Dizzee Rascal plays surprise set at Birmingham's Bullring
Dizzee Rascal has wowed the crowds at Birmingham's Bullring as part of a special performance.
The grime music pioneer surprised shoppers on Valentine's Day with a 15-minute set, playing his old classics as well as few of his new tracks.
The news that he was heading to the city centre was only revealed at around 10.30am this morning.
The singer songwriter appeared in the shopping centre two hours later, at 12.30pm.
Speaking about his performance, Dizzee said: "I chose to perform here because it is such a legendary building.
"I remember when it first opened it was one of the most architecturally-sound buildings in Europe at the time.
"So that's a landmark if you are going to perform somewhere. The crowd were there, there was a lot of them. They were very receptive.
"I've got a history of coming here, i've been coming here since the beginning, even before my first album, I've done a lot of good shows here.
"I want people to know about my album. It's a lot of energy influenced by everything from garage to dubstep to, drum and base, to hip-hop, to grime and it's just a lot of good energy.
"It's for everyone. I suggest turn it up very loud, so you got a lot of base. I'm all about the base."
Despite the short notice, hundreds of people turned out to watch the Bonkers star, who was dressed in a black Dizzee Rascal T-shirt.
His performance took place outside the new Marks & Spencer store, in what was previously Debenhams.
Fans crowded on the ground floor, and also the two upper levels for a chance to see the man in action.With phones in the air, the crowd bounced up and down as they chanted the lyrics of Bonkers back to the grime star.
He was there to help promote his new album Don’t Take It Personal.
This comes as part of a series of impromptu gigs around the UK, including performances at HMV stores in Manchester and Glasgow.Best known for his UK number one singles Bonkers, Dirtee Disco and Shout, Holiday and Dance Wiv Me, Dizzee earned the Mercury Prize for his debut album Boy in da Corner in 2003.
He opened the 2012 London Olympics, sending thousands of people in the audience wild with his high energy anthem Bonkers.Now, 20 years on, he’s back with a new album, of which he played fans some tunes today, together with some classics too.
It was all over super quick though, as the rapper was only on stage for 15 minutes.