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Dizzee Rascal says he wasn't pressured into making music for a more mainstream audience.

The 27-year-old started his music career as a grime MC, but later found success with a string of pop and dance singles.

Speaking to Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe, the rapper said he now "enjoys being a pop star".

"I think some people think that I was pressured into it but it was my choice," he said.

"I like making big pop records. It was something I wanted to try my hand at."

The rapper, whose real name is Dylan Mills, topped the UK singles chart for the first time in 2008 with Dance Wiv Me, a collaboration with Calvin Harris.

He went on to have a series of chart hits, including Dirtee Disco, Holiday and Bonkers, which all reached number one.

Mills says he wants to continue making pop music in the future.

"When I did Dance Wiv Me, Bonkers and Holiday it was all experimental, that was all I wanted to do, and it's worked, so I don't see any reason not to do it," he said.

Dizzee Rascal recently released new material online, in the form of a free mixtape called DirteeTV.com.

The rapper says he has produced a lot of the new music himself, which he posted on his official website earlier this week.

"I'm back on the buttons. It was nice to be in the studio and produce again," he said.

"It's been cool jumping on other people's beats but it's nice to start to start from scratch and come up with something no-one else would come up with."

Mills has collaborated with a number of other rappers on the project.

"There will be other MCs on there, ScruFizzer is on the new track. I just want to be heard with the best. I've still got that same hunger that I had when I first began. I want to be on tracks with the best MCs," he said.

"It's back to the grass roots. Making music for the fun of it again."

When asked about his plans for 2012, Mills said: "Another album - a follow-up to this mixtape because this one has gone down really well. And a lot of touring, last year I didn't do as much but this year anything could happen."