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Boy In Da Corner (20th Anniversary Edition)
Artist
Display Artist
Dizzee Rascal
ReleaseProduct
Boy In Da Corner (20th Anniversary Edition)
Label
XL Recordings
Catalogue Number
XL1379DA
Release Date
July 21, 2023

Genres

Already a true classic and incredibly important album when it dropped in 2003, Dizzee Rascal’s game changing debut LP crystallises the sounds, moods, and surroundings of the UK’s inner-city, and ensured underground hip hop and grime would never be the same again. Taking place in the concrete brutalism of London streets and school playgrounds, Boy In Da Corner was born in the days of pirate radio and white label rarities, yet remains evergreen as Dizzee’s youthful presence and the problems he lyrically eviscerates still resonate with every new generation.

Throughout, Dizzee finds himself cornered as he draws out the peculiar struggles of urban UK life, but also stands alone as a totally singular artist. At 16 years old, he produced an absolute tune right out the gate: ‘I Luv U’ paints intense stories with emphatic words and hyperventilating beats. “Damn right I’m articulate,” he says, unveiling a visceral vocabulary of rhymes, and retro synth sounds lifted from video games and ringtones. His production palette ranges from shiny plucks and bubblegum squeaks to the distorted, rounded bassline that characterises grime and UK bass at large.

‘Sittin’ Here’ captures London’s urban atmosphere, the incidental sounds of the streets mixed into the effortless groove with adlibs crowding every line like passersby. Dizzee’s wailing, concentrated anger manifests itself as cut-throat lyrics delivered with precision, taking on a greater intensity once going head to head with the gritted wobble bass of ‘Stop Dat’ and creeping beats on ‘2 Far’. MIDI harps add a playful, bardic presence to his narration on ‘Jezebel’, but it's the harsher ‘Seems 2 Be’ where he really rips up the rulebook and opens a new path; its menacing drums bunk any sense of regular rhythm to hit heavy and spotlight Dizzee’s hardcore braggadocio.

Dizzee Rascal’s innovative production and take no prisoners attitude would colour rap and electronic music for the next twenty years, and Boy In Da Corner will likely continue to be a touchstone for the rest of this century too.

Digital Tracklist

Disc 1

  1. 1 Sittin' Here 4:05 Buy

    Sittin' Here

  2. 2 Stop Dat 3:40 Buy

    Stop Dat

  3. 3 I Luv U 4:05 Buy

    I Luv U

  4. 4 Brand New Day 3:59 Buy

    Brand New Day

  5. 5 2 Far 3:07 Buy

    2 Far

  6. 6 Fix Up, Look Sharp 3:44 Buy

    Fix Up, Look Sharp

  7. 7 Cut 'Em Off 3:54 Buy

    Cut 'Em Off

  8. 8 Hold Ya Mouf 2:53 Buy

    Hold Ya Mouf

  9. 9 Round We Go 4:13 Buy

    Round We Go

  10. 10 Jus' a Rascal 3:28 Buy

    Jus' a Rascal

Disc 2

  1. 1 Vexed 4:11 Buy

    Vexed

  2. 2 Street Fighter 3:19 Buy

    Street Fighter

  3. 3 I Luv U (Remix) 4:24 Buy

    I Luv U (Remix)

  4. 4 Give U More 3:25 Buy

    Give U More

  5. 5 Win 2:25 Buy

    Win

  6. 6 We Aint Havin It 3:45 Buy

    We Aint Havin It

  7. 7 Kryme 3:41 Buy

    Kryme

  8. 8 Ready 4 War 4:40 Buy

    Ready 4 War

  9. 9 Street Fighter (Instrumental) 2:41 Buy

    Street Fighter (Instrumental)

  10. 10 Go (Instrumental) 4:34 Buy

    Go (Instrumental)

Show All Tracks 29

Dizzee Rascal

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XL Recordings

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Grime and Weightless

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2000s

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Limited Editions

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