Dizzee Rascal Gets A Bit Too Extravagant On "Raskit"

If there one thing grime isn't, it's poppy. It's aggressive, it's active, and it's even a bit cocky. When it tries to imitate the popular themes of conventional rap in pop media... it doesn't go too well. Dizzee Rascal gets a bit too extravagant on Raskit, making a record that sounds a bit too trivial.

The key elements of grime definitely make their way into the album. Opening track 'Focus' has some pretty obnoxious skits but the instrumental is huge, synths rolling everywhere in an almost alien soundscape. Its wild and raw - that's typically the nature of a good grime instrumental. 'Space' brings another active instrumental, Dizzee's verses unwavering as he goes off without taking a single break in the fire.

A lot of the record just comes off as forgettable, sadly. Not many of the instrumentals really stand out like those two tracks did, and there are just some super cringeworthy moments. Using the word "cockatoo" in 'She Knows What She Wants' (and repeating the title 20 times) and many weird lines in 'Bop N Keep Diggin It' really bring the record down. Closing track 'Man Of The Hour' isn't anything remarkable and ends on a skit like the one that opened the record, making it a pretty obnoxious one.

Dizzee Rascal gets a bit too extravagant on Raskit, not really combining the modern hip-hop flair with grime as he tries to. Grime is too much of a gritty genre to mesh well with the themes in pop rap, and its evidenced here that its a mixture that works once and not again. Perhaps someone else can come along and do it better, but that hopes aren't looking too high for this one.

Favorite Track: Space

Least Favorite Tracks: Man Of The Hour, Bop N Keep Diggin It

Rating: 70 / 100

Stream or buy Raskit on Apple Music: