Dylan Kwabena Mills, better known as Dizzee Rascal, is regarded as one of the greatest British rappers of all time. The musician, who has been active for 20 years, released his eighth album "Don't Take It Personal" in early February. On April 30, when Estonians celebrate Walpurgis Night, Dizzee is will be performing in front of an Estonian audience for the first time.

Last year also marked the 20th anniversary of Dizzee Rascal's debut album "Boy In Da Corner," which was released when he was just 19 years old. In fact, he wrote his very first song, "Ready 4 War," four years earlier at the age of 15.

"Because I was so young, I think it blew everyone away that I could make stuff like that. All of a sudden, I was traveling and going to do shows around the world, doing promo and doing interviews all day. I took it for granted, it was just something that that was happening. When I think back now, I realize how big that was," the rapper admitted in an interview on ETV show "Ringvaade."

"I don't want to say I was lucky, but I was lucky that my first album blew up like it did, a lot of people's first albums don't necessarily do that," he added.

Dizzee's first musical experiments gave him such a boost that he went on to win the prestigious Mercury Prize for best album in 2003, becoming the youngest ever person to do so. His songs have gone on to conquer the music charts around the world, and he even performed his hit "Bonkers" at the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.

Today, the rapper says he's more excited about traveling than he's ever been. "The big reason I'm coming to Estonia is mainly because I've never been. I'm probably more appreciative now of where the music takes me, whereas before it was all a bit of a blur and I just turned up," Rascal told Ringvaade.

On his latest album, Rascal is more comfortable talking about his life as an adult. "I'm not trying to be a young boy anymore. But the sound is still very upbeat, with a lot of energy. I want people to be able to dance to it and get hyped to it," said Dizzee, adding that he tried to keep the energy high while recording.

"I was sweating a lot. I'm quite hard on myself. I might do the same four lines 12 or 13 times until I'm happy that I've got it right because I want the right delivery and I want the right feeling. So, by the end of it, I was really tired," Dizzee admitted.

Based on fans' reactions at live shows, Dizzee singled out "What You Know About That" as one of the stand-out tracks from his new record.

 "That song goes down really well. But, I actually like most of the album. It's an album that I was able to listen to myself and not turn it off for being too overcritical about it," he said.

In addition to the "Don't Take It Personal," he also has some more new songs coming out soon. "I'm always try to stay in the studio. I might have a few weeks sometimes when I don't want to go anywhere near a computer. Sometimes I get that, but overall, I just like to keep songs flowing."

In a previous interview, Rascal said he wanted to master music the way Bruce Lee mastered martial arts. "If Bruce Lee was still alive today, he would approach his martial arts with a different philosophy. It's the same with me and music. There's still loads I don't know about music. I can't even play the piano for a star. I feel my way through music, I'm not formally trained. So, that's a start."

Rascal has also collaborated with a number of world-famous musicians, including Noel Gallagher and Calvin Harris. However, one of his most enjoyable collaborations was with Shakira. "The fact that I was able to get in the studio with her was very last minute. I got the call just a few hours before. Even then, I couldn't believe it, and when I went to meet her, she was so cool. Everything was very cool," said Dizzee, who later joined Shakira on stage to perform the song "Loca" at the 2010 MTV European Music Awards in Madrid. "She's a force of nature," he said.

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In his free time, the rapper admits that he is currently listening to a lot of older music. "I listen to a lot of post-disco, not disco, post-disco. Nice, funky music that's good to drive around to. Obviously, drum n' bass too," Dizzee said.

With his European tour about to begin, Rascal is getting ready by hitting the gym, not least because his last tour took its toll on his knees. "With this little tour that I'm doing here, it's seven days back-to-back. It's a lot, so I'm just trying to keep myself healthy and fit, so I'm concentrating on that. But I'm in a positive mind frame, I'm ready. I'm coming there to give people the proper things. When I get on that stage, it's serious. I'm there to put the proper work in, so that people can just have fun," he said.

Despite the warnings, Dizzee was unphased by the tendency for Estonian audiences to be reserved. "Some people are like that. I remember the first time I went to Japan, I was doing my show and it felt like the people were just watching me. In my head, I was thinking 'what's their problem?' But after every performance, they clapped a lot. I didn't understand their culture. They have so much respect that they were letting me do the performance before they react. That kind of blew my mind, I thought I was doing something wrong," he laughed. "I understand that different people are different."

Rascal said he is now really looking forward to coming to Estonia, "to walk around and see what life is like there." He also expressed hope that the weather in Tallinn would be warm when he arrives at the end of April.

"Estonians might not be that reserved on the night," he said. "You might see something different from Estonians on that night, I think."

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Dizzee Rascal will perform at Tallinn's Helitehas on April 30. Tickets are available on Piletilevi.

The full interview with Dizzee Rascal can be seen on ERR's Estonian portal here.

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