"Bassline Junkie" is a song by British rapper

Dizzee Rascal Dylan Kwabena Mills (born 18 September 1984), better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a British MC and rapper. A pioneer of grime music, his work has also incorporated elements of UK garage, bassline, British hip hop, and R&B. Dizze ...

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

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

and peaked at number 10 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

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 a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

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 they show 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. In the UK, they are generally called a public information film (PIF); in Hong Kong, ...

-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 contexts. El ...

and his friend playing an

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

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

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, Scotland. 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 o ...

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 Lammert ...

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

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

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