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GIANT STEP
artists
Roots Manuva
"It was as a kid. Before I even knew what a soundsystem was. I was walking past Stockwell...
features
Roots Manuva – ‘Alternately Deep’ (Big Dada)
Sometimes B-sides are meant to be flipped, skipped and forgotten. Then again, sometimes B-sides...
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releases
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Awfully Deep
Roots Manuva

CD
Released: Apr 19, 2005
Released By Big Dada
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release description

England’s version of hip-hop is connected to America’s through a gritty, urban outlook and the urge to tell stories in free-flowing rhyme. British MC/producer Roots Manuva adds crazy twists and effects to this formula and has opened doors for artists like Dizzee Rascal, Ty and The Streets. Born to Jamaican parents, dancehall, ragga and dub beats play a big role in his sound, giving his productions a very musical vibe. Deadpan delivery and clever raps counteract those bouncy rhythms, giving his work a dark aura. Twisted effects and warped samples are his trademark style and he has garnered a Mercury Prize nomination, numerous awards and praise in the press for expressing himself in a deeper fashion than those who do anything to get on the radio. Fans of eccentric beatmakers like Madlib, J Dilla, Timbaland and Outkast will connect to the funky swagger and futuristic vision of Awfully Deep’s unforgettable tracks. “Colossal Insight?? and “Too Cold?? will hook you on the first beat. Don’t even try to resist.

Official Roots Manuva Site
tracks
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Mind 2 Motion
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Awfully Deep
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Cause for Pause Pt 1
Colossal Insight
Too Cold
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A Haunting
Rebel Heart
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Chin High
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Babylon Medicine
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Cause for Pause Pt 2
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Move Ya Loin
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Thinking
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The Falling
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Toothbrush
Roots Manuva Greeting 1
Roots Manuva Greeting 2
Roots Manuva Greeting 3
press

"Everyone who owns a Streets album should rush out and buy this first great British album of 2005" — Observer

"Nothing less than a milestone for UK rapping." — Independent

"As honest as Eminem at his most acute, as stimulating as Massive Attack at their most cerebral and as stentorian as Busta Rhymes at his wiggiest.... Smith inhabits a world all of his own" — Daily Telegraph

"Manuva can ace all of America's big guns... a set of immense maturity that never rubs your nose in its thematic complexity, compositional innovation and thunderous thump-beats. It really is awfully, deeply good" (9/10) — NME

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