Craig David: Born to do it?

When Southampton teenager Craig David arrived into the mainstream with the help of production duo Artful Dodger in 1999, many considered him a poster boy for UK Garage. In his own work, he melded that 2-step sound with crooning R&B and even Spanish guitar to great effect. Born To Do It became the fastest-selling debut album ever by a British male solo act, a record the album holds to this day. So why was it that the following year he was snubbed at the BRIT Awards? Why, in 2002, was he already singing about fame’s inevitable ‘Rise & Fall’? And why was he the target of so many jokes? We consider the mythology and legacy of Craig David, and ask what happens when subculture goes mainstream.


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Clips and References





0:36 - Fill Me In, Craig David


0:43 - 7 Days, Craig David


1:01 - “Soulful Craig David looks set to sweep Brit awards”, The Guardian


1:07 - No BRITS for CD, Craigs performance at the 2001 BRITS


3:34 - Re-wind, Artful Dodger


5:32 - “Mature Ravers Only: The Story of UK Garage Fashion”, Red Bull


6:19 - “How Ayia Napa transformed from a fishing village to the heart of garage music”, New European


9:11 - Pitchfork, Review of Born To Do It


11:56 - Rolling Stone Review


13:18 - What’s Your Flava?, Craig David


14:08 - Sexy Willy Wonka


14:19 - Rise & Fall, Sting and Craig David


17:38 - Melody Maker cover


18:22 - Simon Reynolds, Bring The Noise


19:20 - Bo Selecta - The Craig David Story


23:00 - Liberty X, Being Nobody


25:08 - Fearne and Craig David


27:25 - People Just Do Nothing Trailer


28:36 - Craig David on BBC 1 Xtra


29:10 - When The Baseline Drops, Craig David x Big Nastie


31:20 - Got It Good, Kaytranada ft Craig David





Special thanks to Max Palmer for providing original music for this episode! You can listen to more of his music here: www.soundcloud.com/sundensound

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Are you ready to go back to the year 2000?

Combining storytelling and commentary, this podcast returns to some of the noughties’ biggest cultural moments, trends and figures, and explores them with the added benefit of twenty years’ hindsight.

The world of entertainment is re-examined by hosts Simran Hans and Tara Joshi, two self-proclaimed fangirls who grew up on the internet. Film critic, Simran, and music critic, Tara, explore how it feels to return to the defining songs, shows and sleepover movies of their childhoods, and what they tell us about pop culture today. Special guests will be joining the hosts each month.

Join us on a journey into the new millennium, a period of change and optimism, examining the surprising, funny and poignant parallels between then and now.

Launching 6 October 2020 – new episodes available every Tuesday.

• No. of episodes: 10
• Latest episode: 2020-12-01
• Society & Culture

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