The Roots
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13 Mar

Posted at 13:41h in Music, Reviews
If the excellent Return of 4EVA mixtape didn't bring to the forefront the potential of Mississipi rapper Big K.R.I.T. in 2011, then his solemn, heart-stirring verse on The Roots' "Make My" masterpiece would have many searching for the back catalog of one of HipHop's most promising newcomers. In the short space of time, K.R.I.T. has established himself as a rapper whose music is submerged in the stylings and soul of southern rap's past greats, in addition to stirring in his own engaging tales set in today's glitter and patrone obsessed society.

05 Dec

Posted at 14:34h in Music, Reviews
If there was a solitary reason for the lack of more 'eclectic' Hip Hop groups being present in today's field, it probably would be because of the fear of living up to the ridiculously high standards set by Philadelphia’s legendary outfit The Roots. Black Thought, ?uestlove and co have been rocking out for almost two decades now with their sublime arrangement of true school Hip Hop, golden era jazz and blues. Even whilst often cited as one of the most 'underrated' groups in musical history, The Roots have consistently remained within the realms of many top five lists due to their staunch lyrical offerings and their dynamic live shows. Whilst currently the in-house band for US chat show Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Undun is the 13th offering from The Roots but still creates the same tingles of anticipation as previous efforts; the hope now is that the same musical richness of the past carries over to this December release.

30 Nov

Posted at 09:00h in Reviews
In the sea of name-checking and auto-tuning Hip Hop and R&B acts that have graced our shores from the US recently, it’s easy to forget what the artists’ voices actually sound like. Then along comes John Legend and The Roots with their covers album - appropriately named Wake Up! - and we’re reminded what R&B and Hip Hop in it’s truest – and in my opinion best - form really sounds like. Hammersmith Apollo was the setting for their first ever collaborative UK tour and gone were the over-produced instruments and vocal distortions that we’ve become used to [from lesser acts] and in their place the distinguishable, pure voice of John Legend fused with the powerful rap of Black Thought and the rest of the finely tuned yet unpredictable band that make up The Roots.

25 Sep

Posted at 19:34h in Lit, Music

The Roots' iconic drummer and so-called musical encyclopedia ?uestlove will soon be "combining his headful of music factoids with real life stories, celebrity encounters and thoughts on life" in a new autobiography of sorts, according to Okayplayer. Tentatively titled Mommy, What's A Questlove?, the book is...

20 Jul

Posted at 08:00h in Music, Reviews
For the past two decades, the hip-hop ensemble known as The Roots has produced a sundry, quintessential sound for the music masses. They're regarded in many circles as the best Hip Hop band in the history of Hip Hop music and their 11th album overall [9th studio album], How I Got Over may be their best work of music since Things Fall Apart. They've been classified in their own category over the years and recently many thought their demise was on the horizon due to them agreeing to be the band for the Late Night With Jimmy Fallon TV Show. But as usual they've proven to be the exception to the rule.