Ahead of his Boy In Da Corner show on Saturday night, Dizzee spoke with Julie Adenuga on Beats 1. They speak about the show, what the album means to Dizzee, the lyrics on the album, on UK music and working with other people including Pharrell Williams, Fekky, 67 and Ghetts!
What does the album mean to you?
Its weird because obviously I know how much it means to so many people, its become almost like a stack of identity which is crazy . Other times its a pain in the arse for me because I’m trying to make new shit and I just keep hearing about this same thing that I did when I was 17 and its love, don’t get me wrong. At the same time I’m just coming to do this in Copperbox with a new generation, its mad, its exciting. I didn’t expect 13 years later this would be happening.
On the show at the Copperbox Arena
People have come out the woodwork its mad. I feel like I’m back at Rumble stampede where people are ringing me like trying to hit me up on the day, finding my email or DM’ing like rah its been mad. Im looking forward to it, I was bouncing around in soundcheck, soundcheck was fun and when the soundcheck is fun thats when you know.
On the lyrics on the album
At this point, I’m just trying to remember the words to the song and get it done not flop. There are some lyrics obviously because I did them before the album came out like 'Stop That', all bunch of Roll Deep ones, there are loads of these bars that were bars for radio or the rave before I put any of the instrumentals, so they stay with me, but listening to ‘Brand New Day’ and all them things takes me back to that time. I played that to one of my friends and he cried at the time, this was before it was finished. You know Boy In Da Corner came out by accident before the proper album came out, it leaked, and thats what made it popular. It was about what was going on. We were at that age where we were growing up, Disneyland was over and all sorts of stuff was going on.
On UK music
I’ll tell you what gets me gassed if I’m honest is 67, just when I hear that song ‘Lets Lurk’, like just the ignorance and audacity of it is well done you know. Other than that there is nothing I don’t see, I can’t sit here and act like your brothers ain’t done stuff, they’ve been repping. I’m going to say Ghetts, he’s actually a personal favourite the way he spits and that is scary still.
On working with other people
On Pharrell Williams - All that stuff is just talk. His one of the reason I made Beats in the first place.
I feel like its not like that no more. Ive been really working on my own shit, if I get sent a tune, I’m really open minded now if I just get sent a tune, especially if its done already and its wicked, I’ll jump on it.
On working with Fekky
When they sent me that I didn’t wanna do that tune, and he makes a point of letting everyone know that “he didn’t want to do it”, he loves telling people that but when I actually heard it, I was like “oh its alright isn’t it”. And I jumped on it, so I will do that. It doesn’t matter who, they don’t have to be the best spitter, if I can understand and see where its going to work, you know what I mean”.
On making the same show in 10 years
I rolled straight into that album, so when people talk about ‘awww make Boy In Da Corner 2’, thats it there, that will be fun as well. Its a bit of a different album as well a different hook, longer verses, I Remember performing some of that around the world. But I’ll do that, I’m glad you’ve put that into the air.
