One of the most successful British rapper’s with five No.1 singles has revealed he retrained as a plasterer and nobody knew who he was.

Dizzee Rascal, 40, whose real name is Dylan Kwabena Mills, told how he paid £1,495 during the pandemic to enrol in the course and learn the new skill.

The performer explained that he completed the course and received a certificate, which confirms he is qualified in City and Guilds Certificate in Plastering.

Dizzee enrolled onto the course at the Able Skills Construction Training in Dartford, Kent, during the Covid 19 pandemic after becoming keen to learn a new skill.

The course gives trainees the option to do Monday to Friday over four weeks or six weekends with a nine day block.

The star admitted that he has already forgotten the skills he learned on the course and explained his reasons for doing it.

Dizzee Rascal, 40, whose real name is Dylan Kwabena Mills, told how he paid £1,495 during the pandemic to enrol in the course and learn the new skill

The performer explained that he completed the course and received a certificate, which confirms he is qualified in City and Guilds Certificate in Plastering

He said: ‘I did a plastering course for however long. I forgot how to do it, I got the certificate and everything. 

‘In the pandemic yeah, for some reason I felt like I needed to learn to do stuff. Big up able skills It was wicked.’ –

But Dizzee claims other people on the course were ‘miffed’ about him enrolling he also told Fix Radio: ‘People were miffed, when I get in the queue people were like ‘What’s he doing here’.

However, others that he had spent weeks with didn’t recognise him and only clocked towards the end of the course that he was a famous rapper. 

He said: ‘Towards the end there was a couple dudes I’ve been with them for weeks. They were like “Hey oh my God it’s you, hey man, he’s rich man, he’s famous man”.

‘Right at the end is when they clocked it.’

Despite his foray into blue collar-work, Dizzee returned with a UK tour last year to celebrate 15 years since the release of his groundbreaking album Tongue n’ Cheek.

The rapper burst onto the UK hip-hop scene with his Mercury Prize-winning debut album Boy in da Corner in 2003.

The performer explained that he completed the course and received a certificate, which confirms he is qualified in City and Guilds Certificate in Plastering

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Dizzee, who got his start as a DJ at the tender age of 14, parlayed that early success into a career that has spanned 25 years and prompted many to dub him a pioneer of UK hip-hop and grime music. 

Dizzee has released eight albums, with his 2009 record Tongue n’ Cheek peaking at number three on the UK album charts. 

He has also scored four number one UK singles – Dance Wiv Me, Bonkers, Holiday and Dirtee Disco, and collaborated with the likes of Robbie Williams, Calvin Harris, and Ty Dolla Sign.

His long career has not been without controversy though, with the rapper convicted of ᴀssaulting his former partner Cᴀssandra Jones in 2022.

An appeal against his conviction was dismissed in January 2023 and he received a community order that included a 24-week curfew and a retraining order preventing him from contacting Cᴀssandra for 12 months.

The rapper lost an appeal against the conviction in 2023.

In a statement released after Dizzee lost the appeal, Cᴀssandra, who shares two children with the star, said the appeal had been ‘hugely upsetting’ for her, adding the experience has helped her understand why ‘so many women drop out of the criminal justice system’.

‘This verdict today once again shows wealth and status cannot be used to silence women,’ she said in the statement.

‘Domestic abuse is a crime impacting one in four women in their lifetime.

‘I would like to thank my family and friends and the specialist organisations who have supported me throughout and also say to other women experiencing abuse that regardless of money or influence, support is out there, and you are not alone.’