Just over 20 years ago, Dylan Mills was the Boy in da Corner, a troubled teenage MC whose awkward, aggressive music and frenzied lyrical flow set him apart from everyone else in the room. Gaining attention well before homegrown rappers had become a fixture in the top 40, his arrival was an all-too-rare instance of never having heard anything quite like this before.
Being ahead of your time has its disadvantages though. Unlike younger men such as Dave or Central Cee, who have been able to reach number one without diluting their style now that everyone more or less speaks their language, Mills’s biggest hits as Dizzee Rascal came when he joined the pop world and shook his stuff for the dancefloor. “You’ll never see me on Strictly,” he says here. “I do what I want, why compromise?” he raps on Sugar and Spice. On the other hand, it’s a bit late to be bragging about your integrity when you’ve already done duets with Robbie Williams and Jessie J.
