the roots
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Watch: Why Black Thought of the Roots Believes Art Should Represent the Times We Live In
“There’re so many people in the world that aren’t able to process what it is that they’re seeing and experiencing, and that’s our job.” —Black Thought, The Roots The Root 100 honoree Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter of the Roots shares why he believes art should represent the times we live in.
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This Cipher With Method Man and Black Thought Proves That Real Hip-Hop Is Alive and Spittin’
Yes, contemporary hip-hop has been slaughtered by mumble rap, screaming and dumb-ass rap lyrics (see “Bad and Boujee,” “Panda” and “Bodak Yellow”—coincidentally, songs that I love, but SHE used to have both banging beats and a hot lyrical game). Yet, all is not lost. On Thursday, two of rap’s pioneers—Black Thought of the legendary Roots…
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You May Not Want to See Detroit, but the Roots and Bilal Have a Hot-Ass Song on the Soundtrack
I have no plans to see Detroit. Technically, I didn’t plan on listening to the soundtrack, either, but with that free-free six-month Tidal membership, I stumbled across the soundtrack two weeks ago. I gave it a listen. It’s filled with some oldies but goodies. But then I heard voices that weren’t so old. But oh…
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Solange, Pharrell and Friends Highlight Epic 10th Anniversary of the Roots Picnic
More than 10,000 music lovers flocked to Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia Saturday for the annual Roots Picnic. This year’s festival marked the 10th anniversary of the unofficial summer launch party and kicked off Black Music Month. Stars of the past and present came out to celebrate the historic event. Despite the absence of one its…
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The Roots Picnic Leaves Philly to Rock NY
The Roots Picnic in New York City was like a buttoned-up Afropunk, but with white people. On Oct. 1-2, the legendary Roots crew mesmerized New York City’s Bryant Park with the music festival known as the Roots Picnic. The event, which typically takes place in Philadelphia, is quite the institution to music fans. Despite the…
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Yeah, What Lauryn Hill Did Was Wack, But Artists Are ALWAYS Late To Concerts
I’ve been to more concerts in my lifetime than I can remember. But I can tell you which were distinctly the best and worst that I’ve attended. The best was in early 1999, during my senior year of high school. I went to see The Roots at the State Theatre (Now The Fillmore) in Detroit.…
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I Came, I Saw, And I Was Conquered By Erykah Badu And The 2015 Roots Picnic
It was Saturday afternoon, and 90 degrees at the Roots Picnic in Philly. (For the record, “90 degrees in Philly” = “126 degrees wherever the hell else you’re from”) It felt like seeing your favorite cousins and being grown at the family reunion when all of the “fun” aunts and uncles started having a few…
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Shit Bougie Black People Love: 22. Questlove
If you ever wanted to get a Bougie Black Person’s attention and you weren’t sure how, a surefire way would be to mention the snarky “Death Rides A Pale Horse” cover The Roots did on Fallon the night before. If you want that Bougie Black Person to smile, mention that time you saw The Roots…