After a few listens and some shots, this will go down well. I liked it enough to listen to it without being forced to for review purposes, and that says a lot.
I think.
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8
Dizzee Rascal songs have an incredible ability to blur into each other. His is the kind of music you’d expect in a club or at pre-drinks – situations where you’re not really listening or paying attention to it, but it’s there, and it’s music, and someone’s slut-dropping over by the fridge.
‘Hype’ doesn’t snap that trend, even with the added influence of Calvin Harris. It’s follows a catchy chart-topping formula, packed full of energetic drops. Surprisingly, it even feels refreshing to have the EDM side of Dizzee out again. The song is very reminiscent of ‘Dance Wiv Me’ and ‘Holiday,’ their earlier collaborations with R&B singer Chrome, and its scratched synths and deep house groove make it typical of their works, mixing Dizzee’s vocals and Harris’ pop knack nicely.
Moreso, it’s always nice to see a confident artist. Dizzee’s grime nous remains renowned, and his claims of “I’m a bad boy and I do what I like” and to “feel like Leo with an Oscar” are enjoyable and infectious. It’s hard to not be impressed by the song after a few listens, by the mixing and writing and just how damn catchy it is. Recently debuted at Capital FM’s Summertime Ball in Wembley Stadium, it seemed to go down well. At any rate, he definitely HYPEd up the audience.
I’ll show myself out.
‘Hype’ is out now via Island Records
