#182
Dizzee Rascal - Showtime (XL, 2004)
While his debut album, Boy In Da Corner, introduced him to hipsters looking for an easy way into an unfamiliar scene and his more recent pop collaborations have brought him well deserved chart success, I have always found this sophomore record to be the most compelling. With his formula well established by this point, Dizzee was able to fiddle with the edges and create some of the most engaging beats he would ever work with. From the stunted disintegration of the near industrial rhythms on "Hype Talk" and "Face" to the tweaked and twisted old-school 808 vibe of "Get By" and "Knock Knock, the beats are just as worthy of your attention as Dizzee's unique flow. I firmly believe that an instrumental version of this album would have placed just as high on my list. But I'm certainly not out to disparage the Rascal in the least, because its his engaging personality that breathes life into the production. A particular highlight is the Dizzee gone Disney of "Dream", in which he flips Biggie's "Juicy" into a childlike ode to growing up. He may have reached higher highs before and after this record, but I don't think he'll ever be this consistently thrilling again.
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