The `Bonkers` hitmaker insists he is happy to make commercial pop music with mass appeal, though he admits his attitude now is very different to his view earlier in his career.

He said: "I`ve done a bit of cheese. When you`re trying to reach the masses, people want something they can sing along to instantly, that they can do their little dance to, out drunk in the pub? I like that.

"If you`d asked me five years ago if I`d have done `Bonkers` I probably would have said no."

Last year, the 25-year-old rapper`s album `Tongue N` Cheek` got him nominated for the prestigious Barclaycard Mercury Prize for the third time, and Dizzee - whose real name is Dylan Mills - was delighted to be recognised again.

He said: "For me, that`s a fine indicator, especially when you`re at a point where you`re so pop. It`s that seal of approval, thank you very much."

Dizzee also admitted one of his role models is Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am for the way he has successfully fused commercial music with his edgier roots.

He told Esquire magazine: "He got the perfect balance now of the pop and the underground."
sections: Celebrities