The Roots To Release Thirteenth Studio Album "&TYSYC" In Late 2013

... and so we wait hip hoppers! kfox.

The Roots To Release Thirteenth Studio Album "&TYSYC" In Late 2013

The Roots and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon "Perth"

The Roots and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon "Perth"

You all know how I like's beats ... and uptempo beats are all the rage w/me. So imagine my response to this syrupy slow song from The Roots and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon. The Roots concept project "undun" is captivating.

This link is from Pitchfork of the performance on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon."

I won't say much more about this one hip hoppers; you gotta see it for yourselves. kfox.

Recap :: The Roots LIVE at The Fillmore

I originally published this blog post for my Music Monday on The Radiogirl Blog.



Recap :: The Roots LIVE at The Fillmore

My return home from Cairo has been pleasant. But so far the highlight has been seeing The Roots perform at The Fillmore in Silver Spring, MD.

 The Roots perform at The Fillmore on Fri., Dec. 30, 2011. Taken by Kim Fox.

The Roots are my favorite band. They're a true reflection of what music is and should be. They're true musicians and know music.

They did "Proceed (1995)" and at the bridge then threw in some go-go music. It was crazy cool. The Roots guitarist Capn Kirk continues to be a beast and rocked out the scene on Friday. Of course Questlove and Black Thought, probably the most well known members of The Roots, did their thing; they strong represent their artforms - percussion and lyrics respectively. Bilal was in the house and so was Dice Raw.

Capn Kirk (standing on the drums) goes toe-to-toe w/drummer Questlove. Taken by Kim Fox. 2011.

They did some of their old joints like "You Got Me (1999)," "The Seed (2002)" (for the encore); they threw in some Kool and the Gang, some blues and some rock; they just put it down.

The Roots drummer Questlove gets the spotlight to show off a little bit. Taken by Kim Fox. 2011.

We went up for the drum stick toss from Questlove at the end of the show. I wasn't hopeful because we weren't quite close enough. You see, I've been to numerous Roots shows and I've never been fortunate enough to catch the coveted Questlove signed drum stick. However, my friend has a virtual collection of signed drum sticks from Questlove. Point is, the drum toss went quick and we both came out empty handed. But it's all good because The Roots show did not disappoint.

The Roots "undun"

The Roots "undun" (2011)

It's time for another Roots project. This time amid the album hype, there's a bit of controversy: The Roots walk on song on "Jimmy Fallon" for Congresswoman and Republican Presidential Candidate Michelle Bachmann. Questlove is feeling a bit remorseful behind that guttural decision.

But they're trying to get the dust up to settle and to get us back to thinking about the new project "undun," their concept album. Thanks to The Roots and NPR, you can stream the entire album. It's only 39 minutes, but I'll take that. I think it'll only be available to stream until the project is officially released and that's on Tuesday, December 6, 2011. 

Another item in The Roots' holiday gift basket to us is an app for "undun." I haven't purchased it yet, but it seems there are some vids, interviews and other exclusive material.

• Article in Paste about The Roots "undun" app
• From NPR: First Listen: The Roots "undun"
• From Mediaite: The Roots' Questlove 'Deeply Sorry' for Michelle Bachmann music choice

Time to get "undun" hip hoppers, but don't over do it ... kfox.

The first single from "undun" is "Make My".

The Old School Hip Hop Grooves

Image borrowed from the Underground Hip Hop Music Blog

Hey ... are you looking to get your old school hip hop groove on? And at no or low cost? Then this blog, The Underground Hip Hop Music Blog, is right up your alley. It's a blog dedicated to old school hip hop and you can download the goodies. I can only hope that it is all legit. In my preliminary browse, it seems cool and lots of fun. I, personally, have a pretty healthy hip hop collection on cd, but not in the way of digital files, so this is a good find.

You'll find the likes of KRS-One, Brand Nubian, Digable Planets, Gang Starr, Pete Rock and CL Smooth and of course, The Roots.

Do the Erol Flynn or the Smurf, but get yo groove on hip hoppers, get yo groove on ... kfox

The Mix: 25 Years Of Def Jam Recording

The Mix: 25 Years Of Def Jam Recordings : NPR

Awwww, ish! Def Jam and hip hop go together like all that other good stuff (mostly)! I could talk about all the hip hop legends that Def Jam has produced, but you already know that; just think "alley cat coat wearing, hush puppy shoe wearing ..."

But hip hoppers, today I'm just here to pass along a nice little mix from the good peeps at NPR. It's A-Gee. kfox.

Oh, and here's a list of the artists on the mix (though not in this order):
3rd Bass • Beanie Sigel • The Beastie Boys • Boss • Cam'ron • Diplomats • DMX • Downtown Science • EPMD • Erick Sermon • Fabolous • Foxy Brown • Freeway • Ghostface Killah • Hollis Crew • Ja Rule • Jay-Z • Kanye West • LL Cool J • Ludacris • Method Man • Montell Jordan • Musiq Soulchild • Nas • Ne-Yo • Nice and Smooth • Nikki D • Onyx • Oran "Juice" Jones • Public Enemy • Redman • Rihanna • The Roots • Scarface • Sisqo • Slick Rick • T-La Rock • The-Dream • Warren G

CMJ Year End Hip Hop Chart :: 2010

I kinda like the year end charts to give me a chance to know exactly what kind of a slug I am. I mean, who can keep up w/all of the entertainment that's available these days? Why would you even try?

On any given day, I know that I'm missing out on a ton of good music, movies, books and a shitload of really good articles.

Nevermind all of that though and back to how behind I am on consuming hip hop. Notice how I did not say purchasing anything? Who does that? Okay, so, we all have to buy something every now and again ... but, my point is that my music consumption is all digital these days and it's usually a free download somewhere (and, I should add, legal). I'm thinking you're nearly in the same boat as me, huh?

So s/o to CMJ for compling the year end list for 2010. I have at least 3 of the top 15 on the Hip Hop Chart. And I'm feelin good about that. Because those three are:

• Murs and Ninth Wonder "Fornever"
• The Roots "How I Got Over"
• Wu-Tang Klan "Return of the Wu and Friends"

So here's part of the list (see below). Get the full CMJ Year End Hip Hop Chart for 2010 along w/all of their other charts.

It's no competition, but how much of a slug are you hip hoppers? Slackin, schemin and dreamin. kfox.

VIDEO: The Roots "The Christmas Song"

VIDEO: The Roots "The Christmas Song"

Oh, whatever ... so what if it's a few weeks past Christmas and I'm just now seeing this vid. Stop Scroogin on me!

But seriously, I'm diggin this vid and the song, however, I keep waiting for them to break out in the true spirit of The Roots and make it funky.

Happy New Year hip hoppers. kfox.

John Legend & The Roots "Unstaged"

John Legend and The Roots have really been pushing their latest project "Wake Up Everybody". It officially dropped earlier this week. I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet. So if you've heard it, do share your thoughts.

This "Unstaged" concert is reaching for big things. They've pulled in Spike Lee to direct. And they've nabbed a high profile brand for sponsorship. I will definitely be checking this out if only to see if it's worth all the hype. I'll get back to you on that one.

Hip hoppers, you too will have a high profile one day. kfox.

The Roots' 10 Best Moments On Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

I can't claim this list as my own. No Paste mag is behind this crafty list. But I'm diggin it and you will too. It's complete w/just enough commentary and some cool vids f/The Roots. Going from a constantly touring band to the house band for Jimmy Fallon was a good move for my fav band. Real good move.

From Paste magazine:

The Roots' 10 Best Moments on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

John Legend & The Roots "Wake Up Everybody"

Some folks will be surprised to know that The Roots will have their second project of the year released in September. It's a collabo w/John Legend. To me, they could have chilled a bit after the recent acclaim for "How I Got Over". I mean, it was just released late last month.

At any rate, the first single from the "Wake Up Everybody" project is out. The title track also features Common and Melanie Fiona. It's a remake of the Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' classic. I only listened to the new version once and it's just okay. With the star power involved, it should have and could have been better. It just seems to lack as much fire as the original; but then again, maybe it's that Teddy Pendergrass factor.

You listen and let me know what you think hip hoppers. kfox.

From Okayplayer:

"Wake Up Everybody" by John Legend and The Roots featuring Common and Melanie Fiona

I'm actually diggin this studio session for "Hard Times" more than the 'official' first single.

Top 5 Reviews of The Roots' "How I Got Over"

The Roots' "How I Got Over" (#HIGO on Twitter) was finally released on Tuesday, June 22, 2010. The project is a Wow! I won't go into detail w/my personal review (not yet), but here's a short list of what folks are saying:

1. From Crawdaddy Mag: "Album Review: The Roots, How I Got Over"

I like the details on this review.

2. From Pitchfork: "The Roots: How I Got Over"

A lengthy, quality music review.

3. From Monsters and Critics: "Roots have another hit with 'How I Got Over'"

This is a thorough assessment of HIGO. Lots of tidbits of information.

4. From Spin: "The Roots, 'How I Got Over'"

Praise for "Dear God 2.0".

5. From The Washington Post's Click Track: "Album Review: "The Roots, "How I Got Over""

Gives credit to the female singers on the album's intro.

So hip hoppers, what are your thoughts on HIGO? You be the critic. kfox.

The Roots Liner Notes for "How I Got Over"

You can be a part of The Roots' upcoming project "How I Got Over". Questlove, the group's legendary drummer, posted a note on Twitter soliciting questions for inclusion on the liner notes for the project.

I've already sent my question:

@okayplayer Why did it take over a year for "How I Got Over" to be officially released? (@Questlove)

But I still have thoughts:

• It seems the liners notes would have been drafted by now since the project drops in less than a month.
• Liner notes are great for albums and cds, but what about mp3s? I guess there some sort of electronic/digital version ... yes, there is, but it does not seem the same.

The questions for The Roots' "How I Got Over" liner notes have been rolling in feverishly.

Get to tweeting hip hoppers. Time to get your name in ink (or digitized). kfox.

New from The Roots "Dear God 2.0"

The countdown continues as The Roots are scheduled to drop their new disc "How I Got Over" on June 22. Here's a track: Dear God.

The Roots :: Dear God 2.0

Go and get a taste of what is good hip hoppers. kfox.

VIDEO: The Roots perform at the Winter Olypmics

I know that many of you don't wish to revisit anything remotely related to this past winter, let alone the Winter Olympics. But it wasn't all bad, meaning the Winter Olympics (other than the U.S. hockey team losing to our northern friends).

For example, this video of The Roots performing in Vancouver is pretty cool. The set includes "The Fire", a new track from their upcoming "How I Got Over" project.

"How I Got Over" drops on Tuesday, June 22, 2010.

The Roots play the Whistler Medals Plaza at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics Winter Games from Thomas Attila Lewis on Vimeo.

It's safe to put the winter boots away hip hoppers. kfox.

Questlove LIVE Chat on Thurs, May 6

Image via Wikipedia

Oh, this is good to know: you can chat w/The Roots' Questlove this Thursday, May 6 @ 2 p.m. EST via Billboard's Live Chat.

Surely, you want to ask Questo about The Roots' soon to be released (though majorly delayed) "How I Got Over" project.

More information on Questlove on Billboard's Live Chat.

Get out your calendar hip hoppers, we got a (virtual) event to attend. kfox.

The Roots in D.C.

It's another sad chapter. That chapter being me in the same city where The Roots are performing and me NOT going to the show. It's happened three times now (see previous 'The Roots' posts for deets). Enough already.

The most recent edition was in D.C., December 2009. The Roots were there for not one, but two shows: on Tuesday, December 29th and Wednesday, 30th. My sister gave me a heads up several days in advance, maybe more than that, but she thought the ticket price was high at $45 (plus service fees). I was on the fence. I had planned to be in D.C. to bring in twenty-ten, but my funds were a bit low at the time. Then on Monday, my boy from D.C. called. He knew I'd be in town and wanted to know if I wanted to go see The Roots. I balked at the ticket prices. He seemed indecisive too. He mentioned that the December 30th show had already sold out (though I initially thought he said it was cancelled because it had not sold out).

On Tuesday as I was headed to D.C., I got antsy. I began to think: 'Yes, I do want to go to see The Roots!' This is the one group that I can see over and over and over again and never tire of seeing them perform. Well, seeing them in D.C. did not happen for me. The closest I got was this money shot (see above) from in front of the 930 Club. Good looking tour bus, right?

I thought I could roll up to the venue and snap up some tix and be on my way. Right. It did not go down like that. My boy did end up going though. He's obviously got some connections in the Chocolate City. To add insult to injury, he also walked away w/'another' drum stick from Questlove.

Enough of my whining. Lucky me and you ... The Roots have some pics and commentary about the D.C. shows posted on Okayplayer.

So get to gettin hip hoppers. The moral to this story is that when The Roots come to town, get the ticket and balk at the price later. kfox.

Video: The Roots "How I Got Over"

I'm a bit tardy on this one; The Roots' vid for "How I Got Over". I won't make any excuses though.

Just check the vid and hopefully I can get on to checking out HIGO in the next few days.

In the meantime hip hoppers, see if you can pull a little 'get over' for yourselves ... kfox.

The Roots on CNN

The Roots recently got some TV face time (in addition to their regular gig as the house band on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon") on CNN.

In this short clip, ?uestlove's justifying why The Roots are not a sellout band. Some people equate mainstream success (i.e. their regular gig as the house band on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon) as selling out.



And here's the link to a longer piece from CNN : "?uestlove: The Roots 'Redine the Art of the House Band'".

By the way, The Roots latest project, "How I Got Over" is scheduled to drop sometime in October.

And why I'm talking about The Roots and feenin for a chance to see them perform. Enjoy these tracks from The Couch Sessions w/The Roots, Common and Amerie in Atlanta on September 19, 2009.

So go ahead hip hoppers, have some integrity, but don't sellout. kfox.

The Roots :: Live in Cleveland

The Roots performed in Cleveland on Tuesday, June 30th at the House of Blues. I had a chance to see the show, but just barely.

Although, the ticket prices were reasonable, I did not buy any tickets. But when I arrived at the venue at about 7:15 p.m., I found out that The Roots would not hit the stage until after 9 p.m.

Well, I called the one and only, party promoter extraordinaire Arnold Hines who told me to sit tight for a minute and he would see what he could do.

I went over to a coffee house on Fourth Street and I was sitting in the window talking on the phone and a guy in a white tee walks by. I nearly drop the phone, but I am a bit shocked because I realize that it is Black Thought from The Roots. He's just walking by like everyone else. So I was thinking I should go and say hi, but I don't really want to bother him and cause a scene, then I say what the heck, but by the time I get out the door, he's disappeared. I hate when that happens.

Thankfully, Arnold came through w/a ticket for me to the show. Otherwise, that would have been it for me - a Black Thought spotting.

So, once I get in the venue, I take it easy and hang out in the corner and wait for the show to start. Part of the venue is standing room only - on the floor. On the upper level, there are some seats. I'm on the second level, and once the show is about to begin. I make my way to a spot where I can at least see something. Just as I am about to nuzzle my way through a few folks, Arnold shows up again and says 'follow me'. I ask no questions, but he is good peeps and he would never mislead me.

And off we go to a private seating area, uh, the lodge. Love that. Great view. There are chairs, but I don't need no stinking chair. I had planned to be on my feet for the entire show. I immediately began to take pics because I was in the balcony, but w/an unobstructed view.

But low and behold, Arnold comes to the lodge and tells me and his other friends that someone just purchased the lodge and we have to bounce. I hate when that happens. Who the heck buys a lodge 45 minutes into the show? Never mind that.

I head back to the upper level, because the SRO section is crazy. Good energy, but I really don't want to be all up on folks like that. Not on this night.

After briefly talking to some friends, Arnold comes back and says 'What happened to you? We got another lodge on the other side.' And off I go to see The Roots from a different vantage point - the opposite of where I'd been. Love that.

The entire band was there including the Sousaphonist. They did alot of popular stuff: "The Seed" w/Capn Kirk doing vocals, a track from "Game Theory". They also did "You Got Me' and that went over very well. I'll give the show an A, but I am super biased. It's been a couple of years since I've seen them perform live.

One final note, after most shows, Questlove will sign his drumsticks and then toss them out to the crowd. I get all geeked because I'm in a sparsely populated lodge in the balcony. This could be the night that I actually come away w/a signed drumstick. When Questo turns to my side of the venue, I throw my hands up and then do the ole 'me-to-you' gesture w/my hands. He seems to notice and tosses the drumstick my way. It goes a bit high and over my head. Much to my dismay, a crowd has gathered behind me. But have no fear, I have on jeans and I dive to the concrete floor ... alas, I do not come up w/the elusive drumstick.

Well enough about my antics hip hoppers ... what have you been up to? kfox.

Check out my archives on The Roots.
Oh, and here's my review of the night I got a double dose of The Roots.