Review Summary: 2000's grime revolutionary Dizzee Rascal's third album is his magnum opus, a brilliant selection of songs only let down by a couple of poor selections. Mixing great production with a refined style and a nice set of flows, this is a superb album.
Genuine innovation within urban music is a rare concept, and one that only a select handful of musicians can lay claim to. One such case story is that of East-London born Dylan Mills, better known as Dizzee Rascal. By blending garage with rap music and adding in small ragga flourishes here and there to further embellish his burgeoning sound, Dizzee turned urban music on its head with the release of debut album 'Boy In Da Corner'. Telling bleak stories of a paranoid youth growing up on a violent council estate, with fast flows and a different tone to the majority of popular urban music at the time, Dizzee Rascal fast became a recognizable player within the slowly developing grime scene, with that album arguably the most influential within the scene. It would be easy to dismiss Rascal as a one album wonder, but in 2004 he followed up with 'Showtime' and then unleashed his magnum opus in 2007, 'Maths + English'.
Fans of his previous work will find little here to shake up the formula. There are still a mixture of faster flows (U Can't Tell Me Nothin') and the more mid-paced ones (Sirens, Bubbles), and there are still the same type of infectious hooks thrown in from guest singers on certain tracks (Wanna Be). The difference here is the confidence oozing through and the production. Whilst the previous two records felt a little restrained, Dizzee throws everything he has into the recording here, with 'Pussyole (Old Skool)' carrying a swagger in the vocals unlike anything he had released before. The lyrical content still deals with street life, blending London slang with a real bluntness that the grime scene has continued to ape to the point of parody. The difference here is that the messages are simply those of someone relaying what they have seen, rather than feeling like they are overly glorified. Opener 'World Outside's' repeated "there's a world outside of the 'hood and I want you to see it" almost feels like a father talking to their son, explaining the dangers of becoming embroiled in street life. Whilst some of the lyrics here aren't the strongest in terms of writing quality, they are undeniably effective.
The songs themselves are, for the most part, extremely strong. 'Where Da G's' opens with the memorable "Liar, liar, pants on fire, you're not gangster, you're not street; you just make yourself sound gangster when you're rapping on the beat," before continuing in a similar mocking tone. This is the first of two songs attacking the industry standards of the time, with Dizzee encouraging street rappers to read and educate themselves rather than faking on record. 'Hard Back' is the second industry-based song, with this one boasting an aggressive, in-your-face beat that is striking in tone, and Dizzee explains the traps of managers and labels. The beat is the real standout here, and the same could be said for 'Temptation', a song that feels as though it must have been a hit in clubs at the time. The instrumental makes you want to dance, whilst the rapid flow can be tuned out for that purpose or focussed on when having a serious listen. Closer 'U Can't Tell Me Nothin' contains the harshest sound here, more reminiscent of the early garage days that would later influence both Dizzee and contemporary Wiley. This contains some of the most "street" lyrics on the record, and it completely fits the tone of the song and makes for an excellent closer, with the chorus remaining stuck in mind for some time after hearing.
Unfortunately, not everything on here is quite so good. 'Flex' really lets the album down, with some crass and unnecessary lyrics more in line with the hip-hop market of the mid-2000's. This song hasn't aged well, and nor has the disco based 'Da Feelin'. Unlike 'Temptation', this is a dance-based track that really feels out of place here, and whilst it is a mix-up in terms of pace, it just completely kills the momentum the album had built up until that point, although single 'Bubbles' at least goes some way in repairing this. Despite these two tracks, I am firmly of the opinion that this is a superb album, and one for fans of grime and general commercial urban music alike.
