E3 AF vinyl

It seems astonishing that 17 years have passed - and much water flowed under the proverbial bridge - since Dizzee Rascal released his groundbreaking debut album, Boy In Da Corner. The man himself seems to think so too, because E3 AF, his seventh album, sees him return to his East London roots via a set that's every bit as vibrant, inventive and exciting as his breakthrough debut. His rhymes - and those of the numerous guest MCs littered throughout the set - are naturally on-point, dexterous and lyrically inventive, while the beats they ride expand Dizzee's original raw, bass-heavy grime blueprint via nods to trap, UK garage, dubstep and dancehall. As many critics have pointed out, the result is the Bow-raised mic man's best album in years.