For all the hip-hop listerners out there, The Roots somehow manage to represent a bridge from the old days of hip-hop to the futuristic sounds which they are helping to pioneer.
Their sound is a far cry from your everyday hip-hop group, and has been categorized as "organic hip-hop jazz," which still can not define their full sound.
For those listeners who have never heard of them, their style is a mixture of The Fugees (who unfortunately missed Dartmouth last year), D'Angelo, Maxwell, A Tribe Called Quest, and De La Soul, rhythm and blues and hip-hop powerhouses.
Yet, they still able to create their own niche -- something totally off-cuff, but stylistically challenging. Their latest album, "Illadelph Halflife" (DGC Records) is funky, jazzy, fresh, and then some.
The group is comprised of six young men from Philadelphia who each have unique and individual styles which form a perfect blend of musical genius that appears in each song of the album.
The band does not use a disc jockey, turntables, or samples. They are the epitome of what it means to be a "live" band, and to be a "hip hop" live band makes it even more impressive.
"Illadelph Halflife" is actually their third full-length release -- the first LP, "Organix" and is available only as an Import title. The album was released in January and has since soared the charts. Spin Magazine recently chose it as the 20th best album of the year.
The album features many well-known artists, who vary in musical style, just as each member of The Roots do.
Some of these artists on the album include R&B and rap stars such as D'Angelo, Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest, rapper Common Sense from Chicago, Raphael Saadiq of Tone Toni Tony!, Chuck D of Public Enemy and even includes a short speaking piece by the well-renown scholar and intellect from Harvard University, Cornel West.
West, also, will be on campus this weekend. He will present his keynote address, "Race Matters" on January 19th to the Dartmouth campus..
The Roots have released three singles off their newest album. The first, "Clones" (number 11 on the CD) has a similar message to "Phony Rappers," the song off the newest A Tribe Called Quest album, "Beats, Rhymes, and Life," or De La Soul's "Super Emcees."
The song rebukes hip hop artists that try to copy the sound of others in the industry, just for a quick "buck" which results in what The Roots warn: "...they don't go platinum, they go aluminum."
The next release was "Concerto of Desperados" which features soprano singer, Amel Larrieux, which has a smooth bass sound in the background, under lyrics that sum up what The Roots are all about and where they represent. Larrieux is best known as the other half of Groove Theory.
The latest single is the eighth song on the CD, "What They Do" which is accompanied by a well-directed video.
The song caricature the Notorious B.I.G. and the Bad-Boy style that has become "played," with the constant display of non-talented artists singing/rapping about "chic" clothing, having tons of money, and as drinking Moet ("it's really ginger ale").
The Roots record label, Geffen Records, features a world wide web site on the Internet that lists "a six step guide to knowing The Roots and understanding where 'Illadelph Halflife' is coming from" which I would strongly recommend to hip-hop heads.
The last step should allure those listeners deciding whether or not to attend the concert this Friday night: "The live show is what The Roots are all about," states the page. Enough said.
