Roots Manuva - Brand New Second Hand (1999)

At it's time of release BNSH was seen as the most innovative hip-hop album in years and too this day it hasn't lost one ounce of it's individuality.
Heavily rooted in dub-reggae beats and Rastafarian culture, Roots Manuva (Rodney Smith) takes each beat and makes it his own with his engaging flow, operating like an extra instrument with the twists and turns of his complex rhymes.
First and arguably best track, "Movements", combines a dark and mysterious synth with a pulsating beat, simple yet effective, and providing the perfect canvas for Smith to complete with his words painting a vivid picture. On the chorus you hang off each word, "left...right", appreciation of the sheer perfection of this track.
The album title is a nod to Smith's modest upbringing and a phrase his mother used to use, but the themes of growing up, strength and battling inequality shine through amongst the most 'English' of lyrics,

"I'll slap the bacon out your mouth, dance upon your sarnie"

Such words provide the laughs amongst some serious content always spoken with utmost integrity, and an album which has and will, stand the test of time.

look buy

Roots Manuva - "Movements"
Roots Manuva - "Wisdom Fail"