svelte Posted November 30, 2004 Posted November 30, 2004 Biography from RollingStone.com Originally formed in 1989, this Philadelphia supergroup is finally getting the recognition it deserves. Pioneers of the live-rap movement, the Roots use traditional instrumentation in lieu of samples and drum machines. Their distinctly jazzy sound is the direct result of highly skilled musicianship, as demonstrated on their high-quality albums and always impressive live performances. In addition to their signature, organic sound, they are also known for their positive and conscious lyricism. Emcees Black Thought and Malik B always give you something to think about, dropping verses on such heavy topics as politics, equality and respect for fellow man. The Roots have opened the door for a new breed of artist, stressing the importance of original music and intelligent content, a refreshing contrast to hip-hop's glut of party-thug rappers. They are without a doubt one of the most important bands around, not just as emcees, but as musicians and role models. Biography from ShoreFire.com 1987. Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, second day of school. A student named Ahmir Thompson walks into the principal's office seeking a lunch pass. At the same time, a freshman named Tariq Trotter stumbles in, gripped by school guards who caught him engaging in "extracurricular" activities with a ballerina in the ladies bathroom...[more] Quote
svelte Posted November 30, 2004 Author Posted November 30, 2004 Discography Do You Want More?!!!??! [] Release Date: 1/17/1995 UPC: 720642470824 01. Intro/There's Something Goin' On 02. Proceed 03. Distortion To Static 04. Mellow My Man 05. I Remain Calm 06. Datskat 07. Lazy Afternoon 08. ? Vs. Rahzel 09. Do You Want More?!!!??! 10. What Goes On Pt. 7 11. Essaywhuman?!!!??! 12. Swept Away 13. You Ain't Fly 14. Silent Treatment 15. The Lesson Pt. 1 16. The Unlocking 17. Intro / There's Something Goin' On 18. What Goes On, Pt. 7 Illadelph Halflife[] Release Date: 9/24/1996 UPC: 720642497227 01. Intro 02. Respond/React 03. Section 04. Panic!!!!!! 05. It Just Don't Stop 06. Episodes 07. Push up Ya Lighter 08. What They Do 09. ? Vs. Scratch (The Token DJ Cut) 10. Concerto of Desparado 11. Clones 12. Universe at War 13. No Alibi 14. Dave Vs. Us 15. No Great Pretender 16. Hypnotic 17. Ital (The Universal Side) 18. One Shine 19. Adventures in Wonderland 20. Outro Things Fall Apart [] Release Date: 2/23/1999 UPC: 008811194840 01. Act Won...Things Fall Apart 02. Table of Contents, Pts. 1 & 2 03. The Next Movement (ft. DJ Jazzy Jeff) 04. Step Into The Realm 05. Spark 06. Dynamite! 07. Without a Doubt 08. Ain't Sayin' Nothin' New 09. Double Trouble 10. Act Too...The Love Of My Life 11. 100% Dundee 12. Diedre Vs. Dice 13. Adrenaline 14. 3rd Act: ? Vs. Scratch 2...Electric Boogaloo 15. You Got Me 16. You Don't See Us 17. Return To Innocence Lost 18. Act Fore...The End? The Roots Come Alive [] Release Date: 11/2/1999 UPC: 008811205928 01. Live at the T-Connection 02. Next Movement 03. Step into the Realm 04. Proceed 05. Mellow My Man 06. Love of My Life - Common 07. Ultimate 08. Don't See Us 09. 100% Dundee 10. Adrenaline! - Dice Raw 11. Essaywhuman?!!!??! 12. Silent Treatment 13. Notice 14. You Got Me 15. Encore Phrenology [] Release Date: 11/26/2002 UPC: 008811299620 01. Phrentrow 02. Rock You 03. Sacrifice (feat. Nelly Furtado) 04. Rolling With Heat (feat. Talib Kweli) 05. WAOK Roll Call 06. Thought At Work 07. The Seed 2.0 (feat. Cody Chestnutt) 08. Break You Off (feat. Musiq) 09. Water 10. Quills 11. Pussy Galore 12. Complexity (feat. Jill Scott) 13. Something In The Way Of Things [in Town] (feat. Amiri Baraka) The Tipping Point [] Release Date: 7/13/2004 UPC: 602498623763 01. Star/Pointro 02. I Don't Care 03. Don't Say Nuthin' 04. Guns Are Drawn 05. Stay Cool 06. Web 07. Boom! 08. Somebody's Gotta Do It 09. Duck Down! 10. Why (What's Goin On?) Quote
svelte Posted November 30, 2004 Author Posted November 30, 2004 Amazing site, tons of live Roots shows. Quote
robinson22 Posted July 15, 2005 Posted July 15, 2005 I love the RootsFor a newbie I think I would go with Phrenology, but all of the albums are good. Quote
k_dub Posted July 27, 2005 Posted July 27, 2005 I would suggest "Things Fall Apart". That is a CLASSIC!!! Too bad Malik B. is no longer part of the group. His drug problem became too much for the other Roots members to handle. Quote
COP11 Posted July 8, 2010 Posted July 8, 2010 They even played on my sons favorite show, Yo Gabba Gabba Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.