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Daily Mail
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Noughties British rapper with five No.1 singles reveals he has retrained as a plasterer and nobody realised who he was until the end of the course
One of the most successful British rapper's with five No.1 singles has revealed he retrained as a plasterer and nobody knew who he was. Dizzee Rascal, 40, whose real name is Dylan Kwabena Mills, told how he paid £1,495 during the pandemic to enrol in the course and learn the new skill. The performer explained that he completed the course and received a certificate, which confirms he is qualified in City and Guilds Certificate in Plastering. Dizzee enrolled onto the course at the Able Skills Construction Training in Dartford, Kent, during the Covid 19 pandemic after becoming keen to learn a new skill. The course gives trainees the option to do Monday to Friday over four weeks or six weekends with a nine day block. The star admitted that he has already forgotten the skills he learned on the course and explained his reasons for doing it. He said: 'I did a plastering course for however long. I forgot how to do it, I got the certificate and everything. 'In the pandemic yeah, for some reason I felt like I needed to learn to do stuff. Big up able skills It was wicked.' - But Dizzee claims other people on the course were 'miffed' about him enrolling he also told Fix Radio: 'People were miffed, when I get in the queue people were like 'What's he doing here'. However, others that he had spent weeks with didn't recognise him and only clocked towards the end of the course that he was a famous rapper. He said: 'Towards the end there was a couple dudes I've been with them for weeks. They were like "Hey oh my God it's you, hey man, he's rich man, he's famous man". 'Right at the end is when they clocked it.' Despite his foray into blue collar-work, Dizzee returned with a UK tour last year to celebrate 15 years since the release of his groundbreaking album Tongue n' Cheek. The rapper burst onto the UK hip-hop scene with his Mercury Prize-winning debut album Boy in da Corner in 2003. Dizzee, who got his start as a DJ at the tender age of 14, parlayed that early success into a career that has spanned 25 years and prompted many to dub him a pioneer of UK hip-hop and grime music. Dizzee has released eight albums, with his 2009 record Tongue n' Cheek peaking at number three on the UK album charts. He has also scored four number one UK singles – Dance Wiv Me, Bonkers, Holiday and Dirtee Disco, and collaborated with the likes of Robbie Williams, Calvin Harris, and Ty Dolla Sign. His long career has not been without controversy though, with the rapper convicted of assaulting his former partner Cassandra Jones in 2022. An appeal against his conviction was dismissed in January 2023 and he received a community order that included a 24-week curfew and a retraining order preventing him from contacting Cassandra for 12 months. The rapper lost an appeal against the conviction in 2023. In a statement released after Dizzee lost the appeal, Cassandra, who shares two children with the star, said the appeal had been 'hugely upsetting' for her, adding the experience has helped her understand why 'so many women drop out of the criminal justice system'. 'This verdict today once again shows wealth and status cannot be used to silence women,' she said in the statement. 'Domestic abuse is a crime impacting one in four women in their lifetime. 'I would like to thank my family and friends and the specialist organisations who have supported me throughout and also say to other women experiencing abuse that regardless of money or influence, support is out there, and you are not alone.'
The Irish Sun
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Rapper with four UK number ones reveals he's retrained as a plasterer after being found guilty of assault
RAPPER Dizzee Rascal has got a secret side from his typical stage persona after secretly becoming a qualified plasterer. The Advertisement 5 Dizzee Rascal trained up as a plasterer during the Covid pandemic Credit: Getty - Contributor 5 The star said that other trainees were 'miffed' that he was there Credit: Getty However, his career was derailed when he was But Dizzee has now revealed that, prior to this, he took part in a new qualification during the Covid-19 pandemic. Forking out £1,495 for the course at Able Skills Construction Training in Dartford, Kent, Dizzee is now fully-certified plasterer. Speaking to Fix Radio (via NeedToKnow), the singer said: 'I did a plastering course for however long. Advertisement READ MORE DIZZEE RASCAL 'I forgot how to do it, I got the certificate and everything. 'In the pandemic yeah, for some reason I felt like I needed to learn to do stuff. 'Big up Able Skills. It was wicked.' However, he added that he wasn't initially welcomed by the others taking part on the part-time course, explaining: 'People were miffed, when I got in the queue people were like 'What's he doing here?' Advertisement Most read in Showbiz Warning 'Towards the end there was a couple dudes, I've been with them for weeks. 'They were like 'Hey oh my God it's you, hey man, he's rich man, he's famous man'. Dizzee Rascal, 37, avoids jail after attacking ex-girlfriend and shoving her to the ground 'Right at the end is when they clocked it.' The star got the certificate before his conviction, which he tried unsuccessfully to overturn in 2023. Advertisement He was able to swerve a jail sentence at the time, instead having to wear an electronic tag for 24 weeks after being handed a community order. As part of the rules of the tag, he had a curfew between 8pm and 6am. He was also slapped with a 12-month restraining order and ordered to pay £2,190 prosecution costs and a £95 victim surcharge. Prior to his arrest, he Advertisement 5 The star's chart-topping career stalled after he was convicted of assault in 2022 Credit: Redferns 5 The singer said he has already forgotten how to do the skill despite forking out over £1.4k on the course Credit: Getty - Contributor 5 Dizzee tried to appeal his conviction in 2023 but was unsuccessful Credit: Handout - Getty
