Customer Reviews

Brand New Second Hand

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

ROOTS MANUVA - 'BRAND NEW SECOND HAND' (BD010/BDCD010)

"Extraordinary... a crucial release and a landmark for UK beats and rhymes"-Update, ALBUM OF THE WEEK
"The uncertain, fluctuating British soundscape may not be ready for he sound of 'Brand New Second Hand', but after it lands and is taken in by the curious, it could emerge into the type of abiding legacy that 'Blue Lines' went on to become. Comfortably distanced by time and space from anything else before it, rooted to history with flickerings of the future, an artist and an album for all your millenium domes"-Hip Hop Connection, cover story and ALBUM OF THE MONTH
"The most original slice of British hip hop in years"-The Observer, POP CD OF THE WEEK
"The best rap album from this or any other country you'll hear all year. Already. Very deep and very dark, echoes of dub, electro and dancehall frame laid-back but gripping narratives, the sort of music Massive Attack once made. Gorgeous and vital, it makes you realise how long the Americans have been on cruise control" -Esquire
"Arguably the best hip hop album to emerge from the UK this decade... unique... In fact, it should be mandatory for anyone with even a passing interest in hip hop culture to check out a bit of Roots-Fi Boogie."-DJ
"The most important UK black music album since the seminal Soul II Soul debut... a brilliant vision of the hip hop sound"-Front
"A multi-cultural cauldron which offers a true taste of the Brit-hop experience. Like the b-boy incarnation of James Baldwin, Roots Manuva delivers his street ministry with the conviction of a preacher's son... a wilderness of dubwise beats, bottomless bass and reverberating vibes that lie somewhere between Mobb Deep and Massive Attack. A new testament from an old soul. This man hurts like the truth."-Time Out, CRITICS' CHOICE
"A unique vision... a place where lo-fi creative sensibilities run the dance. Throwing together elements from reggae to ragga, dub to hip hop, he has created a supreme audio cosmos that manages to wrestle the Black musical legacy into a new form... (he) utilises sonic effects like Lee 'Scratch' Perry's long lost son. His artistry reminds us of what came before the commercialism of hip hop. Self-produced and deeply personal it harks back to the days when the music was the product of intimate collaborations. Roots Manuva is blessed with the ability to unfurl and communicate life's subtleties through his rhymes... a drop of hip hop perfection"-Echoes, Code Of The Streets COVER STORY.
"Roots Manuva is by some distance the most significant and original new voice in hip hop."-The Independent, LEAD REVIEW
"Why Buy? Because no one else is being this honest about your life. Because no one else in hip hop is as opened-up to real musical innovation and intrigue.Because once you've heard him, you realise he has the most unmistakable voice anywhere in pop."-Melody Maker
"There are edgy, innovative beats and his booming, dancehall reggae-tinged lyrics, imparting punchy observations of south London life, the odd line about impending global disaster and 'the complete guide to skiving and surviving.' With bubbling effects and a huge dubwise rumble on board, you have the best UK hip hop album in ages."-NME
"Combining his roots in reggae with the hip hop beats, Roots Manuva is on the verge of changing thisculture forever. When you hear Manuva you know you're hearing something as fresh as Tribe's "Midnight Marauders". Booming bass, science fiction sound effects and backwards snares lay the canvas for Roots to spit his own language, creating music that has never been heard before. 100 percent original, just like hip hop should be, Manuva has truly turned the English language inside out."-The Fatboss, cover story
"An outstanding statement of his potent skills and the vibrancy of the British scene... a contender to watch in an increasingly globalized hip hop arena"-Urb

"Fierce and beguiling... unlike anything else. A highly promising debut"- The Sunday Times
"An album that's dark enough to make Wu-Tang seem like a troop of children's clowns. Easy listening it ain't. But persevere and it becomes more than worthwhile. It is hip hop, kids. But not as we know it. And that's no bad thing."-Mixmag
"His is the voice of urban Britain, encompassing dub, ragga, funk and hip hop as it sweeps from crumbling street corners to ganja-filled dancehalls, setting gritty narratives against all manner of warped beats."-The Times
"This LP mixes a multitude of musical flavours, jazz, soul, dub, hip hop and techno. Roots Manuva's smooth but attitude-packed lyrics ride all these different musical styles with ease. Weird beats and breaks that come in at strange points make you listen again but they definitely work. There are so many strong tracks..."-Wax
"A hip hop contender to conquer America, Roots Manuva has lyrics to go and a voice like gravel. Onceheard it's imprinted deep in the subconscious."-Straight No Chaser
"Conceived in a future mindset era, Roots Manuva's "Brand New Second Hand" is a striking assemblageof reggaefied hip hop textures with wilder bass patterns interwoven beneath. These open-ended adventures into the Roots-Fi zone make the music sound even better, exposing reasons behind the abrupt shifts in the fluctuating constructs of the album. At the hub of it all is the imposing bass-tinged voice coated in layers of reggae and hip hop and stained with the noxious ingredients of the weeded tobacco cylinders he smokes."-Sleaze Nation
"Roots Manuva is a great rapper and 'Brand New Second Hand' is a great hip hop album period. The 26 year-old Stockwell MC has wit, brains, originality, warmth and a fine voice. For those worn out searching for something to invigorate a lost love affair with hip hop, 'Brand New Second Hand' should cancel any renunciation of faith"-Jockey
"The brilliant 'Brand New Second Hand' is an audio omni-verse which wrestles a black British musical legacy into cohesion"-Dazed & Confused
"The saviour of British hip hop. Humour, sadness, anger, life. Smith keeps his hip hop real, not to the ageing musical rules of a foreign land, but to the street, his streets. And, with his vision and rhymes, the ordinary/extraordinary streets of anyone who listens to this album"-Flipside
"An album that can sit in your collection alongside Rakim and do that with pride"-Ministry, HIP HOP ALBUM OF THE MONTH

This album is slamming. Run Come Save me was dope, very dope. Witness was deff. the song of the year last year. But I stumbled on this album, his first major release, and it is even better. Beats are ridiculous. Ryhmes ... ridiculous. The only wackt song is track two, besides that, complete satisfaction. If you an American underground head that likes old Boot Camp, old Jeru the Damaja, and just dope hip-hop - you'll dig this.

really. As for knocking the production on this album....stupid.

Simply put. Roots Manuva is intellectual enough and mature enough to cross that hip hop border I've set up. So foten I just can't stand hip hop lyrics, but this man's are great. I think movements is beautiful. My favorite album is the new hope single, where the movements is scratchin' all over the place. Roots manuva has a very raw and sincere style. I hope to see more, and I hope he gets the money we pay our braindead burnout artists in the states.

I find the allegations that the production on this record is lackluster shocking. Not being a huge dancehall fan, I tend to dislike some of the dancehall influenced numbers (such as dem phonies) though juggle tings proper and wisdom fall work far better and big tings gwidarn is great; I also have little patience for the two skits, which seemed to add little to the album, only serving to interrupt the overall flow. However, tracks such as inna, soul decay, strange behaviour (without question my favourite dub-influenced hip-hop track ever), sinking sands, clockwork, fever, oh yeah and motion 5000 are simply outstanding. The production on this record (which Manuva self-produced for the most part) is truly excellent, far more innovative (not to mention listenable), in my opinion, than most of the underground hip-hop out there. This is largely due to the prominent dub (of the Yabby You variety) influence; Manuva artfully blends subwoofer-punishing bass lines, meticulously programmed beats and with inventive ambient touches (give oh yeah a listen to see what I mean) to create some of the freshest independent hip-hop released in the past few years on either side of the Atlantic. As for Manuva's idiosyncratic flow, it does some getting used to, but he clearly is no slouch in the rhyme department. Those who doubt Manuva's lyrical prowess should check out Clockwork, perhaps the most conventional track on the record but also the most focused. Manuva's relentless delivery alternatively recalls Equal Rights-era Peter Tosh (Brand New Second Hand takes its title from a track on Tosh's debut LP, Legalize It) and Jeru the Damaja. This record is ample proof that British hip-hop is a force to be reckoned with.

Big fan of American hip hop and rap in general, But it is refreshing for someone to give a strong account from across the Atlantic! Roots album is amazing, Proudtion is the only let down as roots demonstrates his amazing skills up on da mic. For all you Americans keep ya eyez peeled for 'Run Come Save Me' Hes latest album with the loose ends tied, trust, its of the hook!

What an album. For those that don't understand, the production is DELIBERATELY gritty and low-fi: we don't need everything polishing all the time here in the UK. Juggle Tings Proper, which some people seem to dislike is one of the tracks of the album & showcases RM's ability to mix up low-fi dub, electronica and hip hop to good effect. For me, Inna has to be the best track on here - ridiculously fat bassline and a top story to boot. Once you've bought this, go straight out and buy his new album, Run Come Save Me (including a superb collaboration with Chali 2na from J5). Most of all, if you get a chance to catch the man live, don't miss out. Rodney Smith isn't the only good British hip hop act (check Ty's album Awkward if you don't believe me), but he's certainly the cream of the crop right now, and this album shows why.

This disc bumps from track to track. Pick it up for real; the MANUVA keep it real in th'house, 'na sayin'? Brixton hill, baby, friggin' big-sack-tastic bombastic rhymes.

Roots Manuva is a master lyricist. I listen to his cadence and mastery of vocal rhythm and I just get a big smile on my face. I first heard him on the Leftfield track, "Dusted", and dug around until I found his name and eventually this cd.

I give this cd 5 stars for the shear brilliance that is Roots Manuva, however I would normally dock it a star due to poor production on the album. It seems to be inconsistant from track to track, thus sounding more like a collection of Roots' songs up to that point, rather than a concerted effort to build an album. I'm anxiously awaiting his next release. After hearing some of his more recent tracks, I know this one flaw will be missing from subsequent albums.

So disregard the poor production and pick up this album. Roots Manuva is probably the most innovated rap artist out there today.

British hip hop sucks??? Never! This album is living proof of the refreshing and original nature of hip hop being made in the UK. The album's production is very minimalist but it works and is very original too.

And the lyrics, amazing poetry free from cliches and original flows.