Dizzee began MCing on pirate radio and at raves at fifteen, but since his mainstream success he has distanced himself from the fledgling scene. Rascal grew up in the East End of London in south Bow in a council estate, raised by his single mother, a Ghanaian immigrant. Little is known about his father, though it is thought that he died when Mills was two. He attributes his musical development to a school teacher who allowed him to skip regular classes and spend time working on music on the school computers.
His music is an eclectic mixture of garage and hip-hop beats with an extremely broad palette of influences, ranging from metal guitars to found sounds, drill and bass synth lines, eclectic samples and even Japanese court music. His vocal performance is also distinctive, he uses a fast version of rapping (known as 'spitting') which blends elements from garage MCing, conventional rap, grime and ragga.
Dizzee Rascal has numerous rivals within the Grime scene, mainly from the Bow, East London area. A notable rival of Dizzee Rascal is Crazy Titch who produced and recorded a diss called "Just An Arsehole" which used the backing track of Dizzee's record of "Jus A Rascal".
Dizzee Rascal has had international endorsements deals with urban brand Ecko and designed his own shoe with Nike. He has also worked with cross genre artist, Beck, on a remix of the song Hell Yes.
He released his debut album in 2003, which was called Boy In Da Corner, winning him the 2003 Mercury Prize. His second album Showtime was released in 2004. His third effort, Maths and English was released in 2007. All three albums received critical acclaim. He experienced commercial success in 2008 when Dance Wiv Me reached the number one spot in the UK charts. His fourth album, Tongue n' Cheek was released in 2009, going platinum for sales exceeding 300,000 units in the UK. Dizzee Rascal's album The Fifth was released in 2013, the same year he received an honorary Doctorate of the Arts from the University of East London.
In 2017, Rascal released Raskit, which as well as building on his sound heralded a return on some songs to the grime sound of his earlier albums.
Discography:
Studio albums:
2003: Boy in da Corner
2004: Showtime
2007: Maths + English
2009: Tongue n' Cheek
2013: The Fifth
2017: Raskit
2020: E3 AF
2024: Don't Take It Personal
Temptation
Dizzee Rascal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gotta stay head-strong, keep rolling on
No point getting caught in the hype is long
Like I don't know right from wrong
So I gotta be real
Nothing to prove, I'm still
Big in the hood, I feel
So in control, I'm chill
So I stay top on the bill
I'm the main event, the headliner
Went from jungle DJ to rhymer
Never thought I would be the big timer
But I still par it like, yo, it's a minor
Cause I still rep my ends, still check my friends
Can I keep it up? I guess it all depends
If I can keep my mind right
Don't get tempted by the limelight
I think I'll be alright
Temptation leads like your naughty mate
The one that used to get you in bother
The one you can never bring yourself to hate
Can't avoid the temptation
But I know I gotta change my ways
And keep my nose clean, gotta fix up
Take a look at my life cause I ain't sixteen
And I ain't no boy, ain't no kid
The world ain't flat and the picture's big
Certain things that I gotta get rid
And a whole lot more that I gotta get with
So I gotta stay and roam on my own
Gotta move on, I can't stay at home
Cause I know what's there is all the same
Crack, cocaine and ghetto fame
Cold hard cash and a bit of a name
And I've see it all, so I need a change
Lost too many bredrens to the game
And you could say temptation's to blame
Temptation leads like your naughty mate
The one that used to get you in bother
The one you can never bring yourself to hate
Temptation leads like your naughty mate
The one that used to get you in bother
The one you can never bring yourself to hate
We used to be tight
Me and my naughty friends
Caused pure madness in the ends
I mean day and night
We robbed, we stole, we loved to fight
Smoking, drinking, joyriding
Drugs, thugs, not law-abiding
Reckless youngsters, no direction
No sign of correction
But then I switched it up, changed my ways
Got in the area like, "Oh my days"
But not my naughty friends, they're not fazed
Can't believe that this music pays
See no reason why we can't do
All the things that we've always done
Still in my heart I know that's just wrong
But it's hard to fight the temptation, son
Temptation leads like your naughty mate
The one that used to get you in bother
The one you can never bring yourself to hate
Dizzee Rascal's song "Temptation" is a powerful reflection on the struggles he faced while trying to stay true to himself and his roots while dealing with the temptations of fame and the music industry. The lyrics speak to his struggle to maintain his authenticity and resist the pressure to conform to the hip hop world's expectations. He reminisces about his past in the streets of London, where he and his friends were involved in illegal activities like robbing, stealing, reckless driving and drug use. Despite his success in the music industry, he cannot forget his past or the people he grew up with, who are still struggling and caught up in such activities.
Dizzee acknowledges the danger of being tempted by the "limelight" and being consumed by the allure of fame, turning to drugs or other vices as a way of coping with it all. He recognizes that he has a lot to lose and has to keep his head above water and resist the urge to fall victim to the very things that he is trying to escape. He chooses to move on from his past and stay true to himself, hoping that his friends will do the same.
Overall, the song is a powerful reminder that no matter how successful one becomes, it is essential to stay true to oneself and resist the temptations presented by fame and fortune.
Line by Line Meaning
Gotta keep my head above water
I have to stay afloat and remain resilient
Gotta stay head-strong, keep rolling on
I need to maintain my composure and persevere
No point getting caught in the hype is long
It's pointless to get caught up in temporary excitement
Like I don't know right from wrong
Even though I may be tempted, I still know what's right and wrong
So I gotta be real
I need to be true to myself and not give in to temptation
Nothing to prove, I'm still
I don't need to prove anything, I'm still successful
Big in the hood, I feel
I still have a significant presence in my community
So in control, I'm chill
I'm in control of my life and relaxed
No one ain't knocking off Dill
No one can bring me down or take away my success
So I stay top on the bill
I remain as the headliner and the greatest performer
I'm the main event, the headliner
I am the star of the show, the main attraction
Went from jungle DJ to rhymer
I transitioned from being a DJ in the jungle scene to a rapper
Never thought I would be the big timer
I never expected to achieve so much success
But I still par it like, yo, it's a minor
I still enjoy my success, but I don't let it get to my head
Cause I still rep my ends, still check my friends
I still represent my community and stay close with my friends
Can I keep it up? I guess it all depends
I'm not sure if I can continue at this level, it's uncertain
If I can keep my mind right
If I can stay focused and grounded
Don't get tempted by the limelight
Not to give in to the allure of fame and fortune
I think I'll be alright
I believe I can overcome the challenges ahead
Can't avoid the temptation
It's difficult to resist the temptation
But I know I gotta change my ways
I understand that I need to make changes to my behavior
And keep my nose clean, gotta fix up
I need to stay out of trouble and make improvements
Take a look at my life cause I ain't sixteen
I need to re-evaluate my life because I'm not young anymore
And I ain't no boy, ain't no kid
I'm not a child, I need to take responsibility for my actions
The world ain't flat and the picture's big
The world is complex and there's a lot to consider
Certain things that I gotta get rid
I need to let go of certain habits or behaviors
And a whole lot more that I gotta get with
I need to adopt new habits or behaviors
So I gotta stay and roam on my own
I need to be independent and make my own decisions
Gotta move on, I can't stay at home
I need to progress and can't remain stagnant
Cause I know what's there is all the same
I understand that staying in my comfort zone won't bring change
Crack, cocaine and ghetto fame
The cycle of drug use and seeking fame in poor areas is common
Cold hard cash and a bit of a name
The allure of money and fame is strong
And I've see it all, so I need a change
I've witnessed the negative effects of these things and need a new path
Lost too many bredrens to the game
I've lost too many friends to the lifestyle
And you could say temptation's to blame
You could argue that temptation is the cause of these losses
We used to be tight
We used to be extremely close
Me and my naughty friends
My misbehaved friends
Caused pure madness in the ends
We participated in extreme behavior in our neighborhood
I mean day and night
We did these things constantly
We robbed, we stole, we loved to fight
We committed crimes and enjoyed fighting
Smoking, drinking, joyriding
We smoked, drank, and stole cars
Drugs, thugs, not law-abiding
We involved ourselves with drugs and violence and didn't follow the law
Reckless youngsters, no direction
We were young and directionless, without a purpose in life
No sign of correction
We didn't show any willingness to change our ways
But then I switched it up, changed my ways
I decided to alter my behavior and lifestyle
Got in the area like, "Oh my days"
I became successful in my neighborhood
But not my naughty friends, they're not fazed
My friends who still misbehave haven't changed
Can't believe that this music pays
They can't believe that my music career is lucrative
See no reason why we can't do
They don't see why they can't continue their old habits
All the things that we've always done
They want to continue their previous behavior
Still in my heart I know that's just wrong
Even though I understand their mindset, I know it's not the right path
But it's hard to fight the temptation, son
It's difficult to resist temptation, even when you know it's not the best choice
Temptation leads like your naughty mate
Temptation is like your misbehaved friend
The one that used to get you in bother
The friend who got you into trouble
The one you can never bring yourself to hate
The friend you still care for, despite their negative influence
Temptation leads like your naughty mate
Temptation is like your misbehaved friend
The one that used to get you in bother
The friend who got you into trouble
The one you can never bring yourself to hate
The friend you still care for, despite their negative influence
Lyrics © DistroKid, ANTHEM ENTERTAINMENT LP, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Fintage House Publishing
Written by: ARTHUR FREED, NACIO BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind