Target Audience: Dizzee Rascal

Dizzee Rascal:

• Dizzee Rascal's audience has grown and grown as he is ever more plunged into the mainstream media eye from his musically underground origin.
• His style or genre is a mixture of garage, rap, grime and electronic music.
• This kind of genre would usually mean he would be part of the underground scene but he signed to a record company early which meant the release of albums and singles and appearances on a few of the companies tracks. This is a kind of promoting but very subtle, keeping his name within the genre and followers just to build a fan base.
• After his first solo album 'Boy in Da corner' was critically acclaimed in August 2003 reaching a peak of number 23 in the album charts. In September, Dizzee was awarded the Mercury Prize for best album of 2003 and the youngest person to do so at only 19. It was also chosen as number 1 album of the year by Planet Sound.
• Winning these titles would have really helped promote him form a young age and especially because it was his first album. It may have made he news which would widen his audience and obviously start to bring him into mainstream.
• As well as this, Boy in da corner was chosen as one of t top 50 albums for the year 2004 by Rolling Stone (the magazine). Joining the likes of Eminem, Mos Def and Kanye West.
• His unique style, as "words pour out at a high pitch and pace, as if syllables are the only thing that can hold back a scream," has given him a sound that can make hip hop embrace as something new and original in the hip hop scene.
• Dizzee has now released a total of four albums, and won a number of awards including the Best British Male in the 2010 BRIT awards.
• This has meant his target audience has dramatically increased as he seems to now be the link between mainstream and underground.
• Dizzee Rascal hasn't really used particular promotional ideas for his music but importantly he has won awards and featured on big tracks with big artists which have all helped to gain a name for himself and get into the public eye.
• Below is a screen grab of his website, which is set out slightly differently to Foals' with there being lots and lots of scrolling down through many videos of him at events or anything he has participated in. There is no section for merchandise or materials with his logos on, just links to artists, videos and photos. There is however at the top of the page there is a flashing image/slideshow of various things to promote and get out to his audience.
• I think his way of promoting and target audience is very successful now being one of the best British artists whether it was planned or helped.