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
World Outside
Dizzee Rascal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Couple fings, explain da reasons why I can't be there wit you
Back in da day we both thort we'd never split past
Didn't see no definite endin to da madness n da lust
Never thort id be packin n jackin for somethin more solid
I ain't changed I just found a better way to steal ma knowledge
Runnin around hyper criminal had me locked for a while
Da studio gave me a lot, more creative style
Some kind of haven from da beef n some of da stress mate
I wouldn't call it no escape, da roads are in ma heart
Makin it dat more difficult for me to climb da chart
But its da sacrifice I make, its all good star
Same reason I ain't always in da hood star
I do ma thing uno I'm graftin like I always woz
It just ain't quite like it woz, simply coz
there's a world outside of tha manor n I want you to see it
I can see, I I can see it, I can see it
There's a world outside of tha ends n I want you to see it
I can see, I I can see it, I can see it
There's a world outside of tha hood n I want you to see it
I can see, I I can see it, I can see it
There's a world outside of tha ghetto n I want you to see it
I can see, I I can see it, I can see it
money, cars, guns, women melts my desire
I'm gonna stay red blooded til I expire
Not caught up in da hype, I'm caught up in da scheme of things
Seen a couple figures but I still dream of things
Like da kinda shit money can't connect me wiv
Unconditional love I won't regret to give
I'm young, black, rich an ruthless I swear star
Still if you need a helpin hand you know I'm there star
I'm from da street, you're from da street, we all done dirt
Now its time to flip da script, fuck da sufferin n da hurt
Coz I've seen da bigger picture, its all good
There really is a world outside of da hood
there's a world outside of tha manor n I want you to see it
I can see, I I can see it, I can see it
There's a world outside of tha ends n I want you to see it
I can see, I I can see it, I can see it
There's a world outside of tha hood n I want you to see it
I can see, I I can see it, I can see it
There's a world outside of tha ghetto n I want you to see it
I can see, I I can see it, I can see it
In his song World Outside, Dizzee Rascal expresses his desire to expand beyond his current surroundings and explore new opportunities outside of his manor, ends, hood, and ghetto. He speaks to a person he cares about, expressing that there are some things he would like to tell them about why he cannot always be there for them. He explains that despite the fact that in the past, he and this person never imagined a definite ending to their relationship, things have changed, and it is time for him to move on to something more significant. He is still the same person he always was, but he has found new channels for his growth and development.
Dizzee talks about his journey and the sacrifices he has made to be where he is today. He says he has found a new haven from the stress and the beef that he faced on the roads. He admits that it is difficult for him to climb up the chart because he is from the hood and not from privilege. However, he is willing to make this sacrifice so that he can excel in his chosen field. Dizzee acknowledges that there is a whole new world out there, beyond his immediate environment, and he encourages his friend to come and discover it with him.
Overall, Dizzee Rascal's World Outside is an introspective piece that speaks to his life's experiences, his journey so far, and his desire for greater heights. He talks about his past, present, and future aspirations and encourages those around him not to be limited by their immediate environment.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got shit I wanna share wit you
I have some things I want to tell you
Couple fings, explain da reasons why I can't be there wit you
A few things, to explain why I can't be with you
Back in da day we both thort we'd never split past
In the past, we thought we would never end our relationship
Didn't see no definite endin to da madness n da lust
We didn't predict any clear end to the craziness and passion
Never thort id be packin n jackin for somethin more solid
I never thought I'd be working hard for something more substantial
I ain't changed I just found a better way to steal ma knowledge
I haven't changed, I just found a more effective way to acquire knowledge
Runnin around hyper criminal had me locked for a while
Being a hyper-criminal had me imprisoned for some time
Da studio gave me a lot, more creative style
The studio provided me with a lot, including a more creative style
Took me to another world beyond dat e-state
It took me to another world beyond the limited electronic state
Some kind of haven from da beef n some of da stress mate
A kind of refuge from the conflict and some of the stress, mate
I wouldn't call it no escape, da roads are in ma heart
I wouldn't call it an escape, as the streets are a part of me
Makin it dat more difficult for me to climb da chart
Making it more challenging for me to succeed in the music industry
But its da sacrifice I make, its all good star
But it's the sacrifice I'm willing to make, and it's all okay, mate
Same reason I ain't always in da hood star
The same reason I'm not always in the neighborhood, mate
I do ma thing uno I'm graftin like I always woz
I'm doing my own thing and working hard like always
It just ain't quite like it woz, simply coz
But it's not quite the same as it was before, simply because
there's a world outside of tha manor n I want you to see it
There's a world outside of the area where I grew up, and I want you to experience it
I can see, I I can see it, I can see it
I can see it
There's a world outside of tha ends n I want you to see it
There's a world outside of the neighborhood and I want you to see it
There's a world outside of tha hood n I want you to see it
There's a world outside of the ghetto and I want you to see it
There's a world outside of tha ghetto n I want you to see it
There's a world outside of the rough neighborhoods and I want you to experience it
money, cars, guns, women melts my desire
Money, cars, guns, and women don't satisfy me
I'm gonna stay red blooded til I expire
I will remain passionate for my entire life
Not caught up in da hype, I'm caught up in da scheme of things
I'm not fixated on the hype, I'm focused on the bigger picture
Seen a couple figures but I still dream of things
I've earned some money, but I still have aspirations
Like da kinda shit money can't connect me wiv
Like the things that money can't buy for me
Unconditional love I won't regret to give
I won't regret giving unconditional love
I'm young, black, rich an ruthless I swear star
I'm a young, black, wealthy, and uncompromising person, I promise, mate
Still if you need a helpin hand you know I'm there star
Still, if you need assistance, you know I'm there, mate
I'm from da street, you're from da street, we all done dirt
I'm from the street, you're from the street, and we've all made mistakes
Now its time to flip da script, fuck da sufferin n da hurt
Now, it's time to change the narrative, forget the pain and hurt
Coz I've seen da bigger picture, its all good
Because I've seen the bigger picture, everything is fine
There really is a world outside of da hood
There really is a world beyond the inner city neighborhoods
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DYLAN KWABENA MILLS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind