Shabooty Interview Series: Dizzee Rascal

Photo of Dizzee Rascal via Myspace

Dizzee Rascal, the UK grime rapper has crossed the pond and is in the states for a spring ’08 tour. He’s hooked up with Def Jux which has released his album, Maths+English here in the great USofA. I had a chance to sit down with Dizzee and kick it. I’m sure there was no way that I’d be as interesting as whatever happens in the back of a tour-bus, but I tried my best!

Shabooty: Hi Dizzee, Who’s your favorite soccer team?
Dizzee: West ham, ’cause I’m from East London

Do you rock the jerseys too?
Nah – we don’t call em jerseys, either. …[we call em] a ‘kit’ [clothes].

Are you a fan of Ali G (Sacha Baron Cohen)?
Yeah I like Ali G, I like Borat, yeah man, you look a bit like him.
Ha ha, yeah esp. if I wore the wu-wear shit, eh?

What you think about Beckham and Posh Spice?
He’s a wicked football player ain’t he, he does his thing man, yeah he’s good.

Are you down with him repping LA like that?
His futbol [career] has taken him to LA, I ain’t got no problem with that.

How much was hooking up w/ EL-P a business decision and how much of it was a match in your personalities?
I signed before I even met him…but now we fuck around, have drinks etc, personally we get along really well.

There wasn’t some fancy business development meeting where he wooed you over a yacht and champagne?
Nah…

Was Pimp C’s death hard for you, when you heard the news?
It was a bit unexpected. It’s just a shame, as a fan, I was a fan first. He’s one of the first rappers that I listened to that actually died while i was actually into ‘em, 2pac kinda died already before I really got into him. But with Pimp C –I listened to him and then got to work with him, so it was a bit of a weird situation. It’s sad…sad man.

How’d you get the name Dizzee Rascal?
I was Dizzee at first, I used to mix drum and bass records, and I got the name Dizzee and a teacher called me rascal one day in class. I liked the name so I kept rascal. People still called me Dizzee, so I just put the two together.

I was shocked to see your age -I don’t think ya come across like a wee lil lad/youngin’ young guy in your music, eh?
Right right, I’m 23 now. A lot of people say that I’m an ‘old soul’

You’re kinda like Amy Whinehouse minus all the problems?
I suppose so, I read between the lines man.

Have you met any other of the weathermen?
Nah, I’ve only met El
[Editor's Note: Aesop Rock will be at the NY and SF dates of the Dizzee P tour]

F Marry Kill –you have to f one marry one and kill one: Posh spice, Scary spice, Madonna
Fuck em all, man.
Who’d you kill though… posh spice, scary spice, madonna?
Not really, I’d just fuck em all.
You’d kill ‘em in the bed?
There you go.

Do you feel the reaction from your American fans has been positive ones?
Yeah it’s only been a couple months [with dejfux], but its been real positive, starting the tour, been on a few radio shows, the response has been all good man.
And you’re exposed to a new base of fans with all of the “Jukies”
I suppose so.

(Editor’s note: The following was a reader submission q that I felt compelled to ask)
Do you enjoy TEA @ any time of the day?
Don’t ask me that shit again.

*whoops!*

Do you prefer chicks w/o English accents? / Do you find non-English accents in women sexy?
Nah, I like a girl with an English accent. I like all different accents. I love Spanish accents.
Latinas?
Spanish accents, Spanish people from Spain.

Explain what grime means (across the pond).
Originally a pirate radio based [blend of] garage and drum and base …it’s rap based music that came off the uk garage and d&b, it involves raves, pirate radio, small grime ragga shows originally, thats kinda what I know it for, and it became the grime scene.

Would you say Americans are assholes?
You are.
Am I? FORREAL?
Yeahhh. They’re assholes all over the world though, innit? I wouldn’t say Americans specifically are assholes.

What would you say your biggest insecurity is?
Not being able to make good music.
And running out of creative steam?
Yeah exactly, yeah.

I asked if the headliner was Dizzee then EL… Dizze closed out the show.

Btw, Dizzee said I WASN’T an asshole at the end of the interview. You know what they say though, always stick with your first instincts. heh, just kidding.

Oh by the way, Dere iz narr fit bitches in D.C. –If you’re obsessed with British slang, check out this dictionary.

$

Remaining Tour Dates For The Dizzee-P Tour:

May 9 – First Unitarian Church, Philly
May 10 – Webster Hall, NYC
May 11 – The Middle East, Boston
May 12 – New Capital Music Hall, Ottawa
May 13 – Crofoot Ballroom, Detroit
May 14 – The Abbey Pub, Chicago
May 16 – Triple Rock Club, Minneapolis
May 19 – Neumos, Seattle
May 20 – Berbatis Pan, Portland
May 21 – 1015, San Francisco
May 22 – El Rey, Los Angeles