Don’t worry, I’m not going to compile every tidbit filtering out of the legendary Roots crew. That’s what Okayplayer.com is for. (And more power to them; they make an amazing site.) But as one of the all-time greats, the Philadelphia hip-hop band do things that often resonate beyond its rabidly loyal fanbase.

First up: the forthcoming Roots Picnic. Rap star-curated festivals are nothing new — I remember Living Legends’ Unsigned & Hella Broke jams back in the day, and even the Roots used to do the Black Lily showcases. But this picnic promises to be a next level affair, with scheduled appearances from Gnarls Barkley (who are weathering some punishingly mediocre reviews for The Odd Couple), Diplo, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Santogold, Deerhoof, J*Davey, Esperanza and the Cool Kids. It goes down June 7 at the Festival Pier in Philly, and tickets go on sale Saturday, March 29.

Meanwhile, Al Green is releasing his long-anticipated collaboration with Questlove and James Poyser. Scheduled for release on May 27 via Blue Note, Lay It Down includes guest shots from Corinne Bailey Rae, John Legend and Anthony Hamilton.

Before that comes the Roots’ Rising Down, which drops April 29 on Def Jam. I haven’t posted the track listing so, hell, here it is. And just for kicks, here are the tour dates, too. (April 22 update: The itinerary has been updated.)

• 1. “The Pow Wow”
• 2. “Rising Down” (feat. Mos Def & Styles P)
• 3. “Get Busy” (feat. Dice Raw, Peedi Crack & DJ Jazzy Jeff)
• 4. “@15″
• 5. “75 Bars (Black’s Reconstruction)”
• 6. “(Time Up)”
• 7. “Criminal” (feat. Saigon & Truck North)
• 8. “I Will Not Apologize” (feat. P.O.R.N. & Dice Raw)
• 9. “I Can’t Help It” (feat. Malik B & P.O.R.N.)
• 10. “Singing Man” (feat. Truck North & P.O.R.N.)
• 11. “Up There (Unwritten)” (feat. Mercedes Martinez)
• 12. “Lost Desire” (feat. Talib Kweli & Malik B)
• 13. “The Show” (feat. Common)
• 14. “Rising Up” (feat. Chrisette Michelle & Wale)
• 15. “Birthday Girl” (feat. Patrick Stump)

Here are the tour dates:

• 3/29: Millikin University, Decatur, IL
• 3/30: Kool Haus, Toronto, ON
• 4/05: University of Texas, Austin, TX
• 4/07: Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
• 4/09: Higher Ground, Burlington, VT
• 4/11: Pickle Barrell Nightclub, Killington, VT
• 4/16: Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
• 4/17: Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
• 4/18: Webster University, St. Louis, MO
• 4/20: National Mall, Washington, DC
• 4/26: Tigerfest Towson University, Towson, MD
• 5/03: Fair Grounds Race Course, New Orleans, LA
• 5/04: Fox Theater, Detroit, MI
• 5/06: University of Montreal, Montreal, QC
• 5/08: The Orpheum, Boston, MA
• 5/09: Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY
• 5/10: The Pier, Baltimore, MD
• 5/11: Crocodile Rock, Allentown, PA
• 5/14: Constitution Hall, Washington, DC
• 5/15: Constitution Hall, Washington, DC
• 5/16: Chrysler Hall, Norfolk, VA
• 5/17: Special Events Center, Greensboro, NC
• 5/18: Landmark Theater, Richmond, VA
• 5/20: Misner Park, Boca Raton, FL
• 5/23: Fox Theater, Atlanta, GA
• 5/24: Three Sisters Park, Chillicothe, IL
• 5/25: University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
• 5/27: Andrew Jackson Hall, Nashville, TN
• 5/29: Fox Theater, St. Louis, MO
• 5/30: Chicago Theater, Chicago, IL
• 5/31: Chicago Theater, Chicago, IL
• 6/01: Harrah’s Concil Bluff, Concil Bluff, IO
• 6/02: Fillmore Theater, Denver, CO
• 6/03: The Depot, Salt Lake City, UT
• 6/04: Cuthbert Amphitheater, Eugene, OR
• 6/05: Marymoor Park, Seattle, WA
• 6/06: TLA, Philadelphia, PA
• 6/07: Festival Pier, Philadelphia, PA
• 6/08: Paramount Theater, Oakland, CA
• 6/10: Humphrey’s Theater, San Diego, CA
• 6/12: Greek Theater, Berkeley, CA
• 6/13: Linn Park, Birmingham, AL
• 6/14: Mesa Amphitheater, Phoenix, AZ
• 6/15: Kiva Auditorium, Albuquerque, NM
• 6/17: Warehouse Live, Houston, TX
• 6/18: House of Blues, Dallas, TX
• 6/19: House of Blues, New Orleans, LA
• 6/22: Genesee Valley Park, Rochester, NY
• 7/04: Lake Michigan, Milwaukee, WI

4/20: Green Apple Festival
5/03: New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
5/04-5/10, 5/14-5/23, 5/27-5/31, 6/02, 6/05, 6/08-6/12, 6/14-6/15: w/Erykah Badu
5/24: Summer Camp Festival
5/25: Jazz Reggae Festival
6/06: w/Santogold, the Randy Watson Experience, Janelle Monae
6/07: Roots Picnic
6/13: City Stages Festival
6/22: Rochester Music Festival
7/04: Summerfest

www.myspace.com/theroots

After enjoying the afterglow of their criminally underrated masterwork Game Theory, perennial road warriors the Roots are finally going on tour. The four month jaunt has already begun in Great Britain and winds through Ireland, South Africa, Japan and Canada before reaching the U.S. in February. It will represent the group’s nationwide tour since Game Theory dropped last August.

As an added bonus, Chicago skateboard enthusiast Lupe Fiasco will open a handful of U.S. dates. Though he has completed several spot dates since issuing Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor in September, fans will have to wait a little bit longer for a full-fledged national jaunt.

In related news, Questlove has wrapped up an intriguing remix of Pharrell Williams’ solo debut In My Mind. Similar to what the Neptunes did to the original version of N.E.R.D.’s In Search Of… by adding Spymob to the mix, Questlove reworked an album that drew mixed reviews and disappointing record sales. (However, it did get a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album.) He also logged studio time with the Rev. Al Green.

While we’re on the subject of Grammy nominations, the Roots garnered two nods for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (for “Don’t Feel Right”). Lupe Fiasco logged three nominations, too, for Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song and Best Rap Solo Performance (“Kick, Push”). Despite the nominations, however, it seems like one of the greatest hip-hop bands of all time deserves more.

Here are the U.S. tour dates:

• 2/03: Showbox, Seattle, WA
• 2/05: Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR
• 2/07: The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
• 2/08: The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
• 2/10: Gibson Ampitheatre, Los Angeles, CA
• 2/12: House of Blues, San Diego, CA
• 2/14: House of Blues, Anaheim, CA
• 2/16: Harry O’s, Salt Lake City, UT
• 2/17: The Fillmore, Denver, CO
• 2/19: Gypsy Tea Room, Dallas, TX
• 2/20: Stubbs, Austin, TX
• 2/22: House of Blues, New Orleans, LA
• 2/24: House of Blues, Orlando, FL
• 2/25: Revolution, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
• 3/03: House of Blues, Myrtle Beach, SC
• 3/04: The Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA
• 3/07: Norva Theater, Norfolk, VA
• 3/08: Meyerhoff Hall, Baltimore, MD
• 3/09: Constitution Hall, Washington, DC
• 3/10: Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY
• 3/13: Avalon, Boston, MA
• 3/17: Chicago Theatre, Chicago, IL
• 3/18: The Rave, Milwaukee, WI
• 3/20: Myth, Minneapolis, MN
• 3/22: The Pageant, St. Louis, MO
• 3/24: Kool Haus, Toronto, ON
• 3/27: Metropolis, Montreal, QC
• 4/03: Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, PA
• 4/04: Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, PA

2/17, 3/04, 3/08-3/10, 3/17: w/Lupe Fiasco

www.theroots.com
www.myspace.com/theroots