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- VH1 Soul is dead, long live Centric posted on March 29, 2010
- The ten most popular indie-rap artists… posted on January 11, 2011
- Digable Planets fracture, cancel tour posted on March 22, 2009
- Superlists!: Top Ten Femcees posted on March 24, 2009
- The Plug One Q&A: Flying Lotus posted on June 10, 2008
- Review: Atmosphere, “To All My Friends, Blood Makes The Blade Holy” posted on September 9, 2010
- R.I.P. Paper Thin Walls posted on August 29, 2008
- Zion-I tour dates posted on February 25, 2009
- Vibe’s demise posted on July 1, 2009
- Why Plug One survives posted on March 17, 2010
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Tag Archives: The Roots
The Roots’ lost paradise
This essay on the Roots’ How I Got Over was posted July 14 on Rhapsody.com’s Music Stuff Place blog. I wrote it for my Rap Is Not Pop column. Last week, I promised that I would abandon the concepts that … Continue reading
The Plug One 50 2009: Top 30 Tracks
While the Plug One 50’s top 20 albums list is designed to be authoritative (or at least highly opinionated), the top 30 tracks list tends to be a mishmash of random favorites. These are a few songs that caught my … Continue reading
Posted in Plug One 50, Reviews, Superlists
Tagged Aceyalone, Antipop Consortium, Asher Roth, Buckshot, Busdriver, Cage, Cam'ron, Clipse, Del the Funky Homosapien, Dorian Concept, Drake, Eminem, Filastine, Hudson Mohawke, J Dilla, Kero One, KRS-One, MF Doom, Mos Def, Pill, Raekwon, Sa-Ra, Tanya Morgan, The Clonius, The Roots, Themselves, Theophilus London
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The Roots’ “How I Got Over”
Another Okayplayer.com referral, with sharp ghetto visuals by BBGun. I really like this track; it has me excited to hear the Roots’ new album, How I Got Over, which is scheduled to drop before the end of the year. Black … Continue reading
Common, the Roots headline “Hennessy Artistry Series”
Common and the Roots (pictured above, of course) will host this year’s edition of the “Hennessy Artistry Series.” It takes place in four urban markets — Chicago, Atlanta, Houston and New York — and will give attendees an opportunity to … Continue reading
Summer dates for the Roots
Yes, the Roots are the saving grace house band for the painfully unfunny late night talk show “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” and they’re working on a new album, How I Got Over, for an October release, et cetera. But … Continue reading
The Roots, Gym Class Heroes on tour
The Roots are currently on tour with Gym Class Heroes throughout October. UK “American Boy” soul singer Estelle is opening on most dates.
Roots unveil “Rising Down” tracks, prep festival and Al Green album
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 … Continue reading
The Roots author “Rising Down”
Visitors to Okayplayer.com will notice that the hype machine is in full gear for the next Roots opus. Their eighth album, Rising Down, is scheduled for release via Def Jam on April 29. To stoke the online faithful, the Roots … Continue reading
The Roots work on new album, tour
Last month, Questlove of the Roots told Allhiphop.com that the band is working on its 10th full-length album, tentatively called Rising Down.
"We’re trying to make number ten as exciting as number one was, as exciting as number five was," he said. "I’m amped that not many groups get ten opportunities to make a statement. Not even Hip-Hop, just period. You can’t even count ten records from the same group, that much, maybe on a few fingers. We’re very fortunate, and happy, and we are definitely pushing our envelope again."
It’s great to read that the Roots continue to work on an album-every-two-years schedule, especially since 2006’s Game Theory was excellent. But their main role has always been as hip-hop’s certified road warriors that annually play 100+ concerts around the world. After wrapping up a summer jaunt in Europe, they’ll return to the U.S. under the auspices of thirtysomething entertainment/celebreality channel VH-1.
This particular package is called the VH-1 Hip-Hop Honors Tour, named after the channel’s hall of fame blowout. For those who have seen the band play countless times (like, uh, me), old school legends MC Lyte and Big Daddy Kane will bring some new flavor. Expect plenty of breakbeats and thousand-strong singalongs to "Ain’t No Half Steppin’." The tour is part of a U.S. journey that winds through several late summer festivals, and dates are below.
The Roots bring new shows, Questlove projects
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.