The stateside success of poppy artists like The Streets and Lady Sovereign has made the notion of British hip-hop a little more palatable to American audiences, but that’s not worth a whole lot to a guy like Dizzee Rascal.
As the most visible face of the UK “grime music” scene—an aptly named blend of hip-hop and dancehall with some industrial influences—Dizzee doesn’t go in much for the cheeky posturing of his better-known contemporaries. His harsh flow, hard-knock lyrics and undanceable beats fairly guarantee he’ll remain an underground sensation in the U.S. His hipster cred, on the other hand, is through the roof. He’s recorded with college radio mainstay labels like Matador and Def Jux and collaborated with indie darlings Beck and Arctic Monkeys.
Dizzee’s latest album, Maths + English, does feature an appearance by pop-rap pixie Lily Allen, but that doesn’t mean he’s given up the grime—he allegedly rejected a guest vocal by Joss Stone because it made the track sound too accessible. Of local interest: Dizzee’s website claims Friday’s show takes place at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis, Michigan, so don’t expect a lot of love for the hometown.
Dizzee is particularly well-matched with his tour mate, Def Jux founder and consummate hip-hop nerd El-P. A skilled DJ with a flair for lo-fi experimentation, his genre-bending work includes collaborations with meditative jazz man Matthew Ship and rappers ranging from Del the Funkee Homosapien to Rage Against the Machine’s Zach De La Rocha.
His live sets are marked by high-energy, hyper-literate flows delving into philosophy and fantasy, themes that always play well with the West Bank’s collegiate set.