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See full interview featured on Spotlight: A Diary for the South East
Liz Nicholls shares a chat with Dizzee Rascal MBE who headlines Party In The Paddock at Newbury Racecourse on Saturday, 17th August
Q. Hi Dizzee… What shall I call you: Dizzee, Dylan…?
“You can call me whatever you like. I’m the only one on this call.”
Q. What do your mates call you?
“I dunno! Haha!”
Q. How are you?
“Yeah good. Sorry I’m late I’m in the studio with Turno. It’s going to be a bit of a drum and bass banger. It’s got slap, yeah.”
Q. You’re starring in Northampton as well as Newbury. What’s on your set list?
“Bangers! Ebbs and flows but bangers. The classics, some old some new, maybe a few exclusives. High energy, that’s what I like. The more I’ve gone along in my career the more I’m running and jumping – it works for the crowd. The whole point of doing the show is to bring the music to life, otherwise people will just stay at home and listen. It’s quite a dynamic set. I know that every time I step on stage, that might be the one time that people get to see me, what I’m about, and it’s supposed to be a celebration. And then you get the few people who are regulars: one girl told me she’d seen me 16 times. Which is another good reason to freshen up the show sometimes. It’s a bit of a different venue, Newbury, but I’ve done a couple of racecourses before,”
Q. Do you have a flutter?
“No I don’t. I rode a horse once, though. In some country manor, I think it was New Year’s Eve. I woke up with my girlfriend at the time and I’d booked horse riding, because I thought it would be romantic and fun. I turned out to be really good at it! I was at one with the horse that morning – I was a natural! I never did it again, though!”
Q. What do you have on your rider?
“Honey and lemon for my throat, as I shout a lot, and some fruit. There’s always some beers for everyone else. Nothing crazy – my rider’s the most basic, nothing too mad. No all blue M&Ms or any *** like that! I’ve managed to be around this long by not being a prick with the festivals and to the people involved. It helps!”
Q. What’s your first memory of music?
“Whatever was on telly, Top of the Pops. And the first live music I would have seen was in church – the church band. I was always into music. I used to lock into pirate radio. If it weren’t for pirate radio I wouldn’t be here now.”
Q. Do you listen to radio now?
“Yeah sometimes. My go-to is Spotify or whatever I’m making. But the radio does pop on sometimes when I’m in the car: Radio One Extra.”
Q. Who were your heroes growing up?
“Well, my mum – now I’m older I understand all the sacrifices she made for me. Snoop Dogg, Tupak, Kurt Cobain; I love Nirvana and I was a massive Guns N Roses fan growing up. Bruce Lee, too.”
Q. Your new album Don’t Take It Personal – are you proud of it?
“As proud as I am of all my albums. I did it all independently in the studio here, at home. It was nice to go back out, do pop-ups and shows. Every time I put an album out the game’s changed a bit so it’s navigating that as well. Overall it’s been so positive, number one in the independent charts and the hip hop & R&B charts. Which was a nice touch, well received by the fans as well.”
Q. Do you have any surprising fans?
“I guess when really young kids seem to like my music, especially Bassline Junkie. Mad, as it was made in 2011! Overall I don’t make a lot of music for little kids, I just try to put a positive vibe out there, that’s all. Music doesn’t have an age range except for the obvious stuff like Barney The Dinosaur or whatever which I am not! But it’s not like kids don’t understand rhythm and melody, they just decide what they like.”
Q. Who would be your dream collabs?
“That’s a good question. Jack White would be an interesting one to be in the studio with; he’s a genius. I was riding around Brixton listening to Tale Impala yesterday, thinking I missed the boat on that one, unlike Rihanna! Properly well written, well produced music. I watched a documentary thing he put out a little while ago where he was making the album, I didn’t know anything about him until Rihanna covered that song.”
Q. Have you ever been starstruck?
“A few times! When I met Dave Grohl, he was amazing. Jay Z. Anthony Kedis from Red Hot Chilli Peppers, I toured with them, great people. I met The Undertaker once. I was hassling him for an autograph in the gym, Berlin I think it was. That was a fun moment!”
Q. How about Snoop?
“Ahh yeah, how could I forget Uncle Snoop? That’s my first hero, before everyone. I met him twice and was able to tell him how much he’s inspired me over the years, and then I rapped one of my favourite Snoop songs to him. Then I did what you’re supposed to do with Snoop Dogg, obviously, haha!”
[Gets attacked by a giant hornet in the studio]
Q. Apart from bees do you have any animals in your house?
“I’ve got some koi. A couple of sturgeon. I don’t really do pets.”
Q. Are there any acts of festivals you’re looking forward to this year?
“Without sounding like an arse**** I don’t really go to festivals unless I’m working there. I usually just pull up before, I don’t hang around too long because I don’t want to get distracted. I don’t like waiting around.”
Q. Any up-and-coming acts you love worth a shout out?
“Yeah I just did another track with Turno, with a girl called Queen Mills and Rose. Also LZEE, he’s doing his thing right now. Kwengface, he’s in prison at the moment but he’ll be home at some point – I really like him. And obviously Turno!”
Q. I love a bit of drum and bass, don’t you?
“Yeah, to be fair that’s how I started. I started DJing when I was 13 or 14, jungle records. Then I started MCing, which is so hard with drum and bass. Then I started MCing over garage a bit. Then I started making my own stuff which is what ended up being called grime with the likes of Wiley and Terra Danger who doesn’t get mentioned enough actually.”
Q. Have you been enjoying the sport this summer?
“I watch boxing whenever it’s on. I usually watch it with David Hay which is always good! You’ll start saying s*** thinking you’re an expert and then every now and then you get reminded, he’s the expert. What’s funny is he’ll be watching it, we’ll be talking and everyone trying to chime in, then he’ll get the phone out and go to Stories and putting his two-pence in, so everyone just shuts up. But it’s amazing because he’s a legend, former heavyweight cruiserweight legendary boxer, and he’s sitting with us!”
Q. What invention would radically improve the quality of your life?
“A money machine! Does everyone say that?! No? Is that just me? God damn, I might be on to something. Maybe a device that brings the song I’m hearing in my head, as I hear it, and it’s just out, done, bang! But then that would probably take the fun out of it, right?”
