Dizzee Rascal | |
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.jpg) Rascal performing at Rock am Ring 2013 | |
| Born | Dylan Kwabena Mills 18 September 1984 London, England |
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| Years active | 2000–present |
| Works | |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Full list |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Bow, London |
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| Formerly of | Roll Deep |
| Website | dizzeerascal |
Dylan Kwabena Mills[1] MBE (born 18 September 1984[2]), known professionally as Dizzee Rascal, is a British rapper and MC.[3] He is often credited as a pioneer of British hip hop and grime music and was ranked by Complex as one of the greatest British rappers of all time.[4] His work has also incorporated elements of UK garage, bassline and R&B. Dizzee Rascal's music is also often credited with bringing UK rap into the mainstream and became the country's first rapper to achieve international recognition.
After signing with independent label XL Recordings in 2002, the rapper released his self-produced debut album Boy in da Corner in 2003. which received widespread critical acclaim and earned him the Mercury Prize in 2003, eventually being certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. It is often regarded as the best British hip hop album of all time. It was followed up with the albums Showtime (2004) and Maths + English (2007), which were also critically praised and were certified gold, both peaking within the top ten of the UK Albums Chart. His next album, Tongue n' Cheek (2009) saw a departure from grime for a more pop-oriented sound. It boasted four number one singles on the UK Singles Chart, which were "Dance wiv Me", "Bonkers", "Holiday" and "Dirtee Disco" and went platinum the following year.
His fifth album, The Fifth (2013), continued his experimental commercial sound and although it received less favourable reviews than his previous albums, it still peaked in the top 10 of the UK Albums Chart. He returned to his grime roots with 2017's Raskit, and has since released E3 AF in 2020 and Don't Take It Personal in 2024. Throughout his career, Dizzee Rascal has worked with a number of notable artists including Arctic Monkeys, Calvin Harris, Florence + The Machine, Robbie Williams, Shakira, Ty Dolla Sign, UGK and will.i.am.
- ^ "ASCAP ACE - Search Results". Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2009.
- ^ @dizzeerascal (1 October 2014). "Thanks for all the birthday shouts. My birthday was sept 18th I turned 30 but I'm happy to except any money u wanna send! Serious lol ;-)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Burrell, Ian (19 September 2009). "Streets ahead: Dizzee Rascal". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 23 September 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
- ^ "50 Best British Rappers Of All Time, Ranked". Complex. 18 December 2023.