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Wettin' the pulpit >> Big Daddy Roots Manuva makes the trip across the pond by SCOTT C
Mirror: Everybody's getting sick, man! Roots: Yeah... I haven't really been sleeping lately cause I'm mad excited--like a little kid from Brixton. I've just seen things develop really strangely. I thought this album was going to stay underground, and now it's spinning my head out a little bit. M: Why do you think most heads in North America get a sour look on their face when you mention U.K. hip hop? R: I dunno. It's not like other U.K. takes on hip hop haven't been successful. Drum & bass, down-tempo trip hop, Massive Attack and Portishead--these are British interpretations of hip hop science, and they've all done well. Hip hop is made up of so many different things though. I listen to dub and I hear hip hop. M: What's the song "Baptism" about? You and that female MC go completely bananas on that track. R: The other MC's name is Wildflower, and basically that song is about wettin' up the place. Wettin' the pulpit. A lot of labels over here try to force-feed MC's what kind of hip hop they should be making, and we're just saying we're going to do our own thing our way and wet up the place. M: The pulpit, eh? I noticed the religious references throughout the record as well. What's that about? R: It's just a joke, man. M: Really? It's not linked to your father being a preacher or anything like that? R: My dad was a deacon in the church! (laughs) M: Yeah, mine too! Are you actually performing with the Herbaliser when they come? R: Nah, they're doing a separate thing. It's me and DJ MK, this mix tape DJ from home. We'll drop some dub plates, do some freestyles, and fuck with some beats if the decks are steady. M: So what comes next after you conquer North America? R: I want to do a track with seven nations and seven MCs from around the world. Like French hip hop--I don't even understand what they're saying, but I can feel it in the tones and the rhythms and the flows. M: How do you feel about what is going on in hip hop in the States? R: What the hell is going on in hip hop in the States? (laughs) I dunno. The mainstream end seems to be doing quite well. Over here we get a massive East Coast slant. People like Master P and Outkast are changing that though. M: How long have you been doing this? R: I've been sending out demos since I was 15. My original plan was to come with a crew of 30 people, bumrush freestyle shows, record labels and cause mass hysteria. Now it's fairly simple. M: You don't need 30 people to cause mass hysteria, my friend. R: I know that now. Roots Manuva and the Herbaliser at Jingxi Sunday, March 7, $12
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Rodney Smith has a cold. Over the phone from South London, it's hard to believe that this calm, congested voice is the same one responsible for the booming rhymes on "Juggle Tings Proper." After ripping it on the Big Dada label's Black Whole Styles compilation last year, it was only a matter of time before this able MC was spitting lyrics on his own piece, Brand New Second Hand, due out March 22. With a show slated for this Sunday night at Jingxi with Mtl favourites the Herbaliser, I spoke to the "ill rhymer" about the story so far.