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Dizzee Rascal :: "Pussyhole"From Maths And English (XL; 2007)
It's been too long since we’ve had some new Dizzee Rascal to get excited about. After releasing his first two albums within a year of each another, Dizzee's slowed down a bit, making us wait for Maths and English. Then again, maybe it’s a good idea: coming so close on the heels of Boy in da Corner (2003), and with less in the way of an immediate single, it was easy to overlook the superior Showtime (2004). Three years later (and now, what, all of 22 years old?), and with no one really stepping up to challenge him in the grime-rap field, it’s nice to hear Dizzee stepping back up and knocking one out.
“Pussyhole” isn’t anything terribly jarring; that’s maybe the most surprising part of it. Rather than head back toward the hard electronic elements of his early singles Dizzee is getting closer and closer to American hip-hop, sampling “It Takes Two” here to great effect. If anything, this is closest to “Dream” off Showtime, except where that one played up the laid-back loop and friendly nostalgia, “Pussyhole” is a straight-up banger. Dizzee’s always been a bit overlooked as a rapper; on those early singles he was always overshadowed by the weirdness of the beats and his thick accent. Now, though, rapping over something a bit more familiar (and toning down the East London inflection and idiosyncratic turns of phrase), Dizzee gets a chance to shine. Anyone who has seen him perform live can attest to his quick wordplay and charisma; on this song he’s firing hard on both fronts. It’s remarkable to hear the man spitting so fast and mean and still sounding more funny than petulant. It takes nerve to title a track “Pussyhole’; it takes some serious skill to make it this damn funky and addictive.
Peter Hepburn :: 2 April 2007 |
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