My Kind Of Silence

Dizzee Rascal “Bonkers”

Instead of thinking “Wow, Dizzee Rascal did a song with Armand Van Heldnen, how weird?,” why not come away from this track with the thought “Why isn’t Armand Van Helden doing more rap records?” While it is true that not every MC feels at home in dance music as Dizzee — his high water mark remains “Lucky Star” with Basement Jaxx — there are plenty others who would shine in this context, and sure the world could do with more of music of this variety, right? Van Helden and Dizzee both do their respective things on “Bonkers,” and without even really meeting each other halfway, they snap together perfectly. The song is a good time, but at its core Van Helden’s track and Dizzee’s vocal are stressed-out and manic, and the piece gets its weight and punch from the way the negative feelings clash with the goofy bits.

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