Dizzee Rascal's second CD is much like many other artist's sophomore efforts. There are the obligatory lyrics about fame and how hard it is to live with it, but Rascal's new album lacks the shock value of his first.
Born Dylan Mills, Rascal has risen to the top of the middle ranks of successful hip-hop artists. His popular following in the U.S. is half of what it is in the U.K., but critics on both sides of the pond have praised his ability to mix his lyrics with synthetic hyperactive beats.
Rascal released his first single, titled "I Luv U," at the age of 16. His first album, "Boy in Da Corner," mixed beats and lyrics in a ground-breaking new fashion.
Unfortunately the ingenuity of Rascal's rapping is lost in his newest effort, "Showtime." Rascal covers such scattered topics over the course of the album that it creates an eclectic listening experience. Topics range from the mundane to the fantastic, and the effect is jarring.
Rascal cites his biggest influence as Nirvana, and this can be seen through his eclectic beats and hard-to-understand lyrics. While his beats are amazingly put together and more often than not work well with the words, the jarring tracks in which they don't flow bring the album to a standstill.
Rascal's cynicism throughout the album - cynicism about love, about fame and fortune, and world peace - taints the otherwise interesting beats. It is interesting for the first few tracks to hear about how fame has affected Rascal's life, but nobody likes a complainer, and that is what this album is largely: an un-ironic self-examination that comes off as tired and old.
The beat of one of the songs, "Stand up Tall," is straight out of a techno album, contrasting sharply with Rascal's voice as he raps about Chinese suits. The slow-moving beat and lyrical concept of another number, "Knock, Knock," as a game played between two rappers, many quickly turn into another offbeat mix of lyrics and over-synthesized effects.
Rascal's most successful track on the album is "Imagine," which mixes emo-lyrics with a reggae whistle beat. He surprisingly comes off as self-conscious in this song, questioning what would happen if his love "had a better offer."
In his most candid track, "Respect Me," Rascal raps, "You people are going to respect me if it kills you," before breaking into a hyper rap dealing with all sorts of topics - including world peace. He asks, "Honestly, could there really be peace?"
On "Face," female rapper Caramel tears Rascal apart, calling him "jack s**t." Her words are harsh and don't fit into the overall introspective theme of the disc. The track feels out of place on an album dealing with Rascal's inner demons about fame and life in a fishbowl.
"Girls" fulfills the requisite of all male rappers to have one song admiring the opposite sex. Rascal's smug attitude comes through most in this song, repeatedly offering himself to woman as the best option, mentioning his fame and riches as part of the "package."
"Sex? We don't settle for less," he raps, midway through his anthem praising women in a dance club. Instead of a club drug, Rascal offers himself to a woman as "the next best high ... triple the buzz ..."
Rascal occasionally wears his pragmatism on his sleeve, demonstrated best in the song "Get By." Referring to everything as "real," Rascal criticizes fellow rappers for trying to be from the slums, but praises those who "know that [they are] from the slums."
He is also frank on his third track, "Everywhere," admitting that he is "here for the dough" layered over an uneven beat full of clapping hands and bongo-sounding drums.
Though "Showtime" is infused with the same beats that "Boy" was, the overall effect just isn't as revolutionary as his previous effort. The complete album feels fake, as both the lyrics and the beats fail to live up to expectations.
