Mattafix released their first single "11.30 (Dirtiest Trick In Town)" as a limited edition single on Buddhist Punk Records on 31st January 2005. Their first full single, "Big City Life", released by EMI on 8th August 2005 was a considerable hit, managing a #15 peak on the official UK chart, a big feat for a UK R&B/hip-hop group, and topped the charts in Germany, Czech, Austria and other European countries. Their third single, "Passer By" was released on 24th October 2005, unfortunately missing the UK top 75. The single preceded their debut album "Signs Of A Struggle", which was released a week later on 31st October 2005.
The group have toured with the likes of Jamiroquai and Joss Stone on their UK tours. The fourth single from their debut album, "Signs Of A Struggle" was "To & Fro", which features backing vocals from former Sugababe Siobhan Donaghy. The single was released as a download only single on 13th March 2006.
Big City Life debuted at #19 on the Australian Music Charts and reached #1 on the New Zealand Singles Chart.
Signs Of A Struggle was a Triple J feature album in April 2006.
In April 2010, Marlon Roudette made a video appearance where he spoke about recording and making the record in his home-based studio. However, via Facebook, it was announced that Roudette and Hirji had gone separate ways, due to their different new ideas for future projects, which has brought abundant attention to fans. He is yet to come up with his new artist name; whether to stay with the name Mattafix, or choose a new stage name; perhaps his own. "Mattafix presents...Marlon..." was a quote from a late 2010 YouTube video, as an updated possibility for his album title and/or stage name. Marlon Roudette has confirmed that the new album is "not a radical shift but definitely different. More instrumentation and more in depth musical compositions." Marlon Roudette has stated that the album is pretty much completed, but the album is still being "fine tuned". His first solo album Matter Fixed was released on 2 September 2011. His sophomore effort Electric Soul on 8 August 2014.
Memories of Soweto
Mattafix Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Memories of Soweto.
Sing whoa,
From London to Soweto,
A street soul in the ghetto.
Back from the West Indies,
When I'm in the city let my mind echo,
And anywhere that we go,
I'm letting you know,
The walk of a street soul.
Look man,
I was born there.
I mean bred there.
I mean without the bread.
Viva was all I had.
The people sang Amandla and the streets were red.
Liberation was a dream that we never had.
As I took a back seat on my mumma's back,
And I looked over the shoulder and I saw the hurt.
Mumma let me kill this song for you,
After all these years this is Uhuru.
Sing whoa,
From London to Soweto,
A street soul in the ghetto.
Back from the West Indies,
When I'm in the city let my mind echo,
Memories of Soweto.
And anywhere that we go,
I'm letting you know,
The walk of a street soul.
I stepped off a jet plane I'm in S.A once again,
With the faces of change and the feelings' the same.
And the lines on my hands are as free as this land.
But it wasn't always so,
Still reminds me of home.
Mumma let me kill this song for you,
After all these years this is Uhuru.
Sing whoa,
Sing oh,
Sing yeh.
Memories of.
Sing whoa,
Sing oh,
Sing yeh.
Memories of Soweto.
Sing whoa,
Sing oh,
Sing yeh.
Memories of.
Sing whoa,
Sing oh,
Sing yeh.
Memories of Soweto.
What our memories in times of,
Inspired I exemplify.
From London to Soweto,
A street soul in the ghetto.
Back from the West Indies,
When I'm in the city let my mind echo,
Memories of Soweto.
And anywhere that we go,
I'm letting you know,
The walk of a street soul.
What our memories in times of,
Inspired I exemplify.
Mumma let me kill this song for you,
After all these years this is Uhuru.
What our memories in times of,
Inspired I exemplify.
Mumma let me kill this song for you,
After all these years this is Uhuru.
The song "Memories of Soweto" by Mattafix is a reflection of the artist's personal experiences and perceptions of growing up in Soweto, a township in Johannesburg, South Africa. The lyrics are emotive and convey a sense of nostalgia, as well as pain and struggle, associated with the struggle for liberation in the area. The theme is presented in a reflective tone through the use of imagery and metaphors that enable the listener to be transported to the street corners of Soweto.
The song begins with a repetitive chant of "Memories of Soweto," which builds gradually to introduce the evidence of the street soul, who is invariably a product of Soweto. The artist acknowledges his roots and sets the scene for the listener by drawing attention to his origin without directly celebrating it. The lyrics shift quickly to a reflection on the artist's experiences in London and the West Indies, bringing the listener along on his journey, but never letting go of the sense of place and history he has known.
The second verse re-introduces the listener to Soweto, through the artist's personal memories of growing up there, and his understanding of the struggle for liberation. He paints a picture of the conditions in which he was brought up, referencing the people of Soweto singing Amandla, which means power in Zulu, in recognition of the struggle for liberation. The song concludes with a final chant of "Memories of Soweto," bringing the listener full circle, back to the origins of the artist's perception of himself.
Line by Line Meaning
Memories of,
The song is focused on the memories of Soweto.
Memories of Soweto.
Reiterating the focus on memories of Soweto.
Sing whoa,
An invitation to sing along with the song.
From London to Soweto,
The song reflects the journey from London to Soweto.
A street soul in the ghetto.
The songwriter identifies as someone from the streets of Soweto.
Back from the West Indies,
The songwriter had traveled to the West Indies and returned.
When I'm in the city let my mind echo,
The songwriter reflects on Soweto when they are in the city.
Memories of Soweto.
Reiterating that the focus of the song is on memories of Soweto.
And anywhere that we go,
The reflections of Soweto occur in any location.
I'm letting you know,
The songwriter is sharing their experiences with the listener.
The walk of a street soul.
The songwriter identifies with the life of a street soul in Soweto.
Look man,
The songwriter begins a reflection on their upbringing in Soweto.
I was born there.
The songwriter was born in Soweto.
I mean bred there.
The songwriter was raised in Soweto.
I mean without the bread.
The songwriter faced financial struggles while growing up in Soweto.
Viva was all I had.
The songwriter expected a better future for Soweto.
The people sang Amandla and the streets were red.
The community fought for liberation in Soweto.
Liberation was a dream that we never had.
The people of Soweto did not see liberation during the songwriter's upbringing.
As I took a back seat on my mumma's back,
The songwriter reflects on a memory of riding on their mother's back.
And I looked over the shoulder and I saw the hurt.
The songwriter observed the pain and suffering in Soweto.
Mumma let me kill this song for you,
The songwriter is dedicating the song to their mother.
After all these years this is Uhuru.
The songwriter feels that they have achieved freedom in their life and music.
I stepped off a jet plane I'm in S.A once again,
The songwriter has returned to South Africa after traveling.
With the faces of change and the feelings' the same.
The songwriter sees change in South Africa, but feels the same about their home.
And the lines on my hands are as free as this land.
The songwriter feels a sense of freedom in their life and country.
But it wasn't always so,
The songwriter reflects on their past struggles and lack of freedom.
Still reminds me of home.
Despite the changes, the songwriter still feels a connection to their home in Soweto.
Sing oh,
An invitation to sing along with the song.
Sing yeh.
An invitation to sing along with the song.
What our memories in times of,
The songwriter reflects on the importance of memories in life.
Inspired I exemplify.
The songwriter feels inspired and is sharing their experiences with the listener.
Contributed by Isabelle P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
colibrilibre
One of the best songs from Mattafix!
Kassai Bendeguz
If i ever have the honor to meet them in real life.......I'll thank them for my best memory that they just gave me to this song :) THUMBS UP FOR GOOD MEMORIES :)
apu222
incredible song. loving the new album. "mama let me kill this song for you, after all these years this is Uhuru". I lived in Cape Town for about 2 months, and this song just brings me back to the magic of South Africa.
Khethi Ntshangase
I am so happy to find this song here...brings memories of studio session with Marlin at Jazzworx in Jhb...what an honour to work with you MATTAFIX!! I still believe that its a hit that shud be celebrated especially during June which is our youth month here in SA...in commemoration of the Soweto massacre in ‘76
Manfred Mbedzi
Matafix must just come back
Codruta Oprean
I loove this song :X mattafix is so wonderful I love those lyrics when it says "Mumma let me kill this song for you, After all this years this is Uhuru"
Standaard T
Superbe groupe with so great songs!!!!! A fan of Flanders, Belgium xxxx
vince
C'est vraiment cool , j'adore !
critical thinking
Loved them
ZK C
They are indeed underrated, but in my opinion, its a nice thing... not always a good thing for undeniable talent to be exposed and commercialised... i fink that this facts makes em that bit better!