Music Discussion #3 - The Roots

[Tom Guycott]

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Nevermind the fact that they're the house band now on Jimmy Fallon's painfully unfunny show, they still do their thing.

I enjoy music, and I really don't like saying "favorite" anything too often. More of a rotating top 5. As such, I was debating on who I wanted to go with for my forray into this music forum venture. Radiohead was just done. I am an absolute mark for Jamiroquai, but I didn't want this to look like it was going to be about musicians originating from across the pond. Then, I thought, I'd turn the discussion to the Wu-Tang Clan, another group that were formative in my love of Hip-Hop and, in the genre, did something truly unique within the industry, but then that seemed a bit of a abrupt departure from "musicians".

So, best of both worlds here: you have an American BAND that consists of a frontman who is a Hip-Hop artist (and trust me if you don't know, Black Thought is an awesome wordsmith) and one of the worlds most visibly recognizalble drummers in ?uestlove and his trademark afro. Unique to the industry in the fact that they originated with minimal turntablism and overproduction and more actual instrumentation. The influence of jazz/funk in their work is apparent, their albums as a whole are masterful, and not just throwaway beats with repetitive high-hats and autotune. Songs feature other rappers as well as other musical talents. They made it possible for Jay-Z to do MTV Unplugged (for better or worse, I'm not really a fan of Hov). They put a touch on rap music that, surprisingly, hadn't been done before.

If you know about 'em, discuss. If you don't, get aquainted. I give you The Roots.

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*I wish I could have found vids for these that weren't VIVO'd :nono:

[El Fangel]

As most here know, I'm not a fan of hip hop at all.

Having said that, both of those songs are rare exceptions to the norm.

[Tom Guycott]

Are you not a fan of Hip-Hop period, or severely turned off by the garbage that gets consistent radio play?

There is a difference. And I'm just being nosy.

[Juan]

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[Juan]

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[El Fangel]

Are you not a fan of Hip-Hop period, or severely turned off by the garbage that gets consistent radio play?

There is a difference. And I'm just being nosy.

I played GTA San Andreas over 20 times without ever switching it off the hiphop station because it was playing a song I didn't like. Its based in 1992.

Anytime I can turn off a top 40 station nowadays, I do.

Question answered? :(

[Tom Guycott]

I played GTA San Andreas over 20 times without ever switching it off the hiphop station because it was playing a song I didn't like. Its based in 1992.

Anytime I can turn off a top 40 station nowadays, I do.

Question answered? :(

Close enough. I wasn't a super-huge fan of the stuff on there (San Andreas), but it fit the time period AND the feel of the game, so I listened to that station more than I would have listened to any of those songs out of that context.

To that end, you need some actual Hip-Hop in your life.

About the "Top 40" thing: I saw something interesting a couple years ago while flipping channels one afternoon (on C-Span, no less) about some guy talking about/promoting some book.. I dunno, wasn't the important part of the story.

He mentioned that (severely paraphrasing) there was an artist that currently had the #1 album in the country, but you wouldn't know it listening to the radio. He drove from one major city to another a few hours away and back, and each way, he "heard Soulja Boy at least once an hour", but didn't hear any songs from THE NUMBER ONE ALBUM once during the entire trip. Wish I remember more than that so it looks less like I just pulled that out of my ass.

[Tom Guycott]

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Interesting note: the group wanted (the then pretty much unknown) Jill Scott for that song. The label was like "Fuck that, we don't know her and she's not pretty and thin like Badu!"* They wanted to champion the cause for Jilly, and she said that it was okay, just go ahead with Erykah.




*They likely said it way more eloquently and likely without the bluntless, but you know that's what the notion was.

[El Fangel]

Tom, It isn't that I don't like hiphop its that what I see is a bunch of moronic thuggish scum with very few artists with enough natural talent that would have made it back before the days of computer enhanced music and smoke and mirrors.

Now, it seems every two bit thug can become a famous rapper or hiphop artist and frankly it sickens me. They are doing it solely for the money and their music lacks the passion and feeling that older rap and hiphop had. Listening to those old songs, they sounded authentic.

And before anyone thinks I am solely bashing hiphop, the only post 90's bands I care for are The Black Keys (props to Requiem for getting me into them) and The Trews

[Tom Guycott]

Like I said, you need more Hip-Hop in your life.

I agree with you totally about how watered down shit has gotten and how acceptable it is to whine over autotune and make club hits with oversimplified rhymes. I'm one of those who draw distinction between "Rap" and "Hip-Hop". While it isn't totally *fair* to term it that way, it's the best distinction that such battle has. Unfortunately, the terms have become more interchangable, so that doesn't work as well as even like 10 years ago.

Anyway, Hip-Hop is still alive and well, BUT with pop radio in the payola department as it ever was, and so-called music stations airing reality shows and reminicing on 80's hair bands, there is not really an outlet to find such goodies like there used to be on shows like "YO! MTV Raps" or "The Bassment".

A good start would be to look up acts like Little Brother, The Foreign Exchange, and Dialated Peoples. Hierogliphics are still doing their thing. Black Star released a new album (though Mos Def changed his stage name, goes by Yasiin Bey now), Jean Grey is a bad-ass woman, and is actually a highlight in my Twitter feed. KennyAlli is a cheap plug on my part, because I know him. Honestly, his studio stuff is hit/miss with me, but I know for a fact that he has always been a phenominal freestyler, even since junior high!

It sucks that you have to do some investigating if you don't know where to start looking, but it's a bit easier in the age of teh internets. You don't have to settle for the rotten, low-hanging fruit and get some deliciousness elsewhere.

Hope I was able to help in some way.

[El Fangel]

You did and while I am not interested in searching myself, giving me a must listen list would be great.

In the meantime, I am going to listen to Pink Floyd DsotM as I fall asleep.

[Kane Knight]

Not heard much, but liked most of what I heard. I should probably buy a CD at some point. I think I even have some of their stuff from a compilation or soundtrack or theft.

[Tom Guycott]

I'll have to do that. Just give me some time.

Also, I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who drifts off to slumber in a "Floyd hole" on repeat. I also use Radiohead's "KID A", Les Nubians "Princesses Nubiannes", and D'Angelo's "Brown Sugar".

[GD]

I have heard only nice things about The Roots.

[Funky Fly]

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Newer song.

[Buzzkill]

Now or Never

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[CSL]

Fallen Angel and grand sweeping statements/generalizations about hip-hop

[Buzzkill]

Tom, It isn't that I don't like hiphop its that what I see is a bunch of moronic thuggish scum with very few artists with enough natural talent that would have made it back before the days of computer enhanced music and smoke and mirrors.

Now, it seems every two bit thug can become a famous rapper or hiphop artist and frankly it sickens me. They are doing it solely for the money and their music lacks the passion and feeling that older rap and hiphop had. Listening to those old songs, they sounded authentic.

And before anyone thinks I am solely bashing hiphop, the only post 90's bands I care for are The Black Keys (props to Requiem for getting me into them) and The Trews

Just means you need to pay closer attention...Obviously there are tons of shitty rappers that are way too popular and in it for the wrong reasons, but for every Soulja Boy there is a Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar - Rigamortus

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Watch this! You can't listen to this song and continue believing the ridiculous things you believe.

Btw, not trying to be a dick here F.A.! Just trying to open your ears and your eyes! :wave:

[Kapoutman]

Another band I like a lot. I have all their albums, but don't know any of them by heart. I just really like their music, so they are in most of my playlists, and sometimes I discovera new song by them because it comes on at random.

"The Next Movement" is my favorite, and I really like the two songs Juan posted ("You Got Me" and "The Seeds 2.0"). I also like "Right On" from their newer stuff.

[Requiem]

Damn, had heard of The Roots but had no idea what they sounded like. Kind of digging what I've heard now.

[Requiem]

So there are like 13 albums in this discography or something like that. Someone tell me what I should start with. I typically listen to whole CDs not just random songs.

[El Fangel]

Just means you need to pay closer attention...Obviously there are tons of shitty rappers that are way too popular and in it for the wrong reasons, but for every Soulja Boy there is a Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar - Rigamortus

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Watch this! You can't listen to this song and continue believing the ridiculous things you
believe.

Btw, not trying to be a dick here F.A.! Just trying to open your ears and your eyes! :wave:

That backing beat is amazing and I was really enjoying it until he said the "N" word. That really ruins it for me. Suggest another song please, I think this guy deserves another listen.

[Kapoutman]

Start with Things Fall Apart.

[CSL]

That backing beat is amazing and I was really enjoying it until he said the "N" word. That really ruins it for me. Suggest another song please, I think this guy deserves another listen.

if you're going to not listen to an artist or a song because they use "the N word" then you might as well stop trying now. and how on Earth does it ruin it for you?

[El Fangel]

if you're going to not listen to an artist or a song because they use "the N word" then you might as well stop trying now. and how on Earth does it ruin it for you?

Think for a second if it was a white person singing this song, it wouldn't go over so well. Just that word seems so unnecessary to use.

I am giving that song Kapoutman mentioned a listen though.

[CSL]

so? why does that have anything to do with your enjoyment of a song? not listening to a rap song because an artist says nigga is like not listening to a Metallica song because Hetfield goes "ooooohh" or "hoo yeah". it's 2012 buddy. in the context of most rap songs, it means about as much as "the".

[Buzzkill]

That backing beat is amazing and I was really enjoying it until he said the "N" word. That really ruins it for me. Suggest another song please, I think this guy deserves another listen.

Pretty sure he mentions it in almost every song (a lot of what he raps about is how sick and tired he is of black culture and his own generation, including its pervasive use of the "n" word, chronic drug use, etc...). Could be a tall order, but here are a few other songs I like:

Kendrick Lamar - Ronald Reagan Era

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Kendrick Lamar - Spiteful Chant

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Kendrick Lamar - A.D.H.D.

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Sry to hijack the thread. Back 2 tha Roots