Dizzee Rascal Brings “Grime” Stateside, Tours with El-P
Dizzee Rascal’s “Where’s Da G’s” featuring Bun B. is already blowing up on the internet, weeks before the stateside release of the British MC’s third full length, Math’s + English, out April 29th via Definitive Jux. The album first hit shelves last year in the UK to a Mercury Music Prize nomination (think the UK’s equivalent of independent music Grammys) and rave reviews from popular British press UNCUT, Mojo Magazine, and more. The US version will include several bonus tracks both digitally and physically, including tracks exclusive to iTunes, eMusic, and Amazon’s digital store.
Dizzee Rascal has been turning heads on both sides of the pond since his 2003 debut album, Boy in Da Corner (which did snag the Mercury Music Prize that year and is lauded as the launching point for the UK grime scene). Since then he’s released a second critically acclaimed album, popped up on a remix of T-Pain’s hit single “I’m Sprung,” held it down with Wyclef Jean, Twista, and Lil Mama on BET’s Cipher for the 2007 Hip Hop Awards, and shared the stage with Bun B, Del the Funky Homosapien, Devin the Dude, and El-P at this year’s SXSW Music Conference. Recently he’s been feverishly showing off his skills with a four minute freestyle on AOL Music and schooling the uninitiated on British slang in anticipation of Maths + English’s U.S. release and an impending tour with labelmate El-P.
See below for full tour dates and audio/video links to “Where’s Da G’s,” Dizzee’s 16 Bars freestyle, and his hip-hop slang lessons on AOL Music.
Listen to Dizzee Rascal “Where’s Da G’s” feat. Bun B from Maths + English (Definitive Jux)
Watch Dizzee Rascal “Where’s Da G’s” feat. Bun B from Maths + English (Definitive Jux)
What the Press is Saying
Dizzee’s despairing wail, focused anger, and cutting sonics places him on the front lines in the battle against a stultifying Britain, just as Pete Townshend, Johnny Rotten, and Morrissey have been in the past. - Pitchfork Media
The best rapper this(The UK) country’s ever produced, period…. Next to Dizzee Rascal everybody looks pale, uninteresting and irrelevant. – UNCUT Magazine
An eclectic, break-dance-worthy Slick Rick reincarnation. – Entertainment Weekly
Brilliantly original. – MOJO
Dizzee Rascal delivered forty minutes of blistering, grimy hip-hop. The set drew heavily from his latest, Maths + English (finally seeing a physical U.S. release April 29 after being out in the U.K. for nearly a year) – Rollingstone Magazine (on 2008 SXSW performance)
Fans were treated to a talented MC with a crew who likes shout-outs and shoes. His set drew as much from excellent early material as it did from Maths + English, and the high-BPM beats kept the show flowing and energetic. – Pitchfork Media (on 2008 SXSW performance)
This U.K. rapper is the reason anyone knows “grime” is a music genre. – Wired Magazine
Dizzee Rascal Tour Dates (with El-P)
May 8- 9:30 Club, D.C.
May 9 - First Unitarian Church, Philly
May 10 - Webster Hall, NYC
May 11- Middles East, Boston
May 12 - New Capital Music Hall, Ottawa
May 13 - Crofoot Ballroom, Detroit
May 14 - The Abbey Pub, Chicago
May 16 - Triple Rock Club, Minneapolis
May 19 - Neumos, Seattle
May 20 - Berbatis Pan, Portland
May 21 - 1015, San Francisco
May 22 - El Rey, Los Angeles
