#AOTM137: Roots Manuva

8th November 2015WORDS: Ed West

roots manuva aotm137Roots Manuva aka ‘Rodney Smith’, was born in 1972 and grew up in Stockwell (south London). His parents are both from a small village in Jamaica, where his father was a preacher and a tailor. Roots Manuva’s music is a manifestation of MC culture that could only come from the UK. When Ragga ruled the roads of London, and Hip-Hop from the U.S.A was still on the up hill journey to it’s golden age. Hip-Hop beats with swagga, combined with overtones of dancehall music and dub bass. “I’m the son of a Coxsone/Saxon ting, true I do get busy, study my trade” – ‘Oh Yeah…’ from the album ‘Brand New Second Hand’.

At a time when Hip-Hop hadn’t fully infiltrated into UK mainstream culture, a young Rodney was watching U.S Hip-Hop video’s on the T.V, but at the same time experiencing what he refers to as his own ‘version of Hip-Hop before he knew what Hip-Hop was’. Jamaican sound-system culture. He cites artists like Smiley Culture and Tippa Irie as being the forefathers of UK Hip-Hop. In his recent interview with SK Vibemaker Roots states “without people like Smiley Culture, there wouldn’t be people like Dizzee, or Tinie Tempa“.

Rodney’s first released recording was in 1994 on the Hip-Hop sister label of the legendary Suburban Base named ‘Bluntly Speaking’, as part of ‘IQ Procedure’. Later the same year he would debut as Roots Manuva, guesting on Black Twang’s ‘The Queens Head’…

Now known as Roots Manuva, Rodney had a few releases on small UK labels over the next few years, most notably a collaboration with DJ Skitz, called Where My Mind Is At, which was released on ‘Ronin Records’. It was in 1997 that Roots would meet ‘Will Ashon’ who had recently began Big Dada as a Hip-Hop off shoot of Ninja Tune. They released Roots’ first album ‘Brand New Second Hand’ in the same year. The label has been Roots Manuva’s home ever since, having recently signed again in 2011. An introduction to Roots Manuva would not be complete without also mentioning his own ‘Banana Klan’. A crew that nurtured new talent such as Jimmy Screech, and Ricky Ranking (to name a few) via their label.