It has been a long and painful struggle for British hip hop, and British rappers in particular, to gain credibility, let alone commercial success. While average American acts could get airplay and big-budget promotional campaigns, Britain's budding beat makers and MCs were ignored. Put simply, American acts sold with the minimum of effort in the 90s as hip hop became the world's biggest- selling genre. British hip hop did not. That changed in 2002. While British hip hop could still not achieve mainstream success, a new concept of British urban music could. In 2002, Ms Dynamite's debut album won the Mercury Music Award and went double platinum. In 2003, Dizzee Rascal changed the face of British music with his debut album Boy In Da Corner. Experimental and innovative in its music and with Dizzee - aka Dylan Younger - proving to be a gifted rapper and an intelligent social commentator, Boy In Da Corner created a very British spin-off of hip hop. "I've never considered myself to be hip hop, so to be described as the figurehead of UK hip hop is just unbelievable," says Dizzee. "I just wanted to make music. It's not rock, it's not hip hop, it's not garage, it's just my way of putting a track together. People always try and find a category for music, but I hate the term `urban'. I don't know what it means, but they have it as a category in HMV. But while I don't like it, I cannot deny it has helped acts like me cross over into the mainstream. "They're springing up all over the place now, not just in London, but in every city and town in the country and that makes me immensely proud. "Britain isn't seen as America's cousin any more. The music we're making is ours. It's from our society and our culture." Dizzee's second album, Showtime, proves he was no one-hit wonder. It has also confirmed he has left the east London council estate which inspired much of Boy In Da Corner. * Dizzee Rascal is at Newcastle University on Thursday. | 
