James Blunt and Roots Manuva: It's official
Roots confirms the unlikely collaboration is on

When a well-respected rapper such as Roots Manuva casually says: "I wouldn't mind doing something with...what's his name again? [James Blunt]", you might wonder if Roots' tongue could be any further into his cheek. Well, it wasn't. The unlikely combination has been confirmed.
Roots Manuva originally expressed an interest during an interview with The Guardian: "He [James Blunt] is so straight and straightforward. Imagine him on one of these weird beats doing a chorus or something, and being so earnest and sincere. That's beyond abstract. That's beyond avant-garde."
A recent interview with BBC 6Music, asked if he was joking: "No, no, we're sorting that out, he knows", replied Roots.
"I'm a personal friend of his [Blunt's] guitarist and he put the message in, and he's up for it. We'll just get in the studio, have a few wines, eat some cake and go for it".
We're still waiting patiently to hear the results of last month's Tom Waits/Tricky revelation - let's hope these chalk-and-cheese style duets are worth it. Who's next? Daniel Powter and 50 Cent, perhaps?
Get the MusicRadar Newsletter
Want all the hottest music and gear news, reviews, deals, features and more, direct to your inbox? Sign up here.
Tom Porter worked on MusicRadar from its mid-2007 launch date to 2011, covering a range of music and music making topics, across features, gear news, reviews, interviews and more. A regular NAMM-goer back in the day, Tom now resides permanently in Los Angeles, where he's doing rather well at the Internet Movie Database (IMDB).
“I remember thinking: ‘Wouldn’t it be great if I could ask Sting to sing that line?’ Suddenly someone said: ‘Sting’s here on holiday! He’s on the beach!’” How Mark Knopfler got lucky with Money For Nothing
“I got to jam with Stevie Wonder. Just me and him, one afternoon. We each had a keyboard and we were just trading riffs and jamming together and it was like, ‘Wow’”: Howard Jones talks vintage gear, his new piano album and that 1985 Grammys synth medley