"Bassline Junkie" is a song by British rapper

Dizzee Rascal Dylan Kwabena Mills (born 18 September 1984), known professionally as Dizzee Rascal, is a British rapper and MC. He is often credited as a pioneer of British hip hop and grime music and was ranked by ''Complex'' as one of the greatest British ...

from his mixtape ''Dirtee TV.com – The Mixtape EP, Vol.2'' (2013). The song was produced by

MJ Cole Matthew James Firth Coleman, better known by his stage name MJ Cole, is an English garage DJ, recording artist, record producer and remixer. Career Born in London, in his youth, Cole was classically trained on the oboe and piano, and won sch ...

and peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart despite not being officially released as a single. The track also appeared on '' The Fifth'', Dizzee's 2013 album, and was one of the few UK urban tracks on the album, with most tracks continuing his move away from grime and garage to other genres.

Music video

The video was released on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

on 31 December 2012. It follows Rascal and his friend (played by comedian Eric Lampaert) preaching "the way of the bassline". They first visit a block of flats, where Rascal aggressively threatens a small boy after he turns off the "large speakers" that the song is playing through, only to be silenced himself when the boy's mother confronts him. From there, Rascal and his friend get in a taxi (1965 Ford Zodiac MkIII) and use a

PA system A public address system (or PA system) is an electronic system comprising microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers, and related equipment. It increases the apparent volume (loudness) of a human voice, musical instrument, or other acoustic sound sou ...

to blast the song to the public. They then visit a prison, where he shows the prisoners a

public service announcement A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. Oftentimes these messages feature unsettling imagery, ideas or behaviors that are des ...

-type video and "cleanse" the prisoners. They also cleanse a man in a pub. Rascal and his friend then visit a church, with Rascal dressed like a priest giving a

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present context ...

and his friend playing an

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

with all its keys taped off apart from the bass notes. This sends the churchgoers into a frenzy, dancing wildly and tearing off their clothes. Rascal finally uses "the way of the bassline" to set a man on fire before the video ends.

Commercial performance

"Bassline Junkie" debuted at number 72 on the UK Singles Chart on 13 January 2013. It entered the top 40 the following week at number 38, soon climbing up to number 14. The single peaked at number 10 in its fifth week. On the

Scottish Singles Chart The Scottish Albums Chart is a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) which is based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Albums Chart fare in Scotland. The official singles chart for Scotland, the Scottish Singles Chart, ...

, "Bassline Junkie" debuted at number 32 on 27 January 2013, going on to peak at number 14 in its third week on the chart.

Covers

The song was covered by the pirate/folk metal band

Alestorm Alestorm are a Scottish heavy metal band formed in Perth in 2004. Their music is characterised by a pirate theme, and as a result, they have been dubbed a "pirate metal" band by many critics and their fanbase. The group currently consists of ...

on their 2020 album ''

Curse of the Crystal Coconut ''Curse of the Crystal Coconut'' is the sixth studio album by Scottish heavy metal band Alestorm. It was released on 29 May 2020 via Napalm Records. The album was recorded at Krabi Road, Thailand with the band's long-time producer Lasse Lammer ...

'' as one of the bonus tracks on the wooden box edition.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2013 songs 2013 singles Dizzee Rascal songs Songs written by Dizzee Rascal UK garage songs