Roots Manuva – Facety 2:11

Rodney Smith is arguably the greatest rapper ever to emerge from British shores. Over five albums of sonic invention, which, like all great hip-hop records, ran the gamut between funky fun and sharp-eyed lyrical incision, he’s carved out space for rappers in the UK, and become one the iconic voices in hip-hop from anywhere. After two years locked in the studio brewing up brand new music, he returns now with Facety 2:11, a stunning single produced by fellow UK maverick Four Tet. Facety is patois slang for someone being rude – a barefaced cheek referenced by the insistent, cockney rhyming lyrical snip – ‘boat race’ – that makes up the chorus. Over an infectious hip-hop drum, shuddering bass and simply effective melody, Roots Manuva spits playful rhymes that bely a rallying call for musical passion. Another of electronic music’s most exciting voices, NYC producer Machinedrum, provides the beat for the B-Side, ‘Like a Drum.’ Urgent and reflective all at once, its percussion swings gorgeously behind a melody intricately weaved from jazz samples and warm pads, Smith’s vocal ruminating on his past, future and present.

Label: Big Dada Records
Cat. #BD263