Fix Up, Look Sharp

Album: Boy In Da Corner (2003)
Charted: 17
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This slice of rap braggadocio is built around the main beat and vocals from rock musician Billy Squier's "The Big Beat." The 1980 track is a popular choice for sampling by rap and urban artists. Other hit tunes that have borrowed from "The Big Beat" include Jay-Z's "99 Problems," Nas' "Hip-Hop Is Dead" and Alicia Keys' "Girl On Fire."
  • Bought up by his mum in an East London council flat, Dizzee Rascal had never boarded a plane before he flew to Los Angeles to shoot the video for "Fix Up, Look Sharp." He recalled to Q magazine: "It was mad. Of all the places to go for your first time outside the country you go to Hollywood. It felt like another planet."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17Songwriter Interviews

Martyn talks about producing Tina Turner, some Heaven 17 hits, and his work with the British Electric Foundation.

Graduation Songs

Graduation SongsFact or Fiction

Have you got the smarts to know which of these graduation song stories are real?

Tony Banks of Genesis

Tony Banks of GenesisSongwriter Interviews

Genesis' key-man re-examines his solo career and the early days of music video.

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillian

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillianSong Writing

A Soul Train dancer takes us through a day on the show, and explains what you had to do to get camera time.

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty

Rob Thomas of Matchbox TwentySongwriter Interviews

Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.