Brand New Second Hand (1999)
17 tracks, 65 minutes
Spotify ∙ iTunes
You know that as much as I enjoy hip-hop, it’s not exactly a sphere that I’m most well-practiced at writing within. I know well what I enjoy and can analyse why certain aspects may appeal to me more than others, but I am very aware that there are many cultural nuances and inter-references that I’m missing just by virtue of not being as immersed in that scene as I am in some others. And it happens that most of my favourite hip-hop artists are from the US… so when it comes to UK hip-hop, I’m ashamedly even more in the dark. I am certain that there are many, many artists, sub-genres, distinct regional scenes, narratives and other complicating factors that I am just not aware of at all and that necessarily would hamper my ability to comment intelligently on any portion of the UK hip-hop scene. But Roots Manuva is an artist that I really dig, and Brand New Second Hand, while not being my first exposure to him (that was on this great track by Ty), was the first time I really got to dive into his work and appreciate it as a body of art. So when I did my research for this entry and found out that this album is considered a classic and high-water mark for UK hip-hop, I can’t help but feel a little relieved that at least my instincts were right, even if I may not know the most about it.
What I love the most about this album is established immediately from the beginning of the first track and keeps it up for the whole thing: it’s the combination of the instrumental production, the flow of Roots Manuva’s raps and the unique timbre of his voice; in short, then, it’s the sound of it all.
The production obviously plays a big part in this. Even though there are seven producers across the whole album, it all sounds incredibly coherent, as each of the tracks share the same darkly atmospheric vibe. A lot of the music is very minimalist; it’s not out-of-place for tracks to simply comprise of a lo-fi drum loop, a slow sample and Roots Manuva doing his thing over the top. Even when the texture is fuller, such as in the track ‘Soul Decay’, the samples used and the simplicity of the beat highlight the starkness of it all. This works particularly effectively on the ‘Shifting Sands’, where the sample comes from Miles Davis’ masterpiece of unsettling atmosphere Bitches Brew, and on the closer ‘Motion 5000’, where live violin and cello add a sadness and longing to the already complex emotionscape.
The instrumental atmospheres are ideal groundings for Roots Manuva’s wordsmithery. His voice is gentle and low-pitched and his delivery is calm. His rhythms aren’t the most complicated and performed at an easy pace that makes it clear that it is the words and meanings that are of importance above flashy shows of intense technicality. His flow is reminiscent of both old-school New York rap and Jamaican ragga, amalgamating the two but being absolutely uncompromising in the use of his own voice; Roots Manuva is a South Londoner of Jamaican heritage, and that accent informs his rhythms, inflections and melodic cadences in a way that stamps his identity indelibly on the music. His delivery is also at times strongly suggestive of spoken word poetry, and his lyrics reflect that. Not for him are the trivial concerns of bling, rep and glorified violence; he instead focuses on deeper subjects of reflective autobiography, religion and solemn advice for sharpening consciousness and embracing a fulfilling life, as well as addressing political factors that make the UK much less conducive of such a lifestyle, particularly for black men and boys.
So those are my little thoughts on Brand New Second Hand by Roots Manuva. I hope I have not mangled its meanings, importances or profundities too much by my ignorance of the UK hip-hop scene from which it grew and went on in turn to deeply impact. If you, dear reader, have any recommendations for UK hip-hop branching off from this starting point, please do share them here. There is a whole world of music of which we can only just scratch the surface, but we can certainly guide each other to the richest seems to mine together.
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