As the fastest evolving artist to ever grace the Grime scene, it’s wise to keep up with Dizzee as often as possible. For this Beats 1 Radio interview, he sits down with Pharrell and Scott Vener to chat about his new album, the new generation of music, and Brexit. See what we learnt from the talk below.
He’s Been Looking Toward The Oscars For Inspiration
Chatting about his recent collaboration with Calvin Harris on his single, “Hype”, Dizzee fills us in on the inspiration for the lyrics behind the track. Starting with, “Top of the roster, real deal you can see it in my posture, feel like Leo with his Oscar,” it’s obvious Bow’s own has been keeping a close eye on the entertainment industry.
Dizzee wrote the bars whilst sitting in LA watching Leo finally copping the gold at the Oscars. “Hype” is a track made for summer and Dizzee explains the forethought of seeing it ready to go off in time for the summer festival surge.
He Has Mixed Emotions About Brexit
He starts by saying something we’d all been feeling. Whoever came up with the name ‘Brexit’ should get sacked. Pharell with his philosophical way of thinking asks a number of questions about how Britain has changed for Dizzee after Brexit and the implications of the vote on him as a black male from the UK.
Dizzee’s response takes into consideration why people voted in certain ways. He talks about the age gap and how the media stir a pot, dividing opinion and causing fractures with little evidence behind their claims.
With Brexit, Dizzee also talks about how he would’ve felt similarly angry when he first started out as an MC. Personally, his position has changed from an angry teenager to a man living in Penthouses and catching jets to shows. This distance has given him the ability to consider things he may not have done originally.
Pharrell Is Actually A Philosopher
It wouldn’t be surprising if when Pharell passes, teachers start teaching his words in year 7 R.E. Man’s seriously tuned in and it’s hard to not spend a lot of the interview a bit baffed as to what he was talking about. Talking about how creativity is born, it was all a bit deep for what looked like a quite lighthearted interview. From the look on Dizzee’s face at some points, he probably agrees.
How He Deals With Haters
As you can expect from a megastar, Dizzee has been subject to a mountain of jealousy over the years. Still talking about the Brexit debate he explains how he deals with those people too busy involving themselves in the lives of others rather than their own.
Probably a million miles away from the way he would deal with people in the days of Boy in The Corner, Dizzee suggests listening and as the key to understanding other people’s points of view. With the heated Brexit debate, it’s easier to draw for the “racist” card rather than seeing what others have to say. You never know, you might learn something….
He Chilled With Slipknot
Remember those guys who played metal and wore masks in the early 2000’s? One of them had an unlikely companion in Dizzee during one of their earlier shows. He admitted this when talking about the current fluidity of the music scene in America.
Talking about the “new generation” of music, he described the way when a track is released, within a week, a load of different genres have a go at chopping it up and re-releasing it. Music now, for Dizzee, can travel a lot further.
Pharrell’s Keen To Work On The New Album
During the interview, the idea of Pharrell blessing Dizzee’s upcoming, half finished album, flew across the table a few times. With a release date for the 30th September, Pharrell’s got more than enough time to work some of that beat magic. He even started putting something together during the interview.
We Can Expect A Return To Roots Mixed With Dizzee’s Sing Along Style
Talking about the new album, Dizzee explains how he’s enjoyed a return to rapping. With a lot of his albums since BITC being easily categorised as ‘Pop’, it’s refreshing to think of a return to what Dizz does best.