Analysis: Dizzee Rascal "I Love this Town"
I spend a fair amount of my free time on my computer. So I watch a lot of YouTube. And we all know there are some weird videos out there. One such video that caught my eye was a music video. The song is called "I Love this Town" and is sung, or rather rapped, by a British rapper known as Dizzee Rascal. I know, kinda weird, but his video makes a lot of cool points and he makes a stand against judging people prematurely ( I included a link to the video below). He encourages the listener/viewer not to just group people into stereo types as we do so quickly and often. Rather he wants to show that people have good in them and are not out to cause pain, hurt and distress all the time.
Rascal begins rapping, in a British accent which is awesome, about how he is from the east side of London and how he grew up poor. Saying how hard he had it and that he "Barely had money for a bus ride, now I'm on the upside." Rascal tells how he has grown up in the slums, but things do get better. You don't have to blame your misfortune on how you grew up. Rascal raps that life is hard, there is a lot of things that can get you down and hinder you from moving forward. Everyone is trying their best to cope the best way they know how and to just live their lives. Rascal also points out that if you are not happy with the way you are living, then change. You will never know anything different unless you try it.
As for destroying the stereo types, Rascal and his gang go around London helping the locals. From washing store windows, recycling, and even rescuing a kids cat off the top of a phone both. I will admit this is a pretty strange music video, but it does get a powerful message across. Just because are different than someone else doesn't mean you are truly different if you know what I mean. Yeah, you may have different preferences and likes and dislikes, but when it all boils down, everyone is just a human. We all have cares and burdens that we carry throughout life. Why not lighten someones burden by helping them out, Dizzee tries to convey.
I will admit what they do is really cheesy. At one point they show some one picking up some dog crap that someone left on the sidewalk. But the message is the same. The world would be a better place if people went around looking to help. Rascal states that all the 7 million residents of London are backing him up. So really there is no reason to get in his way. He has the support to raise the city form ruins to high class. Rascal wants everyone to unite. no distinction between rich and poor, no distinction between ethnicity, race, religion or up bringing. Rather just come together and work to unify a broken city that is worth saving.
As for the chorus, Rascal tells that the streets are so alive right now, with people looking out for each other, and just trying to make the world a better place. Rascal states that with just you by his side the night is perfect to help. In fact, there is no better time than the present. The lights have made the city bright and that they shine as a beacon to offer hope.
At the end of the music video Rascal and his gang have a stand off with some riot control police all armored up with riot shields and body armor. Rascal just stands there and smiles and the police line falters and then breaks. The police try one final tactic to disband the crew by throwing some red smoke grenades only for the camera to get an aerial shot of a giant heart formed by the smoke, signifying hope for humanity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrCPEqDiXik
Work Cited
DizzeeRascalVEVO. "Dizzee Rascal-Love This Town ft. Teddy Sky." YouTube. YouTube, 16 Oct. 2013. Web. 18, Oct. 2013.
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