Its been nearly three years since the one-time prolific Dizzee Rascal dropped his second album Showtime and a lot has changed in that time for UK hip-hop. Lady Sovereign blew up as grimes next superstar and deflated almost immediately once her long-awaited debut album proved a disappointment; Lethal Bizzle tried to cause a commotion but failed to capitalise on the momentum of their riot-starting single; and Roots Manuva again couldnt earn his due respect from hip-hop. Dizzees new single "Sirens from third album, Maths & English (out June 5 on XL), shows that hes been paying attention to the ebb and flow of the grime scene he jumpstarted. Averting the hyper video game noise and punching, hardcore beats he detonated back in 2003, it appears that the time off has done him well. "Sirens may not appease everyone, mainly because of its heavy fixation on deconstructing a hard rock track, but as a comeback it certainly gets the heart racing. The looped live drums sample is bombastic, and the guitars may crunch with a nu-metallic sheen, but with those sirens blaring and Dizzee dropping his urgent call of "I can hear the sirens coming, you get the sense that he wants his return to the game known. In a nutshell, its basically what Jay-Z was trying to do on his weak mash-up with Linkin Park but of course, light-years better.
Dizzee Rascal "Sirens
Dizzee Rascal "Sirens