Dylan Mills' (Dizzee Rascal) career in music began as a teenager, when he started making music on the computer software at school. This developed into him learning to DJ and DJing on local pirate radio stations. At the age of 16 he produced grime hit 'I Luv U'. His early career in the underground grime scene developed into the electro-pop star that he is today.
Tongue n' Cheek
Dizzee Rascals most recent album, Tongue n' Cheek, was released on 21st September 2009. It hit the charts and became the number one UK Rnb album in addition to ranking 3rd on the UK albums chart. It is his fourth studio album to date which features his vocals and production skills amongst a variety of other producers and collaborators including Calvin Harris, Shy FX and his main producer Cage.
The album has 5 singles, including hit singles 'Dance wiv me' and 'Bonkers'. Bonkers was produced by Arman Van Helden, and is a house tune which is the product of Dizzee's experimentation in music, leaving behind the grime genre.
The album was released on his own label 'Dirtee Stank' and independant label 'Liberation Records'.
Artwork
The Album artwork is very relevant to Dizzee's musical career's development. The Bright blocks of colour and simple design make it perfect for a pop album cover, being visually striking but at the same time easy for the majority of people to understand and to like - the essence of pop music.The bubble graffiti style font is appealing and stands out, whilst being casual and keeping a link to grime culture. His casual sitting position and attire contribute to this new image of a casual pop star.
The artwork is very effective for its purpose, simple without being bland, and visually attractive. The simple line drawing and block colour are the essence of its effect, and establish it as an individual album cover - without being too individual as to repel the majority of pop music listeners. I think that it is a brilliantly suitable design for its purpose.
When compared to the album artwork to his first album, 'Boy in da corner' (shown right), there are great similaraties in the simple design and block colours, however there is a much more dangerous approach - he does not smile, he wears all black with a hood and the bright colours consist of yellow and black - a symbol of warning. Comparison of this album cover with the artwork for Tongue n' Cheek demonstrates his transformation from a grime artist into a pop star appropriately.Press Coverage
The album receieved massive press coverage from its first announcement by Dizzee Rascal on televisions' Friday Night with Johnothan Ross. On August 11th NME posted an article saying that Dizzee had told them the tracklisting to the upcoming album and its release date, in addition to his tour dates for the album release tour. The article is viewable here *LINK*
The album release has also seen press coverage from the likes of BBC Music, Telegraph, The Guardian and The Times. In an interview on BBC Radio 1 Dizzee Rascal stated that he was leaving his grime roots and progressing onto more mainstream pop music. This confirms my analysis of the album artwork for Tongue n' Cheek.
'Although always the clear leader of the British grime scene, Dizzee Rascal is new to the amount of commercial success he has experienced recently. Two of the songs on Tounge 'n Cheek have topped the UK singles chart before the album has even been released, throwing Dizzee into the mainstream consciousness. Accordingly, Tounge 'n Cheek moves away from Dizzee's grime roots, embracing pop and dance music, however the razor-sharp lyrical ability and wit remain at the core of his sound.' - (Tongue n' Cheek album review, Amazon.co.uk)
This quote from an online review at Amazon.co.uk demonstrates the angle from which the majority of press is viewing this album - a positive but true interpretation of his current career. The press coverage has largely been due to the two hit singles which Dizzee had released previous to the album release, as the quote above testifies. Music videos and radio plays have brought Dizzee into the mainstream media and interviews, television appearances and the internet have given him a foothold from which to broadcast new of the albums progress and release date. There has also been a physical promotion campaign for the albums release involving posters and bilboards across the country.
Above: Dizzee Rascal shown on the cover of NME Magazine
Here is a video clip of Dizzee Rascal's hit single from the album, 'Holiday'.
This song has a very danceable beat and catchy rhythm with friendly lyrics and a non-aggressive performance. In comparision this video clip of Dizzee Rascal's first song 'I Luv U' (shown below) shows his original gritty style, with an aggressive lyrical flow and true to life storytelling lyrics. It is also in a minor key with heavy bass synths. Also the level of production is considerably lower than that of tongue n' cheek.
In conclusion the album release has been hugely successful, making its impact upon pop culture today with a well timed and executed specific promotion campaign.
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Bibliography
'Dizzee Rascal reveals new album 'Tongue 'N' Cheek' tracklist' article on NME.com, August 11th 2009 - www.nme.com/news/dizzee-rascal/46630
Tongue n' Cheek CD review, 21st September 2009, Amazon.co.uk - http://www.blogger.com/www.amazon.co.uk/Tongue-N-Cheek-Dizzee-Rascal/dp/B002HWRMS2
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