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Boy in da Corner

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Untitled
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(92/100)[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Robert Christgau(A-)[3]
Entertainment Weekly(B+)[4]
The Guardian[5]
NME(9/10)[6]
Pitchfork Media(9.4/10)[7]
Rolling Stone[8]
Spin(A-)[9]
Stylus Magazine(A+)[10]
The Village Voice(favorable)[11]

Boy in da Corner is the debut album of British grime MC Dizzee Rascal, released on 21 July 2003 by XL Recordings in the United Kingdom and Matador Records in the United States. Dizzee was 18 years old when the album was released.

Reception

On Metacritic, the album received an aggregate score of 92/100 (indicating "universal acclaim"), and currently ranks twenty-seventh on that site's list of highest-rated albums.[1] Allmusic gave the album 5 out of 5 stars saying its "Startling, tirelessly powerful, and full of unlimited dimensions, nothing could truly weigh down this debut -- not even a Mercury Prize".[2] Robert Christgau praised the album, giving it an A- and saying that as "Someone who mocked the minimal means of U.K. garage and considered the Streets barely music at all, I was captivated by Dizzee's sound the moment I heard the import".[3] Entertainment Weekly gave the album B+ saying "Combining U.K. garage beats and a distinctly British sensibility, Rascal spits out phrases with the energy and finesse of a championship boxer".[4] The Village Voice gave the album a very favorable review saying "When Dizzee thinks very deeply--worrying about growing up, about those around him who won't grow up, about dying before he grows up--he sounds like, what else can we call it, the real thing".[11] Rolling Stone gave the album 4 out of 5 stars stating "If you want a vision of the future of hip-hop and techno, get this record". Billboard gave it a favorable review saying "Adventurous listeners are in for a treat".[8] Q gave it a favorable review describing as "A strikingly stark and innovative debut". Los Angeles gave the album a very favorable review describing it as "A dance syncretism made of menacing beats skittering from dark dancehall to mashed-up jungle, super-warped bass frequencies, stark anti-hooks, and a voice that is the most authentic to emerge in years".

NME gave the album 9/10 saying it is "One of the most assured debut albums of the last five years".[6] Pitchfork Media's Scott Plagenhoef gave high praise for the album giving it 9.4/10 saying "Dizzee's despairing wail, focused anger, and cutting sonics places him on the front lines in the battle against a stultifying Britain, just as Pete Townshend, Johnny Rotten, and Morrissey have been in the past".[7] Stylus Magazine gave the album A+ saying that "Most of Boy in Da Corner's most compelling moments come from this uneasy interaction between irrational youth and ultra-rational mechanized society".[10] PopMatters gave the album 10/10 stating "It is an album that can be loved as both an achievement and an experience, a document and a revelation; it is simultaneously a problem to be solved and a spectacle to simply witness". The Guardian gave the album 5 out of 5 stars saying it is "The most original and exciting artist to emerge from dance music in a decade".[5] Uncut gave the album 5 out of 5 stars stating that Dizzee Rascal is "The best rapper this country's ever produced, period.... Next to Dizzee Rascal everybody looks pale, uninteresting and irrelevant". Mojo gave the album 5 out of 5 stars saying it is "Brilliantly original" and Junkmedia gave it 5 out of 5 stars saying the "Corner's gutter low ends, amphetamine drum programming, and Dizzee's cockney slang-spitting place this record among rap's paradigmatic moments".[12]

Boy in da Corner won Dizzee Rascal the 2003 Mercury Prize, becoming the first rapper to win the award.[13] In 2009, it was voted the sixth greatest album of all time by MTV Base.[14] The album is featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The record peaked at number twenty-three on the UK Albums Chart.[15] It has sold over 58,000 units in the U.S.[16] and over 250,000 copies worldwide.[17] The album also reached gold status in the UK selling over 100,000 copies.

Track listing

All tracks were produced by Dizzee Rascal, excepted where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Sittin' Here"Dylan Mills4:05
2."Stop Dat"Mills3:40
3."I Luv U" (feat. Jeanine Jacques)Mills4:05
4."Brand New Day"Mills4:00
5."2 Far" (feat. Wiley)Richard Cowie, Mills3:07
6."Fix Up, Look Sharp"Nick Detnon, Mills, Billy Squier3:44
7."Cut 'Em Off"Mills3:53
8."Hold Ya Mouf'" (feat. God’s Gift)Jerome Dow, Mills2:55
9."Round We Go" (co-produced by Chubby Dread)Hector, Mills4:13
10."Jus' a Rascal" (feat. Taz) (co-produced by Taz & Vanguard)Mills, Tesmond Rowe, Vanguard Vardoen3:39
11."Wot U On?" (feat. Caramel)Mills4:50
12."Jezebel"Mills3:36
13."Seems 2 Be"Mills3:46
14."Live O"Mills3:35
15."Do It!"Mills4:06
US edition bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
16."Vexed"Mills4:11

Personnel

Credits for Boy in da Corner adapted from Allmusic.[18]

  • Armour – background vocals
  • Gareth Bayiss – sleeve design assistant
  • Caramel – vocals
  • Dean Chalkley – sleeve photo
  • Chubby Dread – producer
  • Claire Cottrell – vocals
  • Nick Detnon – A&R
  • Ben Drury – cover design, logo design
  • God's Gift – performer
  • Nick Huggett – artist coordination
  • Dylan Mills – composer
  • T. Rowe – composer
  • V. Vardoen – composer

Charts

Chart (2003–04) Peak
position
UK Albums Chart[15] 23
US Billboard Top Heatseekers[19] 16
US Billboard Top Independent Albums[19] 14

References

  1. ^ a b "Boy in da Corner Review". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  2. ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "Boy in da Corner > Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  3. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (10 February 2004). "Parts of the Elephunk". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  4. ^ a b Browne, David (16 January 2004). "Boy in da Corner (2003)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 3 May 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ a b Petridis, Alexis (18 July 2003). "Dizzee Rascal: Boy in da Corner". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 May 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ a b Pattison, Louis. "Dizzee Rascal : Boy In Da Corner". NME. Retrieved 3 May 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ a b Plagenhoef, Scott (7 July 2003). "Dizzee Rascal: Boy in Da Corner: Pitchfork Record Review". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  8. ^ a b Blashill, Pat (5 February 2004). "Dizzee Rascal: Boy In Da Corner". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2008. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ Hermes, Will (26 January 2004). Dizzee Rascal: Boy In Da Corner. Spin. Retrieved 3 May 2011. {{cite book}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ a b Mueller, Gavin (1 September 2003). "Dizzee Rascal - Boy in Da Corner". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 3 May 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ a b Chang, Jeff (13 January 2004). "Future Shock - Music". The Village Voice. Retrieved 3 May 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ "Highest and Lowest Scoring Music and Albums". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  13. ^ "Rapper Rascal wins Mercury Prize". BBC News. 9 September 2003. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  14. ^ "MTV Base - Greatest Albums Ever". MTV. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  15. ^ a b "Dizzee Rascal, Boy In Da Corner". The Observer. 20 June 2004. Retrieved 3 May 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ Martens, Todd (23 May 2007). "New Dizzee Rascal Goes Digital-Only In U.S." Billboard. Retrieved 3 May 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ Weiner, Jonah (7 September 2004). "Parallel Universe". The Village Voice. Retrieved 3 May 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ "Boy in da Corner - Dizzee Rascal: Credits". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
  19. ^ a b "Boy in da Corner - Dizzee Rascal". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved 27 July 2011.

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