So, you think you know hip-hop. You’re the guy who says, “I listen to hip-hop but not rap,” the one who only listens to underground artists. You’re sure you’ve heard it all, but let me ask you this: Have you heard what’s going on just across the Atlantic in merry old England? From the land that brought you tea, crumpets, the Beatles and the Spice Girls comes perhaps the best hip-hop album of 2001, Roots Manuva’s Run Come Save Me.
He is the epitome of underground?he does not represent a well-established hip-hop scene, nor does he rely on clever marketing. Manuva, whose hypnotic British-ragga-rap elevated his debut Brand New Second Hand to the status of best British rap album of 1999, has shown that hip-hop success lies in the one element missing from modern hip-hop: creativity. With each track on the album, he employed different types of music and relied on his abilities, not his image, to sell records.
It’s no surprise that Run Come Save Me appeared practically unannounced on American music shelves, since the majority of the hip-hop audience has a deaf ear when it comes to foreign rhymers. The mentality of American listeners is one of, “If we created the genre, we can do it best.” Sometimes, however, it takes an outsider, one with the odds against him, to steer clear of the mainstream and approach the game from a totally different angle. Manuva does just this.
The new album has no glossy photos on the album interior, just solid black on one side and a hand-drawn landscape on the other. The album’s packaging would give the impression that one is in for a bleak musical experience. However, this could not be farther from the truth. With his second outing, like a less-understandable Wyclef with more rapping ability, Manuva crafts a classic which transcends musical classification. It starts off with “Bashment Boogie” which then bounces into the first single, “Witness (1 Hope).” What is most striking about this track is the way the heavily electronic background compliments Manuva’ braggadocio in which he claims he is, “Proof of the trophy and champion belt / come sun, come rain, come hailstone pelt.”
As if having two hot tracks at the beginning of the album isn’t enough, “Join the Dots” featuring Chali 2na of the Jurassic 5 is a pulsating, horn-filled piece of classic hip-hop. The two demonstrate mic-passing with perfect efficiency. Other notable tracks are “Stone the Crows” and the introspective “Sinny Sin Sins,” in which Manuva talks of his preacher father forcing him to study the Bible, pleading “Forgive me Lord / I know not what I did / I was just a kid / trying to hustle up a quid”?evidence of his ability to rap about anything and still produce well-crafted hip-hop.
His constant spattering of British phrases and humor throughout the album provides insight into English urban culture. While the subject matter is similar to U.S. hip-hop, the approach is entirely different. His tracks actually have concepts, not just repeated stock phrases about his cars and money. He is not afraid to rap on more serious issues, or to steer away from chorus-centered songs.
With the exception of “Dub Styles” and “Trim Body,” which only suffer because they are so wholly bizarre in style, Run Come Save Me is pure hip-hop at its best. It is tough to follow a classic, and Manuva does not merely attempt to redo Brand New Second Hand. Instead, he uses the same tactics employed on his debut to construct an entirely new album with the same consistency and quality. It does not get more underground than taking hip-hop back to its roots, and Manuva does this with an original platter of British-style hip-hop.
