Boy In Da Corner

Often teetering on the brink of either cracking a smile or bursting into tears while delivering his boastful, wistful, and dread-filled rhymes, the hormonally charged voice of East London's Dizzee Rascal can be instantly singled out after the first introduction.

Dizzee Rascal’s debut album, shaped by U.K. garage and pirate radio, stands apart from contemporaries like Ms. Dynamite and the Streets. Despite its gritty themes and sharp production, the album’s most striking moment is the vulnerable track “Do It,” which ends on a hopeful note with “You can do anything.” Powerful and multifaceted, this Mercury Prize-winning debut remains a landmark in grime music.