b. Rodney Hylton Smith, 1972, Stockwell, London, England. Roots Manuva is recognised as one of the leading lights in UK hip-hop in the new millennium. His articulate style reflects a reggae and hip-hop upbringing, with Rakim a considerable influence. By contrast he was raised by his Jamaican parents in the environment of a South London Pentecostal church. He made his recorded debut in 1994 as part of IQ Procedure, before making his debut as Roots Manuva later the same year on Blak Twang's "Queen's Head". After signing to the Big Dada label, Smith's solo career blossomed in his collaborations with Skitz, Mr Scruff, Mica Paris, 23 Skidoo and Pharoahe Monch amongst others. His most prominent guest slot came with the brutal beats and energetic rap of "Dusted", the opening track on Leftfield's 1999 album Rhythm And Stealth.
Smith then released his debut album as Roots Manuva, Brand New Second Hand, the title a reference to his less plentiful upbringing. It was hailed on release in 1999 by the music paper NME as "that most rare of phenomena, a fine UK hip-hop album". It showcased an organic, reggae based sound, but also threw pop, rock and classical into the mix. Roots Manuva remained modest when confronted with his success, and returning to the studio he released the single "Witness (1 Hope)", proclaiming his British affinities with cheese on toast and ten pints of bitter over a suitably squelchy bass line. The 2001 album Run Come Save Me took his style a step further, experimenting in both language and sonics and offering a refreshing alternative to more formulaic US hip-hop. As he tellingly stated on "Trim Body", "I ain't a rapper, I'm a psychic link to a parallel world". The album was subsequently nominated for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize and was heralded as opening the door for a new generation of UK rappers including the Streets and Dizzee Rascal.
By this point in his career Roots Manuva had also established himself as a dub producer, transforming Big Dada Sounds' "Showtime" and his own "Witness" to great effect. The Dub Come Save Me album combined unreleased material alongside dubs of tracks originally included on Run Come Save Me. A period spent away from music to deal with a number of "personal" issues, coupled with the birth of his son, meant little was then heard from Roots Manuva for the next two years. He returned at the start of 2005 with another superlative release, Awfully Deep.
