Still Born To Do It: Craig David's Key Moments

  • Still Born To Do It: Craig David's Key Moments
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    If you’ve been a Craig David from the start, it’s been a bumpy ride. He soundtracked the early 2000s with his very UK-sounding garage cross R&B sound, churning out hit after hit and inspiring a whole new wave of like minded artists.


    Throughout the years he’s ditched the trademark beanie, tried out everything and anything sonically and also lost his way a few times. Luckily, 2015 has been very kind to David so far. He’s been busy gathering ammunition to strike hard and he’s already started firing with a few of the year’s best moments so far.


    To understand where David is at now we need to go right back to the start to track his whole career and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. Enter the rise and fall and rise again of Craig David.

     

    Re Rewind

    This was the first time audiences really got to know Craig David. Artful Dodger were creating UK garage for the masses and they recruited David to lay down a vocal on this one. Given the recent re-emergence of Garage this song actually sounds completely current in 2015 despite the fact that it was released back in 1999.


    This was also the first record to be released on UK label Relentless Records. They have since gone onto release music Ms Dynamite, Bondax and Joey Bada$$.

     

     

    Fill Me In

    This was his big break - a track that married garage with soul beautifully and made David a household name at the age of 18. It broke him in the US and Australia as well as in his home country of the UK where it became one of the biggest selling singles of the year. It’s a ditty about Craig trying to hang out with a girl who’s parents are always around stopping them from getting fweaky.


    It was the first single from his massive debut album Born To Do It and still gets plenty of attention in 2015. Ryan Hemsworth made it relevant once again in 2012 when he remixed the track right on the brink of an R&B resurgence. Now that Craig has made his return it seems to be the song people are going back to for nostalgia-sake and also because it’s just a really solid tune.


    If you’re hungry for more don’t forget part 2 of the song which also featured on Born To Do It. It’s slower and bereft of those garage influences but it a nice little extender. Also you really can’t beat when David goes into the mood of singing with a rap flow.

     

     

    7 Days

    There was plenty of hype surrounding David in the early 2000s, so much so that he would’ve been a likely candidate to be a one hit wonder but it wasn’t to be. His second single 7 Days cemented his place at the forefront of R&B crossover worldwide.


    If you can’t recite exactly what David does on everyday of the week you were clearly not around in the 2000s. That or you were living in Germany which was one of the only countries where it didn’t chart in the top 20.


    This one toned down the garage influences instead going for a very early millennium R&B sound that had David’s voice sitting right at the forefront. In the video clip he’s sitting in the barber getting one of the freshest hair cut you’ll see this side of the century.


    Tip for young players - get onto this DJ Premier remix which features a verse from Mos Def and completely reworks the melody.

     

     

    Walking Away

    There was no such thing as a meme in the 2000s but had there been Walking Away would’ve been the basis of many. It inspired many a jokes (see below) because of how literal the lyrics were but also made people continue to talk about him.

     

     

    There was something really daggy about the lyrics, kind of like Hotline Bling, but at the sametime the melody was so sincere and perfect that it was hard to ignore it.


    As far as the first three singles go, it’s pretty hard to find an artist who had a better introduction than David. Every single one hit the mark as did the whole album which cleverly balanced UK dance styles with international R&B. Maybe we’ll forget that the album cover looks like a relaxing advertisement for Bose headphones.

     

     

    What’s Your Flava

    2002 David was back. He was sleeveless and going for sexy more than the lovesick vibes of Born To Do It and What’s Your Flava was the perfect introduction. The video featured girls looking for four golden CDs that would grant them access to a guided tour of Craig David’s music factory. While three of the girls blow their chance, he finds one that he fancies. Strangely it also features dancers in what look like white versions of Cathy Freeman’s 2000 Olympics suit.


    This was David’s venture into the pop world sitting more alongside the Britney Spears and N*SYNC’s of the world rather than R&B contemporaries but he pulls it off.


    It really goes without saying that the song has since gone onto soundtrack many a food ad.

     

     

    Hidden Agenda

    Any who were worrying that David was abandoning his roots for pop would’ve been satisfied with the second single from Slicker Than Your Average - Hidden Agenda. This is peak Craig David smooth with caramel vocals slipping through those acoustic guitar-tinged beats. It also saw him re-connect with Born To Do It producer Mark Hill and you can tell.


    Also, just watch him jamming out with his band on Jools Holland back in the day. He’s wearing a white tee, a beanie and denim jeans - it’s a timeless Craig David look and you literally can’t go wrong with it.

     

     

    Rise & Fall

    Usually a second album means a bigger budget and David obviously used that to call in The Police’s Sting. Rise & Fall came at a time when it was appropriate to put basically any two singers together. Nelly was teaming up with Tim McGraw, Nicole Kidman had collabed with Robbie Williams and Gwyneth Paltrow was singing with Huey Lewis.


    Still, Rise & Fall is one of the better ones. It’s more in David’s world than Sting and to be honest it could’ve done without Sting altogether but it’s nice to see them bonding over a coffee. Every artist gets their “I’m earning too much money and I need to keep it real” song and this was David’s.

     

     

    All The Way

    By album three, The Story Goes…, David was starting to lose his way a little bit. The album presented an ultra-clean production marrying dance with R&B to varying results. All The Way was the funky lead-single and while it didn’t blow up, it’s a funky tune. His signature tempo-racing flow is here in all its glory and there are a few old school Craig David production touches on here.


    The video is very futuristic which is weird given how much of throwback the song is but it does feature the singer losing his car only to have it magically reappear which is worth watching.

     

     

    Hot Stuff

    David’s fourth album Trust Me saw him ditch the beanie and mum-friendly sweaters for a very suave, suited look. It also saw him head straight for the dancefloor with the David Bowie-sampling Let’s Dance. On paper it sounds terrible and probably turned a lot of people away from the get-go but the track is actually a pretty good ear worm. It’s basically because the Bowie synth-line is an absolute classic and would sound great on a Crazy Frog track.


    As for the album, it channelled disco-cross-funk sounds and made David look very daggy.

     

     

    Signed, Sealed, Delivered

    No, no, no no, nononononononono. The best way to kill your relevancy is to release an album of motown covers that pretty much sound identical to the original. Luckily for Craig it didn’t sell very many copies so not many people will remember it. For those who did he took five years before releasing any new music so we could wipe a clean slate. He’s lucky. Not many recover from the motown cover album. Just ask Human Nature.

     

     

    Where Are U Now Freestyle

    The word comeback is thrown around a lot these days but this is without a doubt the right place to use it. Nobody had really said much about David but it just took one moment for everybody start talking again. During the Kurupt FM takeover on BBC Radio 1 David took to the mic over the beat of Jack U’s Where Are U Now, flipping Fill Me In upside down and simultaneously proving his relevance in 2015.


    It successfully showed that his voice can marry together the trop-house drops of today with the garage sounds of yesterday. The whole studio went absolutely mental and then the internet followed. One of the biggest moments this year. “We need to bring it 2015, 2016,” says David before hitting it, showing that he’s all about the future.

     

     

    When The Bassline Drops

    Fast forward a few months and David is ready to strike while the irons hot. He’s collaboated with Big Narstie who was in the studio during the Fill Me In/Where Are U Now moment and absolutely lost his mind.


    When The Bassline Drops brings us straight back to that 2001 garage sound but it also sounds completely relevant sitting somewhere between Disclosure and the grime sounds of someone like Stormzy.


    It’s expected to come from his forthcoming album which is shaping up to be one of 2016’s most anticipated releases. Apparently it will feature Diplo, Kaytranada, GoldLink and Chase & Status.

     

     

    - Words and pictures by the interns' Sam Murphy and Bianca Bosso for Cool Accidents

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If you’ve been a Craig David from the start, it’s been a bumpy ride. He soundtracked the early 2000s with his very UK-sounding garage cross R&B sound, churning out hit after hit and inspiring a whole new wave of like minded artists.


Throughout the years he’s ditched the trademark beanie, tried out everything and anything sonically and also lost his way a few times. Luckily, 2015 has been very kind to David so far. He’s been busy gathering ammunition to strike hard and he’s already started firing with a few of the year’s best moments so far.


To understand where David is at now we need to go right back to the start to track his whole career and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. Enter the rise and fall and rise again of Craig David.

 

Re Rewind

This was the first time audiences really got to know Craig David. Artful Dodger were creating UK garage for the masses and they recruited David to lay down a vocal on this one. Given the recent re-emergence of Garage this song actually sounds completely current in 2015 despite the fact that it was released back in 1999.


This was also the first record to be released on UK label Relentless Records. They have since gone onto release music Ms Dynamite, Bondax and Joey Bada$$.

 

 

Fill Me In

This was his big break - a track that married garage with soul beautifully and made David a household name at the age of 18. It broke him in the US and Australia as well as in his home country of the UK where it became one of the biggest selling singles of the year. It’s a ditty about Craig trying to hang out with a girl who’s parents are always around stopping them from getting fweaky.


It was the first single from his massive debut album Born To Do It and still gets plenty of attention in 2015. Ryan Hemsworth made it relevant once again in 2012 when he remixed the track right on the brink of an R&B resurgence. Now that Craig has made his return it seems to be the song people are going back to for nostalgia-sake and also because it’s just a really solid tune.


If you’re hungry for more don’t forget part 2 of the song which also featured on Born To Do It. It’s slower and bereft of those garage influences but it a nice little extender. Also you really can’t beat when David goes into the mood of singing with a rap flow.

 

 

7 Days

There was plenty of hype surrounding David in the early 2000s, so much so that he would’ve been a likely candidate to be a one hit wonder but it wasn’t to be. His second single 7 Days cemented his place at the forefront of R&B crossover worldwide.


If you can’t recite exactly what David does on everyday of the week you were clearly not around in the 2000s. That or you were living in Germany which was one of the only countries where it didn’t chart in the top 20.


This one toned down the garage influences instead going for a very early millennium R&B sound that had David’s voice sitting right at the forefront. In the video clip he’s sitting in the barber getting one of the freshest hair cut you’ll see this side of the century.


Tip for young players - get onto this DJ Premier remix which features a verse from Mos Def and completely reworks the melody.

 

 

Walking Away

There was no such thing as a meme in the 2000s but had there been Walking Away would’ve been the basis of many. It inspired many a jokes (see below) because of how literal the lyrics were but also made people continue to talk about him.

 

 

There was something really daggy about the lyrics, kind of like Hotline Bling, but at the sametime the melody was so sincere and perfect that it was hard to ignore it.


As far as the first three singles go, it’s pretty hard to find an artist who had a better introduction than David. Every single one hit the mark as did the whole album which cleverly balanced UK dance styles with international R&B. Maybe we’ll forget that the album cover looks like a relaxing advertisement for Bose headphones.

 

 

What’s Your Flava

2002 David was back. He was sleeveless and going for sexy more than the lovesick vibes of Born To Do It and What’s Your Flava was the perfect introduction. The video featured girls looking for four golden CDs that would grant them access to a guided tour of Craig David’s music factory. While three of the girls blow their chance, he finds one that he fancies. Strangely it also features dancers in what look like white versions of Cathy Freeman’s 2000 Olympics suit.


This was David’s venture into the pop world sitting more alongside the Britney Spears and N*SYNC’s of the world rather than R&B contemporaries but he pulls it off.


It really goes without saying that the song has since gone onto soundtrack many a food ad.

 

 

Hidden Agenda

Any who were worrying that David was abandoning his roots for pop would’ve been satisfied with the second single from Slicker Than Your Average - Hidden Agenda. This is peak Craig David smooth with caramel vocals slipping through those acoustic guitar-tinged beats. It also saw him re-connect with Born To Do It producer Mark Hill and you can tell.


Also, just watch him jamming out with his band on Jools Holland back in the day. He’s wearing a white tee, a beanie and denim jeans - it’s a timeless Craig David look and you literally can’t go wrong with it.

 

 

Rise & Fall

Usually a second album means a bigger budget and David obviously used that to call in The Police’s Sting. Rise & Fall came at a time when it was appropriate to put basically any two singers together. Nelly was teaming up with Tim McGraw, Nicole Kidman had collabed with Robbie Williams and Gwyneth Paltrow was singing with Huey Lewis.


Still, Rise & Fall is one of the better ones. It’s more in David’s world than Sting and to be honest it could’ve done without Sting altogether but it’s nice to see them bonding over a coffee. Every artist gets their “I’m earning too much money and I need to keep it real” song and this was David’s.

 

 

All The Way

By album three, The Story Goes…, David was starting to lose his way a little bit. The album presented an ultra-clean production marrying dance with R&B to varying results. All The Way was the funky lead-single and while it didn’t blow up, it’s a funky tune. His signature tempo-racing flow is here in all its glory and there are a few old school Craig David production touches on here.


The video is very futuristic which is weird given how much of throwback the song is but it does feature the singer losing his car only to have it magically reappear which is worth watching.

 

 

Hot Stuff

David’s fourth album Trust Me saw him ditch the beanie and mum-friendly sweaters for a very suave, suited look. It also saw him head straight for the dancefloor with the David Bowie-sampling Let’s Dance. On paper it sounds terrible and probably turned a lot of people away from the get-go but the track is actually a pretty good ear worm. It’s basically because the Bowie synth-line is an absolute classic and would sound great on a Crazy Frog track.


As for the album, it channelled disco-cross-funk sounds and made David look very daggy.

 

 

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

No, no, no no, nononononononono. The best way to kill your relevancy is to release an album of motown covers that pretty much sound identical to the original. Luckily for Craig it didn’t sell very many copies so not many people will remember it. For those who did he took five years before releasing any new music so we could wipe a clean slate. He’s lucky. Not many recover from the motown cover album. Just ask Human Nature.

 

 

Where Are U Now Freestyle

The word comeback is thrown around a lot these days but this is without a doubt the right place to use it. Nobody had really said much about David but it just took one moment for everybody start talking again. During the Kurupt FM takeover on BBC Radio 1 David took to the mic over the beat of Jack U’s Where Are U Now, flipping Fill Me In upside down and simultaneously proving his relevance in 2015.


It successfully showed that his voice can marry together the trop-house drops of today with the garage sounds of yesterday. The whole studio went absolutely mental and then the internet followed. One of the biggest moments this year. “We need to bring it 2015, 2016,” says David before hitting it, showing that he’s all about the future.

 

 

When The Bassline Drops

Fast forward a few months and David is ready to strike while the irons hot. He’s collaboated with Big Narstie who was in the studio during the Fill Me In/Where Are U Now moment and absolutely lost his mind.


When The Bassline Drops brings us straight back to that 2001 garage sound but it also sounds completely relevant sitting somewhere between Disclosure and the grime sounds of someone like Stormzy.


It’s expected to come from his forthcoming album which is shaping up to be one of 2016’s most anticipated releases. Apparently it will feature Diplo, Kaytranada, GoldLink and Chase & Status.

 

 

- Words and pictures by the interns' Sam Murphy and Bianca Bosso for Cool Accidents

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