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. 1996 saw the release of his collaborations with Skitz (“Where My Mind Is At”/”Blessed Be the Manner”). The release of “Feva” 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.
Releasing for Coldcut's renowned experimental/hip-hop label Ninja Tune in 1998, some of his music may be seen as a predecessor of grime. The following year he released his fearsome debut album, “Brand New Second Hand”. Manuva was rewarded for his breakthrough with a MOBO as Best Hip Hop Act that year. He has also relesed 2001's “Run Come Save Me”, followed the next year by “Dub Come Save Me” in, which features dub remixes of five songs from the previous album alongside new work. This was followed up with the release of “Awfully Deep” in 2005 and “Alternately Deep” in 2006.
The lyrics of his songs are usually known to take a distinctly British edge, with many critics highlighting his references of eating cheese on toast and drinking bitter as examples of this. His warm and easily recognizable voice can be heard on many songs he performed with other artists such as Chali 2na (of Jurassic 5 & Ozomatli), DJ Shadow, U.N.K.L.E., Nightmares on Wax, The Cinematic Orchestra, Beth Orton and Leftfield. He also made an appearance on the Gorillaz album, Demon Days, lending his distinctive vocals to the track, "All Alone".
Colossal Insight
Roots Manuva Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
colossal Insight {Collosal, man}
Invites the soul {Inviting of the soapbox}
Sturdy after good food {More sturdy}
colossal Insight {Collosal!}
Invites the soul {Inviting thy soul}
Sturdy after good food
[Verse 1]
Gracious Lord, my mega oh mighty!
I know I been slightly, out your path
Feelin' the cold draft,of the bleek winter
Splinters in my soul, I'm out of control
and I know, that I should cut down this drinkin'
Too many late nights and, wayward thinkin'
Compellin' a man to plan to shennanigans
The boy in me out and I got to be the man again
'cause I didn't rhyme to get me rich
but I'm a scally, two two's you'll find I switch
Hurt and pain made me, nothin' came to save me
I walk with disaster, prefer to be plastered
'times my master don't ask me for jack turd
all I owns is my balls and my word
No-body heard'a me, 'cause I'm a new man
I got this new plan, to get these new grams
[Chorus]
[Verse 2]
People call my name like, it's some kinda game like
I ain't got no fame like, I'm just the same type
Shoutin' out vain lights - "Move ya lurgy"
I'm far too nervy, observin' this world
Who the? Where the? What the? How the?
Media 'ores keep, shovellin' powder
It's nothin' to be proud of, but stuff goes on
Perceptions change, wrong's right an' right's wrong
Hoopla-hooblahing, devil keeps snarlin'
Bite-bites and it's sellin' more more more
This could well'a be my, last LP
I've had a good run, I've made a few G's
I've had a bag of fun, I've smoked a few trees
Now I want to rest my, knobbly knees
All in all I been feelin' the pinch
and those bourgeois blacks have been far from convinced
but, I don't give a damn about UK rap
I'm a UK black makin' UK tracks
and, I got love for everyone of them scenes
and them pigeon-holes were never nothin' to hold me
[Chorus]
The song Colossal Insight by Roots Manuva is a reflection on his experiences with fame and his place in the music industry, as well as a commentary on the world around him. The chorus of the song emphasizes the idea that gaining insight and understanding on a larger scale can give a sense of solidity and strength to an individual, highlighting the importance of introspection and critical thinking. Roots Manuva goes on to discuss his struggles with addiction and feeling out of control, using the metaphor of winter and splinters in his soul to convey his inner turmoil. He acknowledges that he should change his destructive behavior, but finds it difficult to let go of the wild, carefree parts of himself.
In the second verse, Roots Manuva turns his focus outward and comments on the state of the media and society's obsession with fame and wealth. He critiques the way that scandals and controversy are often used to drive sales and perpetuate harmful behaviors. Despite his own success in the music industry, he is disillusioned with the direction it is heading and expresses a desire to step back and reevaluate his priorities. He concludes the song by emphasizing his love for the diverse music scenes in the UK and rejecting the notion of being pigeonholed into one category.
Line by Line Meaning
colossal Insight
This insight is huge and profound
Invites the soul
It's like inviting you up onto a soapbox to deliver this huge message
Sturdy after good food
Just like how good food makes your body strong, this insight will make your mind strong
colossal Insight
Again, this insight is incredibly huge and profound
Invites the soul
Invites you to come and listen to this message with an open mind and heart
Sturdy after good food
Just like before, this message is nourishing and will make your mind stronger after receiving it
Gracious Lord, my mega oh mighty!
Wow, this is huge and powerful message
I know I been slightly, out your path
I know I haven't been following the right path lately
Feelin' the cold draft,of the bleek winter
Feeling the bleakness and loneliness of winter
Splinters in my soul, I'm out of control
Feeling broken and out of control inside
and I know, that I should cut down this drinkin'
I know I should stop drinking so much
Too many late nights and, wayward thinkin'
Staying up too late and thinking negative thoughts
Compellin' a man to plan to shennanigans
Feeling the urge to act out and do the wrong thing
The boy in me out and I got to be the man again
Feeling like I need to grow up and act like an adult again
'cause I didn't rhyme to get me rich
I didn't get into music just to make money
but I'm a scally, two two's you'll find I switch
But I'm from a rough background and I can switch between different personas
Hurt and pain made me, nothin' came to save me
I've gone through a lot of hardship and no one was there to help me
I walk with disaster, prefer to be plastered
I feel like I'm always on the verge of disaster and I prefer to be drunk to forget about my problems
'times my master don't ask me for jack turd
Sometimes life doesn't give me anything and I have nothing to offer
all I owns is my balls and my word
All I have is my integrity and my word is my bond
No-body heard'a me, 'cause I'm a new man
No one has heard of me because I'm trying to be a new and better person
I got this new plan, to get these new grams
I have a new plan to sell more records
People call my name like, it's some kinda game like
People treat me like a joke and call my name like it's a game
I ain't got no fame like, I'm just the same type
I don't have as much fame as people think and I'm just like everyone else
Shoutin' out vain lights - "Move ya lurgy"
I'm shouting out to those who are vain and obsessed with material possessions
I'm far too nervy, observin' this world
I'm too nervous to fully engage with the world and just observe it
Who the? Where the? What the? How the?
I have a lot of questions about the world and how it works
Media 'ores keep, shovellin' powder
The media keeps pushing out lies and propaganda
It's nothin' to be proud of, but stuff goes on
It's shameful, but these things keep happening
Perceptions change, wrong's right an' right's wrong
People's perceptions of right and wrong are changing
Hoopla-hooblahing, devil keeps snarlin'
There's a lot of noise and distraction in the world, and evil keeps rearing its head
Bite-bites and it's sellin' more more more
People are buying into this sensationalism more and more
This could well'a be my, last LP
This could be my last album
I've had a good run, I've made a few G's
I've had a good career and made some money
I've had a bag of fun, I've smoked a few trees
I've had a lot of fun and smoked some weed
Now I want to rest my, knobbly knees
Now I want to retire and relax
All in all I been feelin' the pinch
I've been feeling the financial pressures of the music industry
and those bourgeois blacks have been far from convinced
Even my fellow black musicians haven't been supportive
but, I don't give a damn about UK rap
But I don't care about how well UK rap is doing
I'm a UK black makin' UK tracks
I'm a black UK musician making music for the UK scene
and, I got love for everyone of them scenes
I have love and respect for all the different scenes in the UK music industry
and them pigeon-holes were never nothin' to hold me
And I've never let myself be put into a box or labeled by any particular genre.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
RENATUS RECORDS
Great artist shame he didn’t get enough fame
sierradelta07
Still a strong track in 2019.
Redblue
APB was super exploitable (in fun ways) and the soundtrack was amazing. So happy it brought me Manuva and Metric.
EmmeJaye H.
I bought this album as an import and played this track for my nephews when it came out. We're in NYC, and they were Queens boys all in their late teens-early 20s. They had the gall to tell me this was "corny". But they loved Migos! SMDH.
MrPlot19
great tune,roooooots manuva
Mehmet Âkif
This one proves that rap can be good.
Taxidermistification
Roots Manuva's stuff was better before Youtube.
Jp Jp
BEST UK HIP HOP
analbag9000
A third person shooter mmo rpg developed by the late Real Time Worlds, and now got taken over by GamersFirst. This song is one out of many that appears in the game in your car's radio
Vlad is Love
analbag9000 Little Orbit is our new insight...