Just when the British hip-hop community seemed on its last legs, the victim of an over-powerful American marketing machine, Roots Manuva hit the stratosphere with his second record, the nearly Mercury prize-winning Run Come Save Me. A stunning record, it balanced the stark digital soul of British ragga with lurching beats, and Rodney Smith's star-making delivery and wide-ranging repertoire. "Witness (1 Hope)" earned its place as the best British rap single since Tricky's "Aftermath," while "Bashment Boogie," "Hol' It Up," and "Artical" were distinctive, hard-hitting, surprisingly groovy performances. As on his LP debut, Brand New Second Hand, Smith also spent time reflecting on his religious upbringing, with a distinctly unhumorous track ("Sinny Sin Sins," never mind the title) that dealt with his heavily disciplinarian father. And where the productions on debut sounded thin and tame, for Run Come Save Me he hit another level entirely with tracks by either Bennett or RM himself, whose Blow's Yard Studio quickly took its place next to New York's legendary D&D Studios as a home to distinctive underground ap. Roots Manuva handled every type of song with flowing confidence and a bemused air, whether it was a club jam or a message track.
...here's something different for your Hip Hop Thursday consumption...Roots Manuva whom I'd slacked off on, admittedly...earlier this year, Micki hooked me up with a couple of his albums when she was in L.A. and we swapped some sounds via USB cables in a MacBook to MacBook stylee...I've since found that I am ready to absorb 'im and have been bumpin' this LP more and more...here's a jam I hipped...
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Dreamy Days by Roots Manuva came out a few years ago now, but it still sounds fresh, new and innovative. Great beats, nice strings and awesome lyrics, all with Manuva's unique flow. It's a long way from the 80s when UK hip-hop only seemed able to ape the better stuff coming out of the US. Now it strikes me that it's almost reversed - the US may produce more commercial stuff, but for fresh, exci...
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From one of the originators of the bashment style comes a tune with a production level on par with some of the classic dub and reggae from Duke Reid, Lee Perry et al. This song is so tight with a slow and depp bassline that reminds me of 'screw' from Houston. Roots Manuva has a flow with his rapping that ebbs and flows in tune with the organ effects that creep in and out from behind the bass.Ge...
More >
...here's something different for your Hip Hop Thursday consumption...Roots Manuva whom I'd slacked off on, admittedly...earlier this year, Micki hooked me up with a couple of his albums when she was in L.A. and we swapped some sounds via USB cables in a MacBook to MacBook stylee...I've since found that I am ready to absorb 'im and have been bumpin' this LP more and more...here's a jam I hipped...
More >
Yes yes, many of us may have spent the day kind of sort of protesting against everything Barack Obama stands for, but, -giggle - just writing his name down makes us at DiS Towers blush like schoolchildren. And we're not the only ones: Radio 4 yesterday asked listeners which five British films they'd offer the great man by way of reciprocity for the 25 Region One DVDs he gave our own dear premi...
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Dreamy Days by Roots Manuva came out a few years ago now, but it still sounds fresh, new and innovative. Great beats, nice strings and awesome lyrics, all with Manuva's unique flow. It's a long way from the 80s when UK hip-hop only seemed able to ape the better stuff coming out of the US. Now it strikes me that it's almost reversed - the US may produce more commercial stuff, but for fresh, exci...
More >
From one of the originators of the bashment style comes a tune with a production level on par with some of the classic dub and reggae from Duke Reid, Lee Perry et al. This song is so tight with a slow and depp bassline that reminds me of 'screw' from Houston. Roots Manuva has a flow with his rapping that ebbs and flows in tune with the organ effects that creep in and out from behind the bass.Ge...
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 No Strings... |
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| 2 Bashment Boogie |
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| 3 Witness (1 Hope) |
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| 4 Join the Dots |
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| 5 Black Box Interlude |
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| 6 Ital Visions |
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| 7 Kicking the Cack |
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| 8 Dub Styles |
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| 9 Trim Body |
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| 10 Artical |
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| 11 Hol' It Up |
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| 12 Stone the Crows |
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| 13 Sinny Sin Sins |
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| 14 Evil Rabbit |
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| 15 Swords in the Dirt |
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| 16 Highest Grade |
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| 17 Dreamy Days |
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Click to purchase…
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "Run Come Save Me")
