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Dizzee Rascal may be one of Britain’s most successful rappers with five No.1 singles under his belt, but during the pandemic, the "Bonkers" hitmaker was leading a very different life, and hardly anyone knew.
The chart-topping star, whose real name is Dylan Kwabena Mills, revealed he retrained as a plasterer during the Covid-19 lockdown, paying £1,495 to enrol on a professional course. Speaking candidly, Dizzee shared that he completed the training at Able Skills Construction Training in Dartford, Kent, earning a City and Guilds Certificate in Plastering, a qualification many would never have expected to see hanging on his wall.
“People were miffed,” he said of his time on the course. “When I got in the queue, people were like, ‘What’s he doing here?’” According to the rapper, it wasn’t until the very end of the course that some of his fellow trainees realised who he really was. “Towards the end, there were a couple of dudes I’d been with for weeks, and 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.”
Dizzee explained that his decision to learn plastering wasn't about money or necessity, but a personal drive to pick up a practical new skill during a time when the entertainment industry ground to a halt. However, despite earning his certificate, the rapper admitted he's already forgotten most of what he learned.
“I was keen to learn something new, to keep myself occupied,” he said. “It was more about doing something real, something hands-on.”
While Dizzee’s foray into blue-collar work might have gone under the radar, his return to music was anything but. Last year, he embarked on a major UK tour to celebrate the 15th anniversary of his groundbreaking album Tongue n' Cheek, proving he’s still very much at the top of his game.
Whether it’s laying down tracks in the studio or laying plaster on a wall, Dizzee Rascal’s pandemic project proves that even the biggest stars aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty.
