The British grime artist talks about raves, records and restaurants.

Dizzee Rascal has stopped the interview. There’s no ego you’d associate with an award-winning artist. Instead, he’s searching for his favourite restaurant on his phone. “I’ve got all day,” he laughs. The British grime star is talking to us from his home in London and will play Dubai’s P7 Arena Dubai on 13 February and England’s Pub in the Park in Marlow on 15 May and Victoria Park on 24 May. Ahead of his concerts, FACT talked to him about fame, festivals and, of course, food.  

Dylan Kwabena Mills, better known as Dizzee Rascal, hails from Bow in East London. He started making music on school computers, and in 2003, he released his critically acclaimed debut album, Boy in Da Corner. At 19 years old, he hit the big time with the singles Fix Up, Look Sharp and I Luv U, becoming the youngest winner of the prestigious Best Album award at the Mercury Prize in the process.

Over his career, he has scored five UK number-one singles and collaborated with Arctic Monkeys, Beck, Calvin Harris and Robbie Williams. He put the grime genre on the global map, and his songs have crossed over into the mainstream with Bonkers, Dance Wiv Me and Holiday.

London 2012 Olympics 

For many Brits, Dizzee Rascal will always be remembered fondly for his showstopping performance at the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony. As part of director Danny Boyle’s vision, he showcased a fun, fresh take on multicultural Britain. Over the years, he has had mixed feelings about the event, and the gentrification of his hometown in East London which has been transformed by the Olympic legacy.

“Around 2002, I was performing with Crazy Titch on pirate radio on a roof. Ten years later, it’s the same spot where the Olympics happened. I remember when I went back to America, as there was a period when I lived there, and I came back through the airport with a different swag. I felt like I was being recognised. Obviously, that’s not the most important thing, but it was part of history.

“The most important bit of it for me and what touched me was afterwards – other than representing a place where I actually grew up – was once I grasped the genius of how it was put together. It managed to tell the story of Britain in three hours, from the Industrial Revolution to the NHS to the invention of Internet, and then somewhere along the line, I’m there. I got to meet Tim Berners-Lee. It felt like a scene in The Matrix. It was a proud moment, and my mum was there”.

The grandmaster of grime 

In 2024, he released the EP, I Invented Grime. The title is a strong statement with stronger lyrics: “I don’t need a sponsor or a co-sign, I ain’t got to say my name, you know mine, I don’t borrow bars, I got my own lines”. When we ask why he called the album that, he responds bluntly. “Cuz I did,” he chuckles. “It was a bunch of freestyles. I was having fun with making beats again, as I produced all the beats. I wanted to jump on them without committing to a full album. It’s like Boy in Da Corner, and when I was on underground pirate radio.”

Does he find genre labels a hindrance or helpful? “I don’t know. I never came up with the name grime. You just end up being labelled. Jungle wasn’t labelled by people that were making jungle. I’m labelled with taking grime mainstream, but people forget how I managed that. I didn’t just wake up and make Boy in Da Corner. It’s the bits before that which people miss, as they don’t associate me with production. They just associate me as the MC. I’m proud to have taken grime around the world”. 

From the UK to UAE

Dizzee Rascal’s upcoming concert dates take him across Australia, Europe and the Middle East. He is a regular to Dubai, and can be found on stage as well as sun loungers. In 2010, he made his debut in the UAE at Creamfields in Abu Dhabi. In 2012, he performed at the Sundance Festival in Dubai, and in 2023, he performed at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai. 

“Around 2007, I came to Dubai on holiday. Originally, it took a bit of getting used to. Without being controversial,” he pauses, “the discipline side of it. I hadn’t been somewhere where they enforced discipline like that, and it was quite interesting to see that it fell on a Muslim holiday. I saw none of you were drinking, and fast forward to now. When I went back last year, I saw the skyline, restaurants and beach fronts are fully Westernised, but you still have the discipline.”

Regardless of whether you catch him in the United Arab Emirates or the United Kingdom, he wants the concerts to be consistent. He adds: “My thing is energy and engagement. I want people to feel good, celebrate and let loose”.

Saudi Arabia is going through headline-hitting cultural changes. Live music was previously banned, and now there are mega music festivals like MDLBeast Soundstorm. Would he play in the country? “I went there for the Tyson Fury fight. I was getting the scoop on how they have just opened up for concerts. Everything they do has got to be the biggest and best. It was an interesting place. I’ve only ever heard about it through Western media. 

“When I got there, it was interesting to see my take on it. There’s a lot of development that needs to be done and the way they’re going about it is, well, interesting. The way [Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority] Turki Al-Sheikh is dealing with the boxing, obviously it is getting a bit more lenient, but there’s a lot of beauty to the place. You learn from going to the places that are different. Yes, I’d definitely perform there,” he smiles.

Restaurant recommendations

Throughout our interview, Dizzee Rascal is funny, fast and friendly – and clearly a big fan of food. When he’s not performing, he has a long list of restaurant recommendations. He laughs: “I quite like West London at the moment. I like to be where the Arabs are. I like Belgravia, Paddington and Shoreditch. Those are places I hang out. I like the Greek restaurant, Halepi, in Bayswater. 

“I like a Japanese place. I go there for the same meal, Mongolian beef with white rice,” he stops and starts scrolling. “Let me find it. It’s called Ozoku on Craven Terrace. It’s my favourite place in London. There are nice Indonesian restaurants on the same street”. 

So, if you want to catch Dizzee Rascal on (or off) stage, you know where to go. 

GO: Visit www.dizzeerascal.co.uk for more information.