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".
The Show Must Go On
Roots Manuva Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
YSL for life, bitch
Yeah fuck you, your momma and everything else
Free the goat!
That′s my best friend, that's my best friend, bless ′em
Big ol' booty bitch missus from Texas, what's next?
I′m gon′ skeet off, lil nigga come catch me
Nigga livin′ TTG and everything is still on fleek
Bad bitch rollin' wit me she gon′ smile cuz she on fleet
Hundred thousand diamonds on my payback she gon' fleet
Take that boy to school, swagonometry
Bitch I′m bleeding bad, like a bumble bee
Hold up! Hold it, hold it, nigga proceed
I'ma eat that booty just like groceries
Beat on that coochie, lay that bitch down like "let's do it"
No Tiger bitch, eat that Woody that wood
Supplier, bitch, I got them pistols, no wood
I want them tacos that are Meagan Good
Hella cop the chopper with the buzz
Stuff them racks inside them if they nice
Bang that other side, nigga curse
And my reefer louder than the speaker
Yeah my niece is hanging with The Beatles
If you ever find ′em, better keep ′em
Thirty seven cameras for the sneakers
Goin' out like awesome Beanie Sigel
Send a cop, I can′t wait to mistreat 'em
Forcin′ your ho, I can't wait to mislead her
That′s my best friend, that's my best friend, bless 'em
Big ol′ booty bitch missus from Texas, what′s next?
I'm gon′ skeet off, lil nigga come catch me
And that's my bestie, my bestie, my best friend, go best friend
Nigga livin′ TTG and everything is still on fleet
Bad bitch rollin' wit me she gon′ smile cuz she on fleet
Hundred thousand diamonds on my payback she gon' fleet
Let me tell you how I spent a couple hundreds today
I done cut back on that lean, I'm on that Hen′ and D′ussé
Don't do no talkin′ when you see him, you better shoot in his face
I got a hundred bitches that can't wait to replace
Michael Jackson nigga, Thugger just moon walkin′
The slime army too shabby
Me a horny goat, I'm boolin′ at the bull stop
No I can't get arrested 'cuz I′m talkin′ bout my necklace
I'ma put that bitch in the (?), I′m a dog that can't stop
My lil′ sister Dora eating Lucky Charms and give me luck
Put a gun in your Coupe, I'm a Blood, bring my bup
Your crew soft, don′t got bucks
These ain't drugs nigga
That's my best friend, that′s my best friend, bless ′em
Big ol' booty bitch missus from Texas, what′s next?
I'm gon′ skeet off, lil nigga come catch me
And that's my bestie, my bestie, my best friend, go best friend
Nigga livin′ TTG and everything is still on fleet
Bad bitch rollin' wit me she gon' smile cuz she on fleet
Hundred thousand diamonds on my payback she gon′ fleet
I cannot provide an interpretation of the lyrics as the given text is not the full lyrics of the song. Please provide the entire lyrics for me to interpret.
Line by Line Meaning
Thugger!
Calling for Thugger's attention
YSL for life, bitch
Showing loyalty to YSL (Young Slime Life)
Yeah fuck you, your momma and everything else
Expressing disregard towards someone or something
Free the goat!
Calling for the release of someone or something important
That′s my best friend, that's my best friend, bless ′em
Acknowledging and celebrating the importance of a close friend
Big ol' booty bitch missus from Texas, what's next?
Describing a woman's physical attributes and expressing anticipation for what comes next
I′m gon′ skeet off, lil nigga come catch me
Announcing a sexual act and daring someone to try and stop it
And that's my bestie, my bestie, my best friend, go best friend
Repeating the importance of a close friend and encouraging them to thrive
Nigga livin′ TTG and everything is still on fleek
Living a life of danger and recklessness while still looking good
Bad bitch rollin' wit me she gon′ smile cuz she on fleet
Being accompanied by an attractive woman who is happy to be with them
Hundred thousand diamonds on my payback she gon' fleet
Referring to someone leaving quickly while wearing expensive jewelry that was given to them as payment
Take that boy to school, swagonometry
Boasting about their own ability to teach someone about style and swagger
Bitch I′m bleeding bad, like a bumble bee
Claiming to be in a serious, life-threatening situation
Hold up! Hold it, hold it, nigga proceed
Pausing to give someone else the opportunity to act or speak
I'ma eat that booty just like groceries
Expressing enthusiasm for performing oral sex
Beat on that coochie, lay that bitch down like "let's do it"
Promising to have aggressive sexual intercourse
No Tiger bitch, eat that Woody that wood
Declaring that they do not discriminate in their sexual partners and using wordplay to be vulgar
Supplier, bitch, I got them pistols, no wood
Boasting about having access to firearms
I want them tacos that are Meagan Good
Expressing a desire for a type of food while making a reference to a celebrity
Hella cop the chopper with the buzz
Referring to owning a firearm with high capacity
Stuff them racks inside them if they nice
Putting money into something that is already valuable
Bang that other side, nigga curse
Threatening to harm someone on the opposing side
And my reefer louder than the speaker
Smoking marijuana that is very strong and has a strong odor
Yeah my niece is hanging with The Beatles
Joking about having a young relative spending time with a famous band from the past
If you ever find ′em, better keep ′em
Encouraging others to appreciate valuable things or people when they find them
Thirty seven cameras for the sneakers
Showing off an overly expensive collection of shoes and the security measures put in place to safeguard them
Goin' out like awesome Beanie Sigel
Comparing oneself to a notable person who has been successful or legendary
Send a cop, I can′t wait to mistreat 'em
Challenging police authority and expressing a desire to act disrespectfully towards them
Forcin′ your ho, I can't wait to mislead her
Planning to manipulate or deceive someone who is already involved with another person
Let me tell you how I spent a couple hundreds today
Describing recent spending behavior to demonstrate wealth or success
I done cut back on that lean, I'm on that Hen′ and D′ussé
Switching from one type of drug to another and implying that it is a positive change
Don't do no talkin′ when you see him, you better shoot in his face
Encouraging violence towards someone when encountered
I got a hundred bitches that can't wait to replace
Boasting about having many women available to them
Michael Jackson nigga, Thugger just moon walkin′
Comparing oneself to a famous artist and describing a dance move
The slime army too shabby
Branding oneself and their associates as powerful and potentially dangerous
Me a horny goat, I'm boolin′ at the bull stop
Referring to oneself as a sexually active person, and implying that they are doing so in a public or unlikely location
No I can't get arrested 'cuz I′m talkin′ bout my necklace
Joking about how they will not be arrested despite criminal behavior because they are only talking about jewelry
I'ma put that bitch in the (?), I′m a dog that can't stop
Implying that they have control over a woman and cannot resist pursuing her
My lil′ sister Dora eating Lucky Charms and give me luck
Mentioning a younger relative in a nonsensical way to be humorous or obscure
Put a gun in your Coupe, I'm a Blood, bring my bup
Threatening to use violent means to take possession of something
Your crew soft, don′t got bucks
Insulting someone's social group and financial status
These ain't drugs nigga
Insisting that what they have or are using is not illegal drugs
That's my best friend, that′s my best friend, bless ′em
Acknowledging and celebrating the importance of a close friend
Big ol' booty bitch missus from Texas, what′s next?
Describing a woman's physical attributes and expressing anticipation for what comes next
I'm gon′ skeet off, lil nigga come catch me
Announcing a sexual act and daring someone to try and stop it
And that's my bestie, my bestie, my best friend, go best friend
Repeating the importance of a close friend and encouraging them to thrive
Nigga livin′ TTG and everything is still on fleet
Living a life of danger and recklessness while still looking good
Bad bitch rollin' wit me she gon′ smile cuz she on fleet
Being accompanied by an attractive woman who is happy to be with them
Hundred thousand diamonds on my payback she gon′ fleet
Referring to someone leaving quickly while wearing expensive jewelry that was given to them as payment
Writer(s): Rodney Smith, Ricardo St Anthony Mckenzie
Contributed by Alexis D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.