Tongue n' Cheek

Untitled

Tongue n' Cheek is the fourth studio album by British rapper Dizzee Rascal. The album was released on 20 September 2009 and includes the number one singles, "Dance wiv Me", "Bonkers", "Holiday" and "Dirtee Disco". It has been certified platinum by the BPI for sales of over 300,000, making it the best-selling album of Rascal's career.

Background

Its release was announced on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross when, in an interview, Rascal revealed details including track information and production. He confirmed in an interview on Radio 1 that he is leaving his grime roots behind, in favour of more mainstream pop music. On 23 May 2009, Calvin Harris revealed on his Twitter that he was producing a Dizzee track. At the Evolution Festival in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, he confirmed that there will be two new singles from the album called "Road Rage" and "Dirtee Cash". Dirtee Cash heavily samples The Adventures of Stevie V song "Dirty Cash.". Samples are also used on "Can't Tek No More" ("Warrior's Charge" by Aswad from the film Babylon) and "Chillin' Wiv da Man Dem" ("Oh Honey" by Delegation).

In early August the track listing was confirmed in a preview of the album by music website NME.

Notably, Rascal designed a Nike-distributed Tongue n' Cheek shoe, to be in released at the same time as the album. The proceeds from these shoes going to Tower Hamlets Summer University of which Rascal is a patron.

Release and chart performance

On 27 September 2009, Tongue n' Cheek entered the UK Albums Chart at number 3, charting behind Muse's The Resistance and Madonna's Celebration.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	75/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
BBC Music	Positive
Drowned in Sound	6/10
The Guardian
musicOMH
NME	7/10
Pitchfork Media	7.5/10
PopMatters	8/10
RapReviews	8.5/10
The Quietus	Positive
Slant Magazine
The Telegraph
The Times

Tongue n' Cheek received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 75 based on 14 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". The Guardian gave the album 4 out of 5 stars saying "If it's less wilfully uncommercial than his earlier oeuvre, which frequently made the listener feel like they were being mugged in the middle of an amusement arcade, its distorted synthesisers are still edgily thrilling". Pitchfork Media's Ian Cohen gave the album 7.5/10 saying that "He sounds damn good over trashy, flashy electro that manages to keep pace with cadences as hyperactive as his own, and, above all, he's way more fun than he's often given credit for". NME gave the album 7/10 saying that "The beats on Tongue N' Cheek are still raw, clamorous and unpredictable, but in a springy, primary-coloured way". Q Magazine gave it a favorable review saying "It's been a long time coming, but Brit-rap's first genuinely huge album is here". musicOMH.com gave it 4 out of 5 stars saying "There's a party to be had and Dizzee's in charge, but don't forget to engage your brain for at least some of it". Observer Music Monthly gave it 4 out of 5 stars saying "It unquestionably adds up to a pop record sharp enough to be the bratty but irresistible younger brother of Lily Allen's "It's Not Me, It's You". RapReviews.com gave the album 8.5/10 saying "All in all, Dizzee hasn't gone all out to make an artistic masterpiece, but it doesn't make the slightest bit of difference".

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Dizzee Rascal

Tongue n' Cheek

No.	Title	Producer	Length
1.	"Bonkers" (with Armand Van Helden)	Armand Van Helden	2:57
2.	"Road Rage" (featuring Chrome)	Aaron LaCrate Debonair Samir	3:14
3.	"Dance wiv Me" (featuring Calvin Harris and Chrome)	Calvin Harris	3:24
4.	"Freaky Freaky"	Cage	3:42
5.	"Can't Tek No More" (with Shy FX)	Shy FX	3:28
6.	"Chillin' wiv da Man Dem"	Cage	4:39
7.	"Dirtee Cash"	Cage	4:21
8.	"Money, Money"	Cage Dizzee Rascal	3:23
9.	"Leisure"	Cage Footsie	4:13
10.	"Holiday" (featuring Chrome)	Calvin Harris	3:40
11.	"Bad Behaviour" (with Tiësto)	Tiësto Danja	4:31
Total length:			41:32

• A bonus disc entitled "Foot n' Mouth" comes free with the album when purchased from HMV. It contains a single track of 27:54 containing a Dirtee Stank podcast with the following contents:

Bonus disc: Foot n' Mouth (HMV exclusive bonus disc)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Introduction"
2.	"DJ Semtex and Dizzee Rascal" (skit)
3.	"Butterfly" (snippet)
4.	"Holiday" (snippet, featuring Chrome)
5.	"Dance wiv Me" (snippet, featuring Calvin Harris and Chrome)
6.	"Bonkers" (snippet, with Armand Van Helden)
7.	"DJ Semtex interviews Newham Generals" (Newham Generals, skit)
8.	"Hard" (Newham Generals, snippet)
9.	"Mind is a Gun" (Newham Generals, snippet)
10.	"DJ Semtex interviews Smurfie Syco"
11.	"Laugh" (Smurfie Syco)
12.	"Dizzee Rascal talks about forthcoming Dirtee Stank project 'Manic Music'"
13.	"Warrior Within" (featuring D Double E and Footsie)
14.	"Dizze Rascal, D Double E, Footsie and Smurfie Syco" (freestyle)

• Dirtee deluxe edition: An expanded version of the album was released in 2010 to celebrate the album going platinum.

Dirtee deluxe edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Dirtee Disco" (featuring Daniel Pearce)	Dizzee Rascal Armand Van Helden	3:58
2.	"Nuffin' Long"		4:07
3.	"Marks Outta Ten"		3:55
4.	"Heavy" (Chase & Status vs. Dizzee Rascal)		3:35
5.	"Doin' it Big"		4:05
6.	"You Got the Dirtee Love" (Recorded live at the 2010 BRIT Awards with Florence Welch)		3:38
7.	"Brand New Day" (Recorded live at the BBC Electric Proms 2009)		4:52
8.	"Fix Up Look Sharp" (Recorded live at the BBC Electric Proms 2009)		5:47
9.	"Bonkers" (Remixed by Doorly)		4:32
10.	"Holiday" (Remixed by Laidback Luke)		7:10

Chart performance

Chart (2009)	Peak position
Australian Albums Chart	18
Irish Albums Chart	20
UK Albums Chart	3
UK R&B Albums Chart	1
New Zealand Albums Chart	9
US Billboard 200	121

Sales and certifications

Country	Provider	Certification	Sales
United Kingdom	BPI	Platinum	300,000+