. I got exactly that on the tenth track Jus' A Rascal. On this song, everything from earlier on the LP comes together and it delivers what is easily the best cut on the album for me. Dizzee harnesses his his aggressiveness, and is able to incorporate some great lyricism and a nasty flow over (surprise) some more great production.

The rest of the album remains quite interesting, including the twelfth track Jezebel which is a somewhat comedic take on a woman who is... let's just say not exactly lady like. While nothing lives up to the same level as the other stand out tracks, the project still finishes quite strong and ultimately makes for a very good listen.

My first exposure to grime has certainly been very positive, and I'm pretty excited to see what else the genre has to offer. Whether or not any other album can live up to or surpass one of the first ever mainstream grime releases is yet to be seen, but I look forward to finding out.

Rating: 7.5/10

Stand-out Tracks:

Sittin' Here

I Luv U

Jus' A Rascal

06-21-2015, 06:58 AM	#3 (permalink)
Ol’ Qwerty Bastard OQB Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Frownland Posts: 8,832	GRIME Boy In Da Corner by Dizzee Rascal Out of the genres I mentioned on the OP, grime is the one I'm the most familiar with. In fact, a week or two ago I downloaded a handful of grime albums to help me get into the scene. As far as I've seen through my web surfing, it seems that the essential grime album is Dizzee Rascal's Boy In Da Corner so with that being said, it seems like the perfect place to start. Prior to my first listen of the album, the only familiarity I had with Dizzee Rascal was hearing his name a few times in the past, and to be quite honest I'm not even sure where it was I heard it. Nonetheless, the album's intro track Sittin' Here quickly familiarized me with the style to expect from the English emcee. The production of the track is stellar, and immediately gave me high hopes for the album. Not only that, but Rascal's approach is quite intriguing as well as his flow changes speed throughout the track, and by the end of it I feel as if I'm already used to his heavy UK accent. The next track Stop Dat features a much more aggressive production style, and Dizzee matches that aggressiveness himself with his rap style. While the song is a stellar cut that I enjoyed just as much as the first, I still momentarily forgot about it following the next track I Luv U, which upon further research appears to be the first single released by the grime artist. The track contains hard-hitting synths mixed with an almost haunting organ in the background, and what is easily the best word play I've seen from Rascal thus far. The sixth track, Fix Up, Look Sharp is the next stand-out for me, as Dizzee Rascal spits over a beat with a Billy Squier sample. I also realized at this point that I've had more exposure to Rascal than I realized, as it was apparently featured in an episode of UK TV show Skins. While the production of the album has been superb to this point, I was still looking for something more. I got exactly that on the tenth track Jus' A Rascal. On this song, everything from earlier on the LP comes together and it delivers what is easily the best cut on the album for me. Dizzee harnesses his his aggressiveness, and is able to incorporate some great lyricism and a nasty flow over (surprise) some more great production. The rest of the album remains quite interesting, including the twelfth track Jezebel which is a somewhat comedic take on a woman who is... let's just say not exactly lady like. While nothing lives up to the same level as the other stand out tracks, the project still finishes quite strong and ultimately makes for a very good listen. My first exposure to grime has certainly been very positive, and I'm pretty excited to see what else the genre has to offer. Whether or not any other album can live up to or surpass one of the first ever mainstream grime releases is yet to be seen, but I look forward to finding out. Rating: 7.5/10 Stand-out Tracks: Sittin' Here I Luv U Jus' A Rascal Last edited by Ol’ Qwerty Bastard; 06-30-2015 at 05:36 AM.