10 years since his last appearance in the UAE, legendary British musician Dizzee Rascal will perform at the Emirates Golf Club on October 28.
First appearing to DJ at Creamfields Abu Dhabi in 2010, and again two years later at Dubai’s Sandance Festival, the people over at BookMyShow have been trying to get the Dance Wiv Me rapper back in Dubai for a hot minute, and it seems its finally time.
Dizzee’s been a legend in the grime scene for years through his fusion of electronic and hip-hop influences, and with 3.3 million monthly Spotify listeners, his own influence stays fixed across generations.
Here’s a couple things you might not know about the artist.
1. He’s an OG pioneer in the creation of Grime
Though people have differing opinions on when Grime was created, Dizzee’s influence stays discernible. Grime came out around 2002 with the work of Wiley and Dizzee Rascal, and by 2003 at just 19 years old, Dizzee’s debut album ‘Boy in Da Corner’ beat the likes of mainstream acts such as Coldplay, Radiohead, and The Darkness, in the 2003 Mercury Music Awards. This made it clear to the world that Grime was here to stay, and more importantly made it clear to labels that this is where the money should be at- creating opportunities by putting the genre on the map.
2. His Government name
Dizzee was born as Dylan Kwabena Mills to a Ghanaian mother and Nigerian father on 18 September 1984 in Bow, London. His father passed away when he was young, so Dizzee was close to his mother who he says helped him by “finding a different school every time I got kicked out, always fighting to keep me in the school system”. Dizzee was expelled from four different schools, and got the name ‘rascal’ from a teacher after explusion number four.
3. Started making music on a school computer
Seems Dizzee’s educational career wasn’t all for nought- encouraged by his music teacher Joseph Robson, the rapper first started chopping it up on a school computer. By 14, Dizzee Rascal became an amateur drum and bass DJ and during the summer, he attended a music workshop organized by Tower Hamlets Summer University (of which he is still a patron).
4. One of the first rappers in the UK to discuss mental health struggles
The rapper’s debut album depicted his experience of depression and examined the trauma faced by kids growing up in systemic poverty and oppression. In 2008, Dizzee recorded a song for suicide charity CALM; the track entitled “Dean” was about a friend of Dizzee’s who tragically took his own life.
5. Performed during the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics
One of the only rappers to ever do the prestigious gig- Dizzee Rascal performed his hit Bonkers, from his platinum album Tongue N’ Cheek at the 2012 London Olympics. The song’s a mid 2000s banger that Dizzee is unlikely to ever retire- it would be severely disappointing if he ever did to be fair (like paying to see Noel Gallagher and him not playing don’t look back in anger).
Tickets for Dizzee Rascal’s October show are on sale now and can be purchased through the PlatinumList website here. Prices range from AED 225-375 at the 21+ event.