Grime veteran Dizzee Rascal has a British hit right now with the unbelievably goofy Armand Van Heldencollab"Bonkers", so it's no surprise that his new album is right around the corner. Tongue N' Cheek, the new LP, will come out September 21 in the UK via Dizzee's own Dirtee Stank label. The cover, which looks like Dizzee dreaming cartoon clouds of cotton candy, is above. Dizzee just revealed the tracklist on his MySpace, and it's below.
None of this colorful silliness is exactly what we've come to expect from the guy who made some of the fiercest, most desperate music of the past decade. There is, after all, a reason why Def Jux released his last album in the U.S. But Dizzee's given us three great albums already, so if he wants to cut loose a bit, who are we to quibble?
Dizzee will spend the rest of the year on tour around the UK. The new single "Holiday" will be out August 24 in the man's homeland.
Tongue N' Cheek:
01 Bonkers 02 Road Rage 03 Dance Wiv Me 04 Freaky Freaky 05 Can't Tek Me No More 06 ChillinWivDa Man Dem 07 Dirtee Cash 08 Money Money Money 09 Leisure 10 Holiday 11 Bad Behaviour
Shortly after Barack Obama won the U.S. presidential election, Dizzee Rascal checked in via satellite for a chat with television presenter Jeremy Paxman on the BBC program "Newsnight". The topic, not so surprisingly, was race, one the BBC's U.S. press counterparts were addressing in earnest at the time as well, given the milestone nature of Obama's victory.
It could have been another enlightening conversation on a subject on the minds of many, but as noted in a recent report in The Guardian, plenty of folks are none too happy about the way the Paxman chat played out.
Paxman has drawn criticism for being "patronising," "crass," and, as a separate GuardianTV & Radio Blog post puts it, "condescending." In particular, his decision to ask Dizzee Rascal "Do you feel yourself to be British?" has raised eyebrows, as some feel the same question would never have been asked of a white musician. Further complicating that point is a statement in the Guardian story from a BBC spokesperson, which suggests Paxman's question followed a comment about "Britishness" from former House of Lords leader Baroness Amos, who was also part of the chat. That comment appears in the interview transcriptThe Guardian has published, but not in the video of the program that's making the rounds (see below).
Dizzee's seen his share of flak as well, from other rappers and citizens who feel he misrepresented black and/or hip-hop culture, and from some 50 viewers who, The Guardian notes, wrote in to the BBC to question the rapper's "suitability as a guest on [a] special...watched by 1.4 million people." Judge for yourself in the video below, but frankly I find it hard to slight Dizzee for basically being himself, even if he was sometimes tangled up by the semantics and some of Paxman's dodgier questions (How exactly is one meant to respond to "Do you believe in political parties in Britain?" anyway?). Have a look:
Dizzee's UK label XL has no comment on the matter, and notes that Dizzee himself is not available for comment. He may well be off gearing up for a short UK jaunt that kicks off this weekend, or prepping for the arena-sized audiences he'll face when he opens for the Prodigy in April of next year.
Dizzee Rascal:
11-15 Glasgow, Scotland - ABC 11-17 Norwich, England - UEA 11-18 Southampton, England - Guildhall 11-19 Leeds, England - Academy 11-20 Lincoln, England - The Engine Shed 11-22 London, England - Forum 04-05 Cardiff, Wales - International Arena * 04-06 Newcastle, England - Arena * 04-07 Glasgow, Scotland - SECC Hall * 04-09 Birmingham, England - NIA * 04-10 Manchester, England - MEN Arena * 04-11 Nottingham, England - Arena * 04-13 Sheffield, England - Arena * 04-14 Brighton, England - Brighton Centre * 04-17 London, England - Wembley Arena *
Happily, Maths + English is getting another chance, thanks to the good folks at Def Jux. The indie rap powerhouse will issue the album on CD for the first time in the States April 29. (It will also re-release it digitally, as it is no longer available as a download here.)
The Def Jux version will feature new studio tracks "G.H.E.T.T.O." and "Driving" as well as a remix of the UGK-assisted "Where's Da G's" by Def Jux label head El-P. All told, it sounds like it was worth the wait.
01 World Outside 02 Pussyole (Old Skool) 03 Sirens 04 Where's Da G's 05 Paranoid 06 Suk My Dick 07 Flex 08 Da Feelin' 09 Bubbles 10 Excuse Me Please 11 Hard Back (Industry) 12 Temptation 13 Wanna Be 14 U Can't Tell Me Nuffin' 15 G.H.E.T.T.O. [bonus track] 16 Driving [bonus track] 17 Where's Da G's (El-P remix) [bonus track]
Real live Rascal:
01-18 Auckland, New Zealand - Mt. Smart Stadium (Big Day Out Festival) 01-20 Gold Coast, Australia - Parklands (Big Day Out Festival) 01-23 Byron Bay, Australia - Great Northern 01-24 Sydney, Australia - The Metro 01-25 Sydney, Australia - Sydney Showgrounds (Big Day Out Festival) 01-28 Melbourne, Australia - Flemington Racecourse (Big Day Out Festival) 01-30 Melbourne, Australia - The Prince 02-01 Adelaide, Australia - Adelaide Showground (Big Day Out Festival) 02-03 Perth, Australia - Claremont Showgrounds (Big Day Out Festival) 02-15 Preston, England - 53 Degrees 02-16 Newcastle, England - Newcastle Academy 02-17 London, England - Shepherds Bush Empire 02-18 Sheffield, England - Leadmill 02-19 Manchester, England - Academy 02-23 Portsmouth, England - Pyramid
Bun-B and a fresh out of prison Pimp C return with their 5th album "Underground Kingz." Many of those who are in the know about UGK are of the presumption that the group has never slacked after their much talked about relic "Ridin' Dirty," to which every rapper from Jay-Z to many others have sung its praises. Well, this time around they are back with a 2 disc set, 13 tracks a piece on each disc. And surprisingly enough, it ranks as possibly the best double disc rap has seen to this day.
Whereas 2pac, Biggie, Jay-Z and Nas fumbled by going between really horrendous to really awesome, UGK remains consistent on each song, regardless of the subject matter that reigns on this 2 disc set. Fresh out of his stint of prison, Pimp C unleashes the wonderful charm that made us love him on "Pocket Full Of Stones," and his cadence still reigns supreme. Meanwhile on this disc, Bun B remains intact, his swagger and his knack for vocabulary very much showing why he's very much has the threshold of the South by the waist and holding it as if it were his birthright.
However, that all changes on the duo's first single, "International Players Anthem (I Choose You)." OutKast lends a helping hand and blasts it off into outer space with Andre 3000's welcome back to rap streak, but rest assured the people involved with the song make it something to welcome new listeners as well as ensure the fans of yore that the group has not lost their touch. DJ Paul & Juicy J produce the track, and have chosen to go with what made "Stay Fly" such a hit, a blood curdling soul sample gone entertainingly crunk awry, while all four people, from Andre 3000 down to Big Boi's finishing and somewhat screwed and chopped verse. In addition, there's many other tracks, like the car tribute "Chrome Plated Woman."
Their usage of guest spots are very nicely done on this release as well. Scarface and Raheem Devaughn croon on the hook lines, while such guests from old school legends Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane, to others such as Talib Kweli, Dizzee Rascal, Rick Ross, Slim Thug, and many others. Overall, what a victorious welcome back to the game, and not only that, but also a vindication so sweet for Pimp C who recently was released from prison. Keep up the good work fellas.
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