Genre Hip hop Label Big Dada, Ninja Tune | Length 4:15 | |
Released July 1, 2001 (2001-07-01) Format CD single, 12" vinyl, 7" vinyl, digital download Recorded 2001; Blow Yard Studios
(London, England) | ||
"Witness (1 Hope)" (occasionally known as "Witness the Fitness") is a song by British rapper Roots Manuva, released as the first single from his second studio album Run Come Save Me (2001). A hip hop song with influences of dancehall and funk music and an electronically-inspired bass line, it contains lyrical references to Roots Manuva's British cultural roots with a deliberately similar melody to the theme song to TV show Doctor Who. Record labels Big Dada and Ninja Tune released "Witness (1 Hope)" in various formats during July 2001.
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The song was a minor commercial success in the United Kingdom, where it briefly appeared on the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number 45 in August 2001, and won much acclaim from music critics for the musically diverse production and also Roots Manuva's embrace of his own cultural tropes, in contrast to the American cultural features used throughout much hip hop, including in Britain, at the time. A music video for "Witness (1 Hope)" directed by Mat Kirkby, which features Roots Manuva taking part in a sports day at his previous, real-life primary school, also won praise for its humorous and original plot.
Background and composition
The song's production contains a "huge, electronic bass line" influenced by "stuttering, organic funk" and Jamaican dancehall, as well as a "pummelling low end" and "pulsating, throbbing rhythms" similar to those found in the work of production group Organized Noize. The bass line was deliberately designed by Roots Manuva to possess a "rickety... squelchy stamp of noise" in protest of the poor quality of many of the sound systems used in music clubs at the time, and the melody was intended to mimic the theme song to the television programme Doctor Who. Roots Manuva's rapping, which he described as "talk[ing for] three minutes over the top of [the production]", consists of "relentless, loping rhymes" that contrast with the "righteousness" of his Jamaican heritage with many references to British culture, such as eating cheese on toast and drinking the alcoholic beverage bitter.
Release and reception
"Witness (1 Hope)" was first released to CD, 12-inch and 7-inch vinyl as well as digital retailers in the United Kingdom on 1 July 2001 via record label Ninja Tune. Fellow label Big Dada began distributing it themselves as a 12-inch single on 23 July 2001, as well as a CD maxi single on 30 July 2001. It entered the UK Singles Chart on the chart dated 4 August 2001, but left the chart after only two further weeks on it, during which time it peaked at number 45.
The song received acclaim from many music critics, who praised the song's complex production and Roots Manuva's embracing of his own culture, in contrast to the American themes dominating hip hop music at the time. Christian Hopwood of BBC Music praised the lyricism and noted that it was "hard to imagine any MC from the West Side issuing forth... [such] lactose truth[s]", whilst AllMusic's John Bush lauded it as "the best British rap single since Tricky's "Aftermath"" (1994). Nin Chan of RapReviews cited its backing track as an example of the "absolutely sterling" production found on Run Come Save Me, and claimed that it would "incite bouts of hip-shaking on any dancefloor".
In a retrospective review, Robin Howells of The Quietus described the song as a "manifestation of UK hip-hop's anxieties about identity (mainly in relation to US rap) by proxy" since the impact of British grime musicians in popular culture had made it "easy to take Britishness – and more specific local identity – as a given". Colin McKean, writing for the same publication, felt that the song was "so colossal it would always overshadow the album that bore it, no matter how good the album was".
Music video
The music video for "Witness (1 Hope)", directed by Mat Kirkby, depicts Roots Manuva returning to his real-life former primary school, Woodmansterne Primary School, and competing in their sports day in a "revenge fantasy" for having never been good at sport during his time there. As he wins every single event, the initially impressed children become angry at his success.
The video was also received positively: NME remarked that "Witness (1 Hope)" "deserves to live in eternity for its video alone", calling it "hilarious" and also commented on how Roots Manuva's desire in the video to "rework the past and make new sense of his surroundings" is a theme found throughout the music of Run Come Save Me. Adam Buxton of The Guardian called it "joyful" whilst praising the plot, describing it as a "simple idea married to a great track", and the "terrific performances" of both Roots Manuva (whom he called "cool, handsome and funny") and the children. Roots Manuva, who devised the plot for the video himself, would remark in 2005 that "I've never since been able to do a video that has impacted on people as much" as the video for "Witness (1 Hope)" had.
Formats and track listings
- "Witness (1 Hope)" – 4:15
- "Witness (1 Hope)" (Part 2 In the Flesh Mix) – 3:58
- "Son of the Soil" – 4:10
- "Witness (1 Hope)" – 4:15
- "Witness (1 Hope)" (Walworth Road Rockers Dub)" – 3:55