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. Got a favourite culture moment from 2000 you want us to talk about? Suggest an episode idea here.  You can also follow us on Twitter and Instagram   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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices