Boy in Da Corner
Encyclopedia
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.
, 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. 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". 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". 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". 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". 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". 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". 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". 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". 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". 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".
Boy in da Corner won Dizzee Rascal the 2003 Mercury Prize
, becoming the first rapper to win the award. In 2009, it was voted the sixth greatest album of all time by MTV Base
. 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
. It has sold over 58,000 units in the U.S. and over 250,000 copies worldwide. The album also reached gold status in the UK selling over 100,000 copies.
.
Grime (music)
Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...
MC Dizzee Rascal
Dizzee Rascal
Dylan Kwabena Mills , better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garage, hip hop, grime, ragga, pop and electronic music, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles...
, released on 21 July 2003 by XL Recordings
XL Recordings
XL Recordings is a British independent record label owned by Richard Russell. It originated as a 1989 offshoot of Beggars Banquet Records.Though only releasing an average of six albums a year, XL Recordings has worked with The Prodigy, Radiohead, The White Stripes, Dizzee Rascal, M.I.A., Vampire...
in the United Kingdom and Matador Records
Matador Records
Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of indie rock artists and bands.-History:Matador was started by Chris Lombardi in 1989 in his New York City apartment. The following year, Lombardi was joined by former Homestead Records manager Gerard Cosloy, and the two of them have...
in the United States. Dizzee was 18 years old when the album was released.
Reception
On MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, 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. 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". 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". 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". 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". 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". 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". 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". 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". 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". 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".
Boy in da Corner won Dizzee Rascal the 2003 Mercury Prize
Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British...
, becoming the first rapper to win the award. In 2009, it was voted the sixth greatest album of all time by MTV Base
MTV Base
MTV Base is a 24-hour music and general entertainment channel from MTV Networks International. The channel focuses primarily on music from the world of R'n'B, hiphop, reggae, soul and urban. The MTV Base brand first launched in the United Kingdom and in the Republic of Ireland on July 1, 1999,...
. 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
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. It has sold over 58,000 units in the U.S. and over 250,000 copies worldwide. 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.Personnel
Credits for Boy in da Corner adapted from Allmusic.- 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 UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
23 |
| US Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
16 |
| US Billboard Top Independent Albums Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
14 |
External links
- Boy in da Corner at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
.