Boy in Da Corner
| Boy in da Corner | ||||
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| Studio album by Dizzee Rascal | ||||
| Released | 21 July 2003 | |||
| Genre | Grime | |||
| Length | 57:21 | |||
| Label | XL | |||
| Producer | Dizzee Rascal, Mr. Cage, Chubby Dread, Taz, Vanguard, Moulders | |||
| Dizzee Rascal chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Boy in da Corner | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 92/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  |
| Blender |  |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ |
| The Guardian | |
| Mojo | |
| NME | 9/10 |
| Pitchfork | 9.4/10 |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Spin | A− |
| The Village Voice | A− |
Boy in da Corner is the debut album by English rapper and producer Dizzee Rascal. It was first released in 2003 by XL Recordings in the United Kingdom before being released the following year in the United States. Dizzee Rascal was 18 years old when the album was released.
A widespread critical success, Boy in da Corner became one of the most acclaimed records of 2003 and went on to win the Mercury Prize for best album from the UK and Ireland. It also peaked at number 23 on the British albums chart and sold over 250,000 copies worldwide by 2004. With the album's success, Dizzee Rascal gave mainstream exposure to grime music while becoming the UK's first internationally recognized rap star.
Boy in Da Corner was released on 21 July 2003 in the United Kingdom by XL Recordings and 20 January 2004 in the United States by Matador Records. In the UK, it reached number twenty-three on the British albums chart and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), having shipped 100,000 copies there. By 2004, it had sold over 250,000 copies worldwide, and over 58,000 copies in the US by 2007.
Boy in da Corner received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, the album received an aggregate score of 92 out of 100, based on 28 reviews.AllMusic called it "Startling, tirelessly powerful, and full of unlimited dimensions, nothing could truly weigh down this debut". In The Village Voice, Robert Christgau wrote that "[as] someone who mocked the minimal means of U.K. garage and considered the Streets barely music at all, I was captivated by Dizzee's sound the moment I heard the import". Fellow Village Voice critic Jeff Chang stated, "When Dizzee thinks very deeply--worrying about growing up, about those around him who won't grow up, about dying before he grows up--he sounds like, what else can we call it, the real thing".Entertainment Weekly stated, "Combining U.K. garage beats and a distinctly British sensibility, Rascal spits out phrases with the energy and finesse of a championship boxer".Rolling Stone wrote, "If you want a vision of the future of hip-hop and techno, get this record".NME called it "one of the most assured debut albums of the last five years".Pitchfork's Scott Plagenhoef stated, "Dizzee's despairing wail, focused anger, and cutting sonics places him on the front lines in the battle against a stultifying Britain, just as Pete Townshend, Johnny Rotten, and Morrissey have been in the past".Stylus Magazine stated, "Most of Boy in Da Corner's most compelling moments come from this uneasy interaction between irrational youth and ultra-rational mechanized society".Alexis Petridis from The Guardian called Dizzee "the most original and exciting artist to emerge from dance music in a decade".
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