'Hip-hop's best live band' heads for Higher Ground
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Live hip-hop legends The Roots make their Higher Ground debut on Wednesday. Submitted photo |
Toolbox
By Tom Huntington Arts Correspondent - Published: March 23, 2007
One of the hottest groups in hip-hop returns to the area when The Roots, who have mostly played at colleges during their previous visits to Vermont, head for the more intimate confines of the Higher Ground Ballroom in South Burlington for an all-ages show Wednesday.
The legendary Roots crew, frequently referred to as "hip-hop's best live band," has been a pioneer – and a relative anomaly — in the use of live instrumentation in rap since forming nearly 20 years ago in Philadelphia. Though the group has flirted with commercial success – "You Got Me," a gorgeous cut featuring Erykah Badu from the group's 1999 masterpiece, "Things Fall Apart," garnered a Grammy Award – the road warriors have for the most part ridden under the radar of mainstream appeal while earning a solid fan base on the power of their impressive live performances.
"Game Theory," The Roots' latest offering and first for the Jay-Z-owned Def Jam Records, is easily the band's darkest as well as its most pointed, focused and urgent offering since "Things Fall Apart." The slamming title track marries monster beats and deep funk with ripping guitar, edgy organ and the raspy guest vocals of original Roots member Malik B. He returns to the fold on "In the Music," a mesmerizing romp featuring Black Thought's hard-hitting lyrics over a fat, mid-tempo drum and bass-driven groove.
Other highlights of the disc include the tripped-out "Long Time," an ode to the band's Philadelphia stomping grounds that shows off their studio prowess as well as notable emcee newcomer Peedi Peedi; the short and dreamy "Livin' in a New World,"; and the closing eight-minute tribute to underappreciated producer J Dilla, a longtime friend of the band who died last year after a long battle with lupus.
"Dark and brooding, 'Game Theory' is a masterfully crafted, sobering wake-up call," according to Vibe magazine, while National Public Radio called it "another classic Roots record, with a conciseness not heard on previous albums."
"This is a more thematic album," said emcee Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter in Scratch magazine. "There's a common thread in all the music and all the lyrics. On some past Roots albums we tried to touch on each of the many facets of the band but we didn't get too in-depth with any one in particular. It's just time for that. It's what the people want."
Added drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson in Rolling Stone, "This is definitely not the MC-based, battle-themed album that the Roots have been known for. This is our most serious record to date."
The six-piece band is rounded out by Leonard "Hub" Hubbard on bass, Kamal Gray on keyboards, "Captain Kirk" Douglas on guitar, and Frank Knuckles on percussion.
Called "one of the coolest entities … defiantly independent and sonically inventive," by Newsweek, the Roots throw everything from funk and jazz to rock and soul – and even a little classical – into their unique and distinctive sound.
"The six members of the Roots have backgrounds in everything from classical music to metal to doo-wop," said ?uestlove in the Daily News. "It's part of who we are – and we're going to play it."