Roots Manuva
Rodney Hylton Smith (better known by his stage name Roots Manuva) (born 9 September 1972) is an English rapper signed to Big Dada.
Smith grew up around Stockwell, London, England. His parents were from a small village in Jamaica called Banana Hole where his father was a preacher and tailor. Spending much of his early years in poverty, this and his strict Pentecostal upbringing clearly had an influence on his music as can be seen in many of his tracks such as "Sinny Sin Sins" and "Colossal Insight".
A quote from Smith himself sums up his early discovery of music:
Smith made his recorded debut in 1994 as part of IQ Procedure through Suburban Base's short-lived hip hop imprint Bluntly Speaking Vinyl. He debuted as Roots Manuva the same year on Blak Twang's "Queen's Head" single, before releasing his own single, "Next Type of Motion" the following year through the same label, the hugely influential Sound of Money. 1996 saw the release of his collaborations with Skitz ("Where My Mind Is At"/"Blessed Be The Manner") on 23 Skidoo's Ronin label. The release of "Feva" on Tony Vegas' Wayward imprint followed in 1997. This was also the year that saw the first releases from Big Dada, a collaboration between Coldcut's Ninja Tune label and hip hop journalist Will Ashon.
| Also known as: | Lord Gosh, Hylton Smythe, Rodrick Manuva, Brigadier Smythe, Cecil P.Y.L.M. Pim Pimpernel |
| Associated acts: | Ricky Ranking, DJ MK, Mr. Scruff, Toddla T, Lotek, Hi Fi, Leftfield, Speech Debelle, DELS |
| Birth name: | Rodney Smith |
| Born: | (1972-09-09) 9 September 1972 (age 40) |
| Instruments: | Vocals, Rapping |
| Labels: | Big Dada, Banana Klan |
| Occupations: | Vocalist, Rapper, Producer, Remixer |
| Origin: | Stockwell, London, England |
| Years active: | 1994–present |
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