British hip hop sensation Rodney Smith, AKA Roots Manuva, hits the Junction this week
Roots Manuva, aka Rodney Smith, hits our city this month for a gig at Cambridge Junction, as part of a tour in support of his latest album, Bleeds. Released at the tail end of 2015, it’s the sixth full length album from this titan of the UK hip hop scene, whose musical career so far spans some 20 years.
Born and raised in South London, Smith made a memorable debut as Roots Manuva on Blak Twang’s 1995 single Queen’s Head, before releasing his own album Brand New Second Hand in 1999. Heavily inspired by soundsystem culture, it received widespread critical acclaim – but it was only with the release of his second album Run Come Save Me that he became known as the frontrunner of a new breed of British rap.
The standout single, and probably what Roots Manuva is still best known for, was Witness (1 Hope), a track often hailed as one of UK hip hop’s finest. With its throbbing bass, Dr Who style synths and witty lyrics, delivered with conviction and charisma in his unmistakable boom, it’s the track that marked Roots Manuva as a force to be reckoned with.
He’s now recognised as a pivotal figure not just in UK hip hop but in the musical landscape of Britain as a whole, cited as hugely influential by acts including Arctic Monkeys. The Times went as far as to describe him as “the voice of urban Britain” – though his lifestyle now (fatherhood in leafy surburban Surrey) is far removed from where he started out. He doesn’t seem to have lost any of his grit though, and Bleeds is being touted as his best offering yet – meaning his gig on the 3rd is set to be a good ’un.
Tickets are £19.50.