Grime MC Lethal Bizzle has been engaging in a kind of rapprochement with the Indie Brit Pack, cosying up to the likes of Babyshambles, The Rakes and the Mystery Jets, and championing a new hybrid genre operating under the title ‘grindie’. This mutual appreciation society is presumably an attempt to bring grime to the Converse-clad massive, and also explains why Bizzle finds himself on V2, a label not especially known for its urban stylings.
This album, the follow-up to his debut Against All Oddz, offers a frenetic trip through his hi-energy, skittish and colourful take on grime, and neatly encapsulates why he has been earmarked for crossover appeal. The machine gun rattle of ‘Mr.’ and the infectious banger ‘Bizzle Bizzle’ both snap, crackle and pop with an effervescence that is positively manic; the ass-shaking kuduro clamour of ‘Boy’ features a cameo from the aforementioned Babyshambles; the bass heavy ‘You’ll Get Wrapped’ exudes a pointed dubby menace.
The spiky production and swift running time give the record a distinct pop sheen. Occasionally all this boundless zeal becomes a little too exhausting, but ‘Selfridge’s Girl Not On MySpace’ with its gloomy ‘80s-era synths, and Bizzles’s default highly-strung MC-ing offer brief respite.
As for the ‘indie’ part of the ‘grindie’, the jury’s still out. ‘Babylon’s Burning The Ghetto’ and ‘Police On My Back’ sound tokenistic. Less rolling with the ‘boys with guitars’ brigade might be advisable – but Back To Bizznizz at least confirms that Lethal Bizzle is grime’s ambassador to pop.