Roots Manuva: Run Come Save Me 2LP Red Vinyl

Why you'll love it

This Big Dada 2LP set is pressed on 140g red vinyl in a matte sleeve with the original artwork. NME called Run Come Save Me Brit-rap's finest hour to date, and Q listed it among the 50 best albums of 2001.

This edition

2LP set
Red vinyl
140g vinyl
Matte sleeve with original artwork

About the album

British hip hop spent years being told to sound like America. Rodney Smith, working as Roots Manuva, cheerfully ignored the memo. His second album sounds like nowhere but London, all dub bass and dancehall swagger, carried by a deep, unhurried voice that seems to be in on a joke you haven't heard yet.

Smith wrote everything, with Wayne Bennett co-writing three tracks, and production split largely between Lord Gosh and Hylton Smythe. "Witness (1 Hope)" is the big one, and it still fills a dance floor in the best possible way. "Bashment Boogie" brings the sound system, "Dub Styles" and "Highest Grade" lean into reggae, and "Dreamy Days" floats out on a hazy, hopeful note. In between, "Join The Dots," "Trim Body" and "Ital Visions" show how easily he moves from sly humour to something more reflective, often in the same verse.

AllMusic praised his flowing confidence and bemused air, and BBC Music saluted its musical invention. It's the rare rap album that pairs perfectly with a cup of tea, which in fairness may have been the plan all along.

Also at Kops: more Roots Manuva on vinyl · browse Hip Hop / R&B