If you think the only thing Britain has to offer hip-hop is a bunch of arenas for the likes of Eminem and other Americans to fill when they make the short trip across the Atlantic, then it's time to listen to Rodney Hylton Smith and reconsider.
Nobody would ever buy a record by Rodney Hylton Smith, so wisely Rod's adopted the stage name of Roots Manuva, a great moniker which rustles up images of beefy rhythm and sharp rhymes. On his second album, "Run Come Save Me," that is exactly what you get. And plenty more.
There's not one duff track here, but more importantly there are at least half a dozen classics. "Run Come Save Me" is even better than 1999's debut album, "Brand New Second Hand." It is, in one word, a masterpiece. You won't hear better hip-hop than the anthemic single "Witness (One Hope)" and the buzzing freestyling of "Stone the Crows" all year, I swear.