Dizzee Rascal

Contentment and cash-counting have led to the creative demise of many a hip-hop artist. British wunderkind Dizzee Rascal avoids the all-too-common sophomore slump by focusing his lyrical attention elsewhere and using an ambitious and eclectic array of beats to transcend his roots in “British grime.” Coming off the success of Boy In Da Corner, which sold upwards of 250,000 copies and landed him on MTV, Dizzee is clearly satisfied with his newfound stature, but wary of those who would try to bring him down. Showtime is the compelling sound of an artist still hungry - even desperate - to prove himself.

“Respect Me” serves as the album’s most forceful mission statement, a minimalist jaw-clencher that’s as sinister as any hip-hop track in recent memory. But it's lead single “Stand Up Tall" that finds Dizzee at his frantic best, spitting verses over skittish electronica. Elsewhere, he lays rapid-fire rhymes across backdrops ranging from video game blips and beeps to Middle Eastern and Oriental melodies. He’s got a dexterous tongue and a gift with words, and he’s best served when cracking wry observations instead of casting tired gauntlets at enemies. Dizzee’s primary drawback is that his delivery isn’t as versatile as his beats. He’s a skilled and charismatic storyteller and star attraction, but Showtime is the rare hip-hop album that would benefit from more guests. As it is, Marga Man adds some boisterous lustfulness to the party anthem “Girls” and Vanya drops a surprisingly mainstream-sounding chorus into “Get By.” - Adam McKibbin

There are a couple possibly distressing things about Dizzee Rascal's second album, released almost exactly a year after his breakthrough debut. In the wake of the Streets' ambitious A Grand Don't Come for Free, its title -- Showtime -- conjures frights about a concept record strangled by ruminations on newfound fame and all the accompanying trappings. Dizzee being such a product of his environment, as Boy in da Corner conveyed with stark original clarity, it'd be a shame to see the producer/MC stagger down the trodden-flat route of the average lyricist who has tasted a smidgen of glory, real or make-believe: how many people crave another slew of verses about gold-digging women and crew members who have morphed into greedy coattail riders? This paranoia is compounded by pre-release rumors of Dizzee American-izing his sound, sacrificing individuality for the sake of widespread appeal. Thankfully, it turns out that there really isn't much worth worrying about. If Showtime isn't the equal artistic success of Boy in da Corner, it's slightly superior, stunning for the facts that it arrives so swiftly after the debut and is far from a retread. At the risk of backpedaling ever so slightly, it is troubling that the female-male politics of Boy in da Corner's "I Luv U" are replaced with the slightly noxious lechery of "Girls," and a few too many rhymes about his past year in the spotlight are simple-minded and needlessly defensive. However, the negative aspects are few and fleeting, typically swallowed whole by the streams of surrounding positives. For instance, the pungent "Girls" is trailed by the poignant "Imagine," in which Dizzee reflects in heart-stopping form amid string swoops, synth flutters, and rhythm splutters. And during those short moments spent in lame-brain braggart mode, you can still get lost in the pure sound of his voice -- an attraction as serious as his production prowess. As a beatmaker, Dizzee now ranks near the top, entire planet considered, whether he's dishing out a crowd-hyping batter-bounce or crafting something more intricate, where synthetic approximations of exotic instrumentation -- Oriental melodies, African percussion -- are pitted against ballast-blasting beats. Needless to say, the novelty status once accorded to this maverick by shortsighted cynics has now been obliterated by a shower of genius juice. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide