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Dizzee Rascal has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for his services to music.
A pioneer of the grime genre, Dizzee – real name Dylan Mills – brought the genre to mainstream audiences and paved the way for future grime stars including Stormzy.
The rapper and producer excelled whilst studying music as a teenager. As well as making music, Dizzee began producing at home and also deejayed on pirate radio. In 2002, Dizzee joined the ‘Roll Deep’ crew which including other rising artists in the genre including Skepta, JME, Tinchy Stryder and Wiley.
Rascal went on to win the Mercury Prize for his acclaimed 2003 debut, ‘Boy in Da Corner’ and has released six albums to date. He’s also achieved five UK Number 1 singles. As well as his work as a musician and producer, Dizzee also created his own label, ‘Dirtee Stank’ to bridge the gap between the “indie, majors and the street.”
Other musicians honoured in the list included ELO’s Jeff Lynne (OBE), Mica Paris (MBE), vocal coach Carrie Grant (MBE) and UK Sony Music boss Jason Iley. Krept and Konan were also awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM).
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Noel Gallagher will feature on a new song by Dizzee.
The east London artist is set to release his seventh album ‘E3 AF’ on October 30, and has confirmed to the Daily Star that he’s already begun working on its follow-up.
“I’ve already started on my next album,” he told the newspaper, adding that he’s “got a little something with Noel Gallagher” in the pipeline.
“Right now, it’s being mixed. That’s one name,” Dizzee said, hinting that there could be further team-ups to come. “I’m just experimenting, I’ve bought a bunch of new keyboards, a bunch of new hardware and I’m just experimenting with stuff, I’ve recorded a few bits,” he added.
In a four-star review of ‘E3 AF’, NME wrote: “On ‘E3 AF’, [Dizzee] marks his territory, coming back to a sound he grew up with while tipping his hat to the future. He recognises his enormous contribution while reminding everyone that he’s not done, not yet.”
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