Maths + English is the third studio album by English rapper Dizzee Rascal. The album went gold in the UK after selling over 100,000 copies.

Maths + English
Studio album by
Released4 June 2007
Recorded2006–2007
Genre
Length48:46
Label
Producer
Dizzee Rascal chronology
Showtime
(2004)
Maths + English
(2007)
Tongue n' Cheek
(2009)
Singles from Maths + English
  1. "Sirens"
    Released: 21 May 2007
  2. "Pussyole"
    Released: 30 July 2007
  3. "Flex"
    Released: 19 November 2007
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic78/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Blender[3]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[4]
The Guardian[5]
The Irish Times[6]
NME7/10[7]
The Observer[8]
Pitchfork8.4/10[9]
Rolling Stone[10]
Spin[11]

Background

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Maths + English entered the UK Albums Chart at number seven, one position higher than his second album, Showtime (2004), which charted at number eight and his debut, Boy in da Corner (2003), which peaked at number 23.

The track "Wanna Be" features guest vocals from English pop singer Lily Allen. It pays tribute to the 1976 musical Bugsy Malone, specifically the song "So You Want to Be a Boxer?" which shares the same musical arrangements for the sections sung by Lily Allen.

Joss Stone was expected to feature on the song "Da Feelin'", but Dizzee Rascal stated that the song sounded too "poppy" with Joss Stone's hook,[12] so she does not appear on the album.

The track "Pussy'ole" is rumoured to be a Wiley diss.[13] Wiley responded to the track in a video circulating on YouTube, in which he also takes jabs at rappers Kano and Lethal Bizzle.

American hip hop duo UGK are featured on the track "Where's da G's". In return, Dizzee was featured on the track "Two Type of Bitches" along with Pimpin' Ken on UGK's 2007 album Underground Kingz.

On 29 April 2008 Definitive Jux released Maths + English on their independent label in the United States. The Def Jux version features new studio tracks "G.H.E.T.T.O." and "Driving" as well as a remix of the UGK-assisted "Where's da G's" by Def Jux label head El-P.[14] It does not however contain the track "Pussyole (Old Skool)", due to sample clearance issues.

Track listing

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Maths + English track listing
No.TitleLength
1."World Outside"3:08
2."Pussyole (Old Skool)"3:28
3."Sirens"3:30
4."Where's da G's" (featuring UGK)4:54
5."Paranoid"2:37
6."Suk My Dick"2:59
7."Flex"3:31
8."Da Feelin'"3:57
9."Bubbles"3:30
10."Excuse Me Please"3:40
11."Hardback (Industry)"4:11
12."Temptation" (featuring Alex Turner)2:34
13."Wanna Be" (featuring Lily Allen)3:24
14."U Can't Tell Me Nuffin'"3:31
US bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
15."G.H.E.T.T.O."3:26
16."Driving with Nowhere to Go"3:57
17."Where's da G's" (El-P remix)4:38
Japanese bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
15."Dean"2:32
16."Sirens" (Chase & Status Remix)5:34

Notes

  • "Pussyole (Old Skool)" samples Lyn Collins' "Think (About It)" and Galactic Force Band's "Space Dust".
  • "Sirens" was omitted from the US version.
  • "Da Feelin'" was co-mixed by Shy FX.
  • "Wanna Be" samples "So You Wanna Be a Boxer" from the film musical Bugsy Malone.

Charts

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Chart performance for Maths + English
Chart (2007) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] 120
Irish Albums (IRMA)[16] 57
UK Albums (OCC)[17] 7
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[18] 1

References

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  1. ^ "Reviews for Maths + English by Dizzee Rascal". Metacritic. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  2. ^ Kellman, Andy. "Maths and English – Dizzee Rascal". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  3. ^ "Dizzee Rascal: Maths & English". Blender (60): 113. July 2007.
  4. ^ Norton, Maiya (8 June 2007). "Maths & English". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  5. ^ Macpherson, Alex (25 May 2007). "Dizzee Rascal, Maths & English". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  6. ^ Carroll, Jim (25 May 2007). "Hip-hop". The Irish Times. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  7. ^ Miller, Alex (1 June 2007). "Dizzee Rascal: Maths + English". NME. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  8. ^ Bainbridge, Luke (20 May 2007). "Dizzee Rascal, Maths & English". The Observer. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  9. ^ Patrin, Nate (15 June 2007). "Dizzee Rascal: Maths + English". Pitchfork. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  10. ^ Hoard, Christian (30 May 2007). "Dizzee Rascal: Maths + English". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  11. ^ Hogan, Marc (July 2007). "Still Grimy?". Spin. 23 (7): 95. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  12. ^ Dizzee's 'too poppy' hit with Joss. Virgin Media (24 May 2007). Accessed 22 May 2008.
  13. ^ Matilda Egere-Cooper (1 June 2007). Interview: Wiley's new album shows he's still a man of the streets Archived 30 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine. The Independent. Accessed 22 May 2008.
  14. ^ Thompson, Paul (18 January 2008). Dizzee's Maths + English Coming to U.S. Via Def Jux Archived 22 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Pitchfork Media. Accessed 22 May 2008.
  15. ^ "The ARIA Report: Issue 974" (PDF). webarchive.nla.gov.au. 23 August 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 November 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
  16. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Dizzee Rascal". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  17. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  18. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 May 2019.