Lord Gosh
| Roots Manuva | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Rodney Smith |
| Also known as | Lord Gosh Hylton Smythe Rodrick Manuva Brigadier Smythe Cecil P.Y.L.M. Pim Pimpernel / Chubb |
| Born | 8 September 1972 |
| Origin | , London |
| Genres | Alternative hip hop, trip hop, dub, electronica |
| Occupation(s) | Vocalist, rapper, producer, remixer |
| Instruments | Vocals, rapping |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Labels | Big Dada, Banana Klan |
| Associated acts | Ricky Ranking, DJ MK, Mr. Scruff, Toddla T, Lotek, Hi Fi, Leftfield, Speech Debelle, DELS, Gorillaz, Martina Topley-Bird |
| Website | rootsmanuva |
Rodney Hylton Smith, better known by his stage name Roots Manuva (born 9 September 1972), is an English rapper and producer. Since his debut in 1994, he has produced numerous albums and singles under his label Big Dada, achieving commercial success with albums such as Run Come Save Me and Slime & Reason. He has been described as "one of the most influential artists in British music history." His most recent studio album, Bleeds, was released in October 2015.
Smith grew up around , London, England. His parents were from a small village in Jamaica where his father was a preacher and tailor. He spent much of his early life in poverty and this and his strict Pentecostal upbringing had an influence on his music as can be heard in many of his tracks such as "Sinny Sin Sins" and "Colossal Insight".
Of his early discovery of music he says:
It was as a kid. Before I even knew what a sound system was. I was walking past Stockwell skateboard park and there was this sound being set up. They were probably just trying out their speakers. I was with my mum, holding my mum's hand. And I remember my mum being quite intimidated by the whole affair. Such a barrage of bass coming from it! And these dodgy-looking blokes standing beside it just admiring the sound of their bass. It's just a bass thing. A volume thing. I don't know if I rose-tint the memories, but I remember it sounded so good, so rich. It's not like today when we go to clubs and it hurts. It was more of a life-giving bass.
Smith made his recorded debut in 1994 as part of IQ Procedure through Suburban Base's short-lived hip hop imprint Bluntly Speaking Vinyl. He debuted as Roots Manuva the same year on Blak Twang's "Queen's Head" single, before releasing his own single, "Next Type of Motion" the following year through the same label, the Sound of Money. 1996 saw the release of his collaborations with Skitz ("Where My Mind Is At"/"Blessed Be The Manner") on 23 Skidoo's Ronin label. The release of "Feva" on Tony Vegas' Wayward imprint followed in 1997. This was also the year that saw the first releases from Big Dada, a collaboration between Coldcut's Ninja Tune label and hip hop journalist Will Ashon.
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