15 years ago today, Dizzee Rascal dropped his iconic debut album Boy in Da Corner. Having sold over 250,000 copies within the first year of its release as well as winning the 2003 Mercury Prize for Best Album, Boy in Da Corner received worldwide critical acclaim and catapulted him into success. In commemoration of this huge milestone, here are seven tracks off of the album to remind us why its so legendary.
1. “Seems 2 Be”
This track starts off with one of Dizzee’s most famous bars “I roll deep on these, put these MC’s on deep freeze…” which he spits both on this song and his unforgettable “Creeper freestyle”. “Seems 2 Be” has, and still continues to get recognition, notably fellow Grime artist Stormzy has made reference to the song on two occasions.
Firstly, on “And Dat” which he features on with Bonkaz. Where he says,”Grew up Creep, I roll deep on these, put these MC’s on deep freeze and dat”.
Secondly on Stormzy’s “Return of the rucksack” (2017) where the “Seems 2 Be” bar is reworked and serves as the basis for the hook. The Gang Signs and Prayer rapper has cited Dizzee Rascal as one of his influences and that is shown here.
2. “2 Far”
Dizzee certainly didn’t lean on any other artists on his debut, and kept the features to a minimum. This track has to get a mention as its one of the only times Dizzee and Wiley featured together on wax.
Much like Dr. Dre’s Detox, we may never get the fabled Wiley & Dizzee album that purists have longed for; as the pair remain at loggerheads. Although this is not due to lack of trying on Wiley’s part as he has reached out to Dizzee on numerous occasions; Diz put all our hopes of reconciliation to bed emphatically on “The Other Side” on his last album Raskit.
3. “Jus A Rascal”
An eponymous track in some regard, the hook on “Jus A Rascal” is one heavily associated with the award winning rapper. It was the 3rd single released from Boy in Da Corner. It peaked at number 30 on the UK singles chart and has since been featured across media in productions such as Skins and Kidulthood.
4. “Live-O”
Throughout Boy in Da Corner, the east London rapper switches up his flow, and listeners saw his prowess to do so again in this song. At several points in this track Dizzee repeats “its live-o!” which people have been belting out for years since.
In 2014, Dizzee Rascal and Fekky linked up to give us “Still Sittin Here”, Fekky kicks off the song by saying “Its live-o!” in the same way that Dizzee originally did, he then goes onto put his on twist on the line and incorporate his bars around it. Which leads us onto the next one.
5.“Sittin’Here”
Fekky and Dizzee Rascal’s “Still Sittin Here” actually makes use of two Boy in Da Corner classics. The instrumental on “Still Sittin’here” is revamped to provide the beat for their collab. The names also cleverly relate – making the transition from “Sitting Here” to “Still Sittin Here”. At this point Boy in Da Corner was over a decade old but a reworked sequel was greatly appreciated and is undisputedly a banger.
6. “I Luv U”
The platinum selling rapper’s debut single and the lead single from Boy in Da Corner. “I Luv U” peaked at number 29 in the UK singles charts and spent three weeks in the Top 75. Fellow East London vocalist and rapper, Shystie co produced “I Luv U” alongside Dizzee himself, she also went on to do her own adaptation of the track.
“I Luv U” is undoubtedly one of the most recognisable tracks in Dizzee’s entire discography, and will forever be a cultural reference point to the grime purists amongst us. The next generation of stars continue to pay their respects to the classic track, with the likes of Stormzy referencing “I Luv U” in his 2015 track “Know Me From”.
7. “Fix Up, Look Sharp”
Last but not least, one of Dizzee Rascal’s most renowned songs “Fix Up, Look Sharp”, this was the 2nd single from Boy in Da Corner. Just as his other singles did, this track went on to peak at number 17 on the charts and spent three weeks in the Top 40. It heavily samples “The Big Beat” by Billy Squier and has gone onto be sampled by artists from several different genres.
“Fix Up, Look Sharp” is another Boy in Da Corner tune that has been included across various facets of the entertainment industry; featuring in Skins, Smallville and the game Def Jam Rapstar. Other than all of its accolades, this song holds a special place in listener’s hearts and gets a wheel up on every occasion.
Of the 15 tracks featured on Boy in Da Corner, they have all shown that they can still shut down any dance, show or festival. Boy in Da Corner is quite rightly dubbed a timeless classic. So a big congratulations to Dizzee Rascal for 15 successful years of Boy in Da Corner!