Dizzee Rascal Brit-Hop
OK, so think of too-short with a hard core London street accent and your pretty close to Dizzee Rascal. I can only describe his sound as minimal electro with the tight Roland tb303 hip hop percussion (probably from his Drum N Bass DJ roots).
His lyrics are of course about the street, drugs, un-planned pregnancy, fighting, not messing with his crew, etc. Somehow though, his music has more soul and meaning to it, I don't really know how to describe this. I feel its a more intense listening experience than some of our American counterparts. Maybe this is due to the almost now MTV ubiquitous sound that permeates the radio and TV airwaves? When I hear the Dizzee Rascal sound it cuts right through its all, and really makes an impression. My friend Kevin hipped me to it and I have been doing some heavy listening on my iPod of late.
View: Dizzee Rascal Bio at XL Recordings
View: "I Luv You" Music Video Quicktime required
Buy: Dizzee Rascal - Boy in Da Corner $14.99