Dizzee Rascal – Don’t Take It Personal is the latest release from one of the UK’s best-known and most critically acclaimed rappers. Beginning his career in 2003 with his debut album Boy In Da Corner, Rascal has since become known as a pioneer of Grime music, also having achieved five UK top 10 hits with tracks including Bonkers, Dirtee Disco, and Shout, and winning numerous awards for his music over the years. This 2024 Dizzee Rascal album, meanwhile, sees him sounding as fresh and confident as ever, melding elements of House, Dubstep, and Garage with his staple genres of Grime and Hip Hop.
There are sixteen tracks on the album in total, and although this may sound like a lot, most of the tracks clock in at around three minutes or less. This lends Don’t Take It Personal an overwhelming feeling of restless energy, with short, potent tracks coming thick and fast and subsequently complimenting Rascal’s lively, instantly recognizable style of rapping. Although its title may suggest otherwise, the second track How Did I Get So Calm showcases this perfectly, with its short, sharp jabs of lyric bringing an intense energy to the way Rascal airs his feelings about growing up and mellowing out. Another highlight is Switch and Explode, which often sounds as though it’s going to do the latter as Rascal spits some serious bars over grinding synths and beats that throb relentlessly from start to finish.
Dizzee Rascal – Don’t Take It Personal also occasionally sees the rapper hand the spotlight over to some guest artists. Production duo iLL BLU brings a refreshing house feel to Sugar and Spice, for instance, whilst Hackney rapper Not3s adds some lilting rhythms and surprisingly plaintive melodies to the chorus of Here For Now.
The goal of this 2024 Dizzee Rascal album was to “pick the vibe up”, according to a recent interview with the rapper on British television. It has certainly achieved this goal, bringing together fast and aggressive grime moments and more chilled-out EDM-influenced material to create an album that will both entertain and impress.
You can find all the streaming links plus new merch right here: https://lnk.to/DontTakeItPersonal.
