The 333 Best Pop Songs of the 2000s: #233

#233: "Fix Up, Look Sharp" (2003) - Dizzee Rascal

After a critically-acclaimed album that was all the rage in England in 2003 (it claimed the Mercury Prize and Planet Sound's award for Best Album, and Rolling Stone claimed it was one of the fifty best of that year), British rapper Dizzee Rascal seemed prime to bring Grime to the States; alas, Grime (a mix of rap, electronica, and dance) never found a foothold here (though it still flourishes in the UK), and neither did Rascal. That last fact is surprising, as Rascal is charismatic, and his songs are fairly innovative, with their mixture of found sounds; ragga-style, rapid-fire vocals; electronic/dance accompaniment; and the off-tempo beats...okay, now that I've read what I've written, perhaps it's not so surprising he didn't chart over here, as the music for most of his songs sounds nothing like what's played on urban radio.

However, the music on this song does indeed sound like American hip-hop--old-school American hip-hop, that is. The record's basically Rascal rapping--upfront and center, too, right in your face, like a British, ragga-influenced Busta Rhymes (with more gusto)--over a great rock record: Billy Squier's "The Big Beat" (which we'll see sampled again on this chart later down the line). Heck, Rascal even includes Squier's vocals, so the song's not much different than Run D.M.C.'s cover of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way." "Fix Up, Look Sharp" may not be as musically creative as Rascal's other songs, but it's much more direct and accessible, and you can dance to it. Fun's not pejorative in my world.