10 Things You Didn’t Know About Dizzee Rascal

Dizzee Rascal was one of the youngest person at the age of 19 to win the prestigious Mercury Prize for best album in 2003. The English hip hop recording artist and record producer, Dizzee Rascal was born Dylan Kwabena Mills on 18 September 1984 in London, United Kingdom. After winning a Sidewinder Award for Best Newcomer MC in 2002, Dizzee was a judge in the Sky1 show Must Be The Music. In 2004, he made an international endorsement deal with urban brand Eckō and designed his own shoe with Nike in 2005. In the same year he also won the NME Award for Innovation. There is no doubt that the 32-years-old English hip hop recording artist and record producer is definitely a name to be reckon with in the music industry.

Here are 10 things you probably dint know about the English hip hop recording artist and record producer, Dizzee Rascal:

1. Dizzee Rascal was born Dylan Kwabena Mills on 18 September 1984 in London, United Kingdom.

2. His father is a Nigerian while his mother is a Ghanaian.

3. He began making music on the school’s computer, encouraged by a music teacher and during the summer holidays attended a music workshop organised by Tower Hamlets Summer University of which he is now a patron.

4. He was a childhood friend of footballer Danny Shittu, whom he described as “almost like a big brother”, and at whose house he made his first mixtapes and tracks.

5. At the age of 14, he became an amateur drum and bass DJ, also rapping over tracks as customary in sound system culture, and making occasional appearances on local pirate radio stations.

6. He also attended the Young Actors Theatre Islington (YATI). And at the age of 16, he self-produced his first single titled “I Luv U”.

7. In 2002, he jointly formed the Roll Deep Crew, a 13-piece garage collective, with former school friends.

8.  He is a West Ham United Football Club supporter.

9. His debut album Boy in da Corner is considered a grime classic and earned him the 2003 Mercury Prize and in the same year he also won the Best Newcomer category at the 2003 Urban Music Awards.

10. In November 2013, he received an honorary Doctorate of the Arts from the University of East London.