Dizzee Rascal and Hip-Hop Culture

Hip hop is not just African-American music, it is an art form that has managed to spread all over the world and its representation varies from region to region. What is hip-hop in one place could potentially sound totally different from what hip-hop is in another. This is evident in hearing the English form of hip-hop coming from an artist called Dizzee Rascal. Dizzee Rascal, born Dylan Mills, is an 18-year-old rapper and producer from London, England’s “East End”. Dizzee’s mother raised Dizzee by herself in a in a council estate, a fancy name for what is called the projects in America. He was expelled from school four times and was known for robbing pizza deliveries and stealing cars. Now, doesn’t this sound like the background of an American rapper? I sure do think so.


In listening to Dizzee’s music, I noticed that Dizzee shares alot in common with American hip-hop artists in his music in the topics, beats, and visual representation in his videos. I immediately noticed this while watching Flex, one of Dizzee’s videos. The women dancing, the club scene, the lyrics, and the beat he used are somewhat similar to what would be found in American culture. However, the women being fully clothed and the style that the lyrics were delivered in all serve as how much American hip-hop and English hip-hop cultures differ from each other. In English hip-hop, the lyrics tend to be very poetic and sound very effortlessly when English hip-hop artists say them. It basically sounds like a poem with a beat behind it. This is the case in Dizzee’s song, Dream. Even though he used a sample like American hip-hop, the lyrics were said in a way that was quick and poetic. Overall, I believe that although hip-hop share a couple of differences, the similarities are strong enough to form one genre.