"Routine Check" is the debut single by British hip hop duo

the Mitchell Brothers The Mitchell Brothers were a Ghanaian British rap duo from London, England. They consisted of cousins Owura "Tony" Nyanin from Manor Park and Kofi "Teddy" Hanson from Stockwell. They were the first signing to Mike Skinner's The Beats imprin ...

, featuring

Kano Kano may refer to: Places *Kano State, a state in Northern Nigeria * Kano (city), a city in Nigeria, and the capital of Kano State **Kingdom of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between the 10th and 14th centuries **Sultanate of Kano, a Hausa kingdom between ...

and

the Streets The Streets are an English music project led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner. The project has released six studio albums: ''Original Pirate Material'' (2002), ''A Grand Don't Come for Free'' (2004), ''The Hardest Way to M ...

. It was their highest-charting single, peaking at No. 42 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in March 2005.

Theme

The song is a defiant response to the perceived racism of the

UK Police Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in each of the legal systems of the United Kingdom: England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Most law enforcement is carried out by police officers serving in regional po ...

's "

stop and search Stop and search or Stop and frisk is a term used to describe the powers of the police to search a person, place or object without first making an arrest. A 2021 survey by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights found that minority ethnic ...

" policy. In 2012, Tony Mitchell said that the song summed him up as an artist and that the song was about a real situation in that many youngsters had to deal with such police interactions. He said that he wanted people "to like it, for them to like the funny side of it, but understand the seriousness of it as well. At that time with a lot of artists it was cool to be macho, but bringing that wit and humour for me was important."

Critical reception

Critical reception was mixed. John Murphy of musicOMH said the song was "the Mitchells at their most incendiary", arguing that the song could potentially be the British version of

NWA NWA or Nwa most commonly refers to: * N.W.A ("Niggaz Wit Attitudes"), a hip hop group from Compton, California, US * National Wrestling Alliance, a professional wrestling organization NWA or Nwa may refer to: Music * New Weird America, a subgenr ...

's "

Fuck tha Police "Fuck tha Police" is a protest song by American hip hop group N.W.A that appears on the 1988 album '' Straight Outta Compton'' as well as on the ''N.W.A's Greatest Hits'' compilation. The lyrics protest police brutality and racial profilin ...

" and that "a whole generation of black youths" would be able to identify with it. About the featured artists on the song, he commented: "The appearance of both Mike Skinner and Grime's latest rising star Kano gives the track added prestige." Hattie Collins of ''The Guardian'' felt that the Mitchells' contribution to the track was inferior to Kano's contribution: "their flat flow, perhaps meant to lend a more authentic feel, serves only to make them all the more monotonous".

Aftermath

In an interview with ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'',

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

revealed that he had played the song "to death", and as a result was inspired to record " Dickhead", a hidden track on his ninth studio album, ''

Rudebox ''Rudebox'' is the seventh studio album by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams, released on 23 October 2006 in the United Kingdom. It features two guest appearances from the Pet Shop Boys. The album was produced by a variety of producers ...

''.

References

{{reflist 2004 songs 2004 debut singles British hip hop songs