You might have not been paying attention, but The Roots have been up there with The White Stripes, Radiohead, and Kanye as the most consistent artists of the past decade. With thought-provoking lyrics and rock-solid funk grooves, this is the kind of hip-hop that lots of people have either forgotten existed or never knew existed in the first place. While most of the attention behind the band gets focused on drummer ?uestlove (either because of his striking look or because of his ease with a quote), rapper Black Thought is just as important to the group, and has quietly revealed himself to be one of the most unsung emcees in hip-hop history. Plus, the man, like fellow emcee greats Andre 3000 and Slick Rick (sorta), can sing too! Their new album, “How I Got Over” was originally scheduled for a summer release, but has gotten bumped into October. Check out their performance of the title track on Jimmy Fallon’s late night talk show, where they also serve as the house band. Hopefully this exposure results in a well-deserved, successful album.
Tag: Jimmy Fallon
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The Top 100 Songs of the ’00s, #94: “Star”
As a hip-hop head from way back in the day, I don’t see too many emcees these days who have the same passion for rhyming that the guys and girls from the “golden age” of hip-hop did. Where’s the love of wordplay? Does anyone these days give you the feeling that they could rhyme forever?
That’s why I thank goodness that folks like Black Thought are not only still around, but still relevant. The Roots’ primary MC is a rhymer at heart, and “Star” is a perfect showcase for his skills. Of course, leave it to The Roots to even beat jack creatively. With Sly Stone and Larry Graham’s voices floating in and out of the mix, and a rock solid rhythm section carrying him, Black Thought touches on everything from his proficiency on the mic to urban blight to the image of black men in the music industry (“don’t wanna do the Ruben Studdard and come of less threatening…”).
The Roots are right up there with Radiohead as one of the most consistent bands of the past ten years. Nothing they’ve put out this decade has been less than solid, with “Phrenology”, “The Tipping Point” (the album that contains “Star”) and “Game Theory” among the best trifectas that any artist in any genre has come up with. Although their commercial fortunes have dipped sharply, here’s hoping that their exposure as the house band of Jimmy Fallon’s talk show puts them back in the public consciousness…
…After all, everybody is a star.
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Not Necessarily The News – Jacko, Jonas & Justin
According to published reports, Michael Jackson is holding a press conference on Thursday during which he will announce a multi-night residency at London’s O2 arena. The King of Pop’s last tour was in 1995, and his last live performance appearance was in 2006 at the World Music Awards. Personally, I hope Michael brings his act home to the U.S., not only because his American fans deserve it, but because I don ‘t want to have to travel all the way to London to see my favorite entertainer. And you’d better believe that I’m considering it.The bubble might be bursting a little quicker than expected for The Jonas Brothers. Following their somewhat embarrassing performance at February’s Grammy Awards ceremony, the JoBros saw their much ballyhooed concert movie come in second place at the box office behind Madea Goes to Jail. While it’s $17 million gross is nothing to sneeze at, it’s roughly half of what prognosticators were initially predicting the film would do. The soundtrack album is expected to debut this week, also with a number that’s below expectations. Hmmm…I think a JoBro might have to get arrested soon.
Speaking of teen idols, Justin Timberlake inaugurated Jimmy Fallon’s new talk show, and continued his run as one of the most engaging and entertaining talk show/variety show guests in recent memory. Check out a clip of his interview below, before NBC removes it. Excellent jobs impersonating John Mayer & Michael McDonald, with the help of the awesome band, The Roots.