Dizzee Rascal in the context of "Grime (music)"

Grime is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) that emerged in London in the early 2000s. It developed out of the earlier UK dance style UK garage, and draws influences from jungle, dancehall, and Hip-hop. The style is typified by rapid, syncopated breakbeats, generally around 140 beats per minute, and often features an aggressive or jagged electronic sound. Emceeing is a significant element of the style, and lyrics often revolve around gritty depictions of urban life.

The style initially spread among pirate radio stations and underground scenes before achieving some mainstream recognition in the UK during the mid-2000s through artists such as Dizzee Rascal, Kano, Lethal Bizzle, and Wiley. Grime's rise in the early 2000s benefited from a time before smartphones and social media dominated the music landscape, allowing the genre to develop at a slower, organic pace. Many of grime's foundational MCs, such as Ghetts, Kano, and Skepta, spent years refining their craft, with early career periods often lasting five to ten years. This period also produced significant archival material, from Run the Road compilations and Lord of the Mics DVDs to the RWD magazine, all of which captured grime's evolution at its peak. The genre’s emergence has often been compared to punk rock, a comparison solidified by tracks like Jammer's "Dagenham Dave," a nod to The Stranglers' song of the same name.

Boy in da Corner is the debut studio album by English rapper and producer Dizzee Rascal. It was first released on 21 July 2003 by XL Recordings in the United Kingdom before being released the following year in the United States.

A widespread critical success, Boy in da Corner became one of the most acclaimed records of 2003 and went on to win the Mercury Prize for best album from the UK and Ireland. It also peaked at number 23 on the British albums chart and sold over 250,000 copies worldwide by 2004. With the album's success, Dizzee Rascal gave mainstream exposure to grime music while becoming the UK's first internationally recognised emcee.

Showtime is the second studio album by grime artist Dizzee Rascal, released on 6 September 2004 and 14 September in the United States. As of May 2007, the album has sold over 16,000 units in the United States—a decline on his debut album, Boy in da Corner, which sold 58,000. It has also been certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for selling over 100,000 copies.

Maths + English is the third studio album by English rapper Dizzee Rascal. The album went gold in the UK after selling over 100,000 copies.

Tongue n' Cheek is the fourth studio album by British rapper Dizzee Rascal. The album was released on 20 September 2009 and includes the number one singles, "Dance wiv Me", "Bonkers", "Holiday" and "Dirtee Disco". It has been certified platinum by the BPI for sales of over 300,000, making it the best-selling album of Rascal's career.

"Dance wiv Me" is a single by British rapper Dizzee Rascal, from his fourth studio album, Tongue n' Cheek. It was released on 30 June 2008 and features guest vocals from Scottish musician Calvin Harris and British R&B singer Chrome. The extended mix of the song also appears on Harris' second studio album, Ready for the Weekend.

"Dance wiv Me" mixes Rascal's usual grime style with dance music from Harris and R&B from Chrome. Rascal and Harris recorded their respective verse and main hook parts separately, sending their parts back and forth over the phone, while Chrome recorded the pre hook/bridge vocals in the studio with Rascal. The song was produced by Harris, who also sings the chorus. The song debuted in the UK Singles Chart at number one and stayed there for four weeks – making it Rascal's first ever number one. It became the 12th biggest-selling single in the UK in 2008. Rascal, Chrome and Harris performed an impromptu acoustic version of "Dance wiv Me" for the BBC as part of the Glastonbury Festival 2008 coverage. The song was played in an episode on the HBO series, Entourage.

"Bonkers" is a song by English rapper Dizzee Rascal and American producer Armand van Helden. It is the first single released from Rascal's fourth studio album, Tongue n' Cheek. Rascal released the track under his own record label, Dirtee Stank Recordings on 17 May 2009 in the United Kingdom, entering at the top of the UK Singles Chart, marking Dizzee's second number-one single, third top-ten single and eleventh top-forty hit on the chart. This was also Van Helden's third number-one single, his first in ten years (with "You Don't Know Me" being his previous number-one single). In October 2011, NME placed it at number 59 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".

"Holiday" is a song by English rapper Dizzee Rascal, released as the third single from his fourth studio album, Tongue n' Cheek. It was produced by Calvin Harris, with chorus vocals by R&B singer Chrome. Harris originally wrote the song for girl group, The Saturdays, but it was rejected. The song was released digitally on 23 August 2009, with a physical copy that followed on 31 August 2009. The single debuted in the UK at number-one upon initial release, bringing Dizzee's total of number-one singles to three (four including charity singles), as well as marking the fourth top ten hit and twelfth top forty hit from the rapper.