Dizzee Rascal Maths+English:B+

For a guy who proclaimed ad nauseam on his last album that "you people are gonna respect me if it kills you," London rapper Dizzee Rascal's decision to withhold his third album, Maths + English, from North American music retailers' shelves is a surprisingly weak move. If you want a copy of the record, Amazon UK is your best option, but that shipping cost stings. Which is a shame because it's a hell of a record, nearly equaling the aesthetic mastery of Dizzee's 2003 debut. \nThere's really only one weak cut here. The infantile schoolyard taunt of the unfortunately titled "Suk My Dick" belongs somewhere on a Ja Rule record, not a Dizzee one. That aside, Dizzee reinvigorates rap/rock with "Sirens" and crafts a superbly listenable club banger on "Flex." Dizzee's thick, often impenetrable accent is still a deal breaker for some, but the man commands one of the densest flows in the rap industry today. \nAnd he doesn't enlist much help, either, which is always a plus in the age of endless "featuring" tracks. Rascal self-produces, and there are only four guest artists on "Maths," two of whom aren't even rappers. Texan rhymers Bun B and Pimp C from UGK guest on "Where's da G's," an engaging but slightly formulaic back and forth. Later, songstress Lily Allen shows up on the effectively lighthearted "Wanna Be," and the Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner provides a chorus on the all-too-brief album highlight "Temptation." \nDizzee is at his best on tracks like "Pussyole (Oldskool)" and "Bubbles," both relentless and both high atop the list of 2007's best rap tracks. On the instructional track "Hardback (Industry)" (think the UK equivalent of Biggie's "Ten Crack Commandments"), Dizzee outlines how to achieve success in the rap world. I just hope Dizzee's questionable marketing move with Maths + English isn't a part of that plan.