Dylan Kwabena Mills better known by his stage name

Stage name

A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...

 Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper

Rapping

Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...

, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garage

UK garage

UK garage is a genre of electronic dance music originating from the United Kingdom in the early-1990s. UK garage is a descendant of house music which originated in Chicago and New York, United States. UK garage usually features a distinctive syncopated 4/4 percussive rhythm with 'shuffling'...

, hip hop

Hip hop music

Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...

, grime

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...

, ragga

Ragga

-Origins:Ragga originated in Jamaica during the 1980s, at the same time that electronic dance music's popularity was increasing globally. One of the reasons for ragga's swift propagation is that it is generally easier and less expensive to produce than reggae performed on traditional musical...

, pop and electronic music

Electronic music

Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...

, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles. Best known for his number-one hits "Dance wiv Me

Dance Wiv Me

Dance wiv Me is a single by Ghanaian British rapper Dizzee Rascal, from his fourth studio album Tongue n' Cheek. It was released on 22 June 2008 and features guest vocals from Scottish DJ Calvin Harris and English R&B singer Chrome...

", "Bonkers

Bonkers (song)

"Bonkers" is a song by British rapper Dizzee Rascal and American producer Armand Van Helden. It is the first single released from Rascal's fourth album, Tongue n' Cheek. Rascal released the track under his own record label, Dirtee Stank Recordings on 17 May 2009 in the United Kingdom; where it...

", "Holiday

Holiday (Dizzee Rascal song)

"Holiday" is a song by Ghanaian British rapper Dizzee Rascal, released as the third single from his fourth studio album Tongue n' Cheek. It was produced by Calvin Harris, with chorus vocals by R&B singer Chrome. Harris originally wrote the song for girl group, The Saturdays, but it was rejected...

", "Dirtee Disco

Dirtee Disco

"Dirtee Disco" is the fifth single from Ghanaian British rapper Dizzee Rascal's fourth studio album Tongue n' Cheek, although the song only appears in the deluxe edition of the album. It features background vocals from former One True Voice member Daniel Pearce and samples The Staple Singers' 1972...

" & "Shout

Shout (Shout for England song)

"Shout" is 2010 single by Shout for England, an ensemble featuring Dizzee Rascal and James Corden. It was an unofficial anthem of the England football team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The song contains extracts from the Tears for Fears song "Shout" and "No Diggity" by Blackstreet...

", his debut album, Boy in da Corner

Boy in Da Corner

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...

, won him 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...

. Follow-up albums Showtime, Maths + English

Maths + English

- Track listing :*1 Samples Lyn Collins' "Think " and Galactic Force Band's "Space Dust Gurnhill EZI".*2 Co-mixed by Shy FX.*3 Samples "So You Wanna Be a Boxer" from the film musical Bugsy Malone.*4 Omitted from US version.-Charts:...

and Tongue n' Cheek

Tongue N' Cheek

Tongue n' Cheek is the fourth studio album by British rapper Dizzee Rascal. The album was released on 20 September 2009 and includes the number one singles, "Dance wiv Me", "Bonkers", "Holiday" and "Dirtee Disco"...

have all been critically acclaimed and certified gold, the last going platinum for sales exceeding 300,000 units.
Mills' Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

n father died when he was young, and he was raised in Bow

Bow, London

Bow is an area of London, England, United Kingdom in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a built-up, mostly residential district located east of Charing Cross, and is a part of the East End.-Bridges at Bowe:...

, in the East End of London

East End of London

The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...

, for most of his life in a single-parent family by his Ghana

Ghana

Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...

ian mother Priscilla, about whom he says: "I had issues as a kid.