Artist
Dizzee Rascal Feat. Will.i.am
Why we feature this artist A clipped exchange inside a polished electronic setting “Something Really Bad” brings will.i.am into Dizzee Rascal’s 2013 album The Fifth. The single places sharply articulated rap beside a more repeated, electronically framed vocal …
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- United Kingdom, United States
- Sound
- Hip-hop, grime, pop
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The artist, in context
The story of Dizzee Rascal Feat. Will.i.am
Why we feature this artist
A clipped exchange inside a polished electronic setting
“Something Really Bad” brings will.i.am into Dizzee Rascal’s 2013 album The Fifth. The single places sharply articulated rap beside a more repeated, electronically framed vocal idea, using the difference in delivery to keep a compact pop structure active. Dizzee’s recognisable accent and rhythmic attack remain the main point of personality within the polished arrangement.
The Fifth recording
The original Dirtee Stank and Universal Island video ties the shared performance directly to The Fifth release campaign. It belongs to a chapter in which Dizzee’s catalogue often meets international pop production and prominent featured performers.
The arrangement gives the central refrain an immediate shape, then lets the rap introduce more detailed movement around it. The production can remain consistent because the changes in voice already provide another kind of contrast.
The small units do the work
A short phrase, a repeated electronic figure and a sharply placed rhythmic accent can each become part of the hook. Dizzee’s delivery is especially useful in that environment because he can make the beginning or end of a line feel like an event without changing the underlying beat.
The collaboration is most interesting at that level of timing. The guest contribution gives the record another vocal stance, while the main performance keeps the song attached to Dizzee’s own musical character. “Something Really Bad” captures the more concentrated electronic-pop side of The Fifth, with its effect built from clearly placed, repeated parts.
Essential releases
Something Really Bad
The will.i.am collaboration appears within Dizzee’s fifth-album campaign.
The Fifth
The original album sets the recording among Dizzee’s wider international pop features.