The Beats and Rhymes of Mattafix

By: Alexandra Trahnstrom

Mattafix is a group of two members that originally started making beats and singing songs in the United Kingdom in 2003. Marlon Roudette and Preetesh Hirji produced two records; “Rhythm and Hymns” and “Signs of a Struggle”. According to the web page, sing365.com, Hirji says, “Whether through hardship or celebration, music is a uniting force for good. That’s what’s so great about having our music accepted everywhere. One of the best things you can do for anyone is make them smile.” To Mattafix, music is a passion that everyone deserves to experience.

Once listeners hear the first few beats of any Mattafix song, they will immediately start dancing and an instant smile spread across their face. Mattafix combines hip-hop, jazz, reggae, blues, and calypso music to create a soulful song. The beat of the bass pounds through the speakers and hits the soul. Listener’s ears will hear every instrument and emotion will race throughout the body. The pick up to verses and the chorus is a sudden transition that makes listeners really connect with the music.

If the beat wasn’t enough to get people hooked, the lyrics will reach out to each and every person. Roudette and Hirji write their own songs about experiences the world and different cultures are having. They write songs about struggle to show listeners the truth. The song, “living”, was recorded in Darfur. Mattafix’s goal is to reach out to individuals and fill their minds with knowledge of the world. Not only do they make they struggles of our earth prominent, but they make the good times rise up and let the positive be known.

People in over thirty countries know Mattafix. The people who listen to them undergo some soul searching as the band sings songs about happiness or struggles. They really make people think about who they want to be as a person. The message that all of their songs give is; do all you can in order to help, and once you cannot do anything more all you can do is be happy. Let the beat of this two-man band carry your body and let the lyrics flow into your mind.