The Roots were on fire at CEMF 09! They preformed a very tight live set which seamlessly weaved their songs together with live improvisations. The Roots are definately a Hip Hop band and not just a group. Their live show is a testament to that. Black Though is such a vibrant preformer. He was full of energy working the whole stage as the band subliminally synced with one another in such an easeful manner. The highlight of their set was the finalle where they ripped a live rendition of the classic “Jump On It” shouting out cities where they’ve recently been on the bill. Their live freestyled take of this favorite sounded so refreshing being played by a live band. Check out the video above and see for yourself how dope The Roots are live!
Rising Down CD Review
Rising Down is the Philly based Roots collective 8th studio album. The sound here is far more dark compared to their earlier albums but a natural progression on their more recent albums. Rising Down is a concept album that where the title originates from William T. Vollmann’s book on violence. The dark mood is set throughout the album with overtones of frustration on social matters spanning all the way from a local up to a global radius.
Questlove does an excellent job of playing all the versatile drums & percussion from a set of drums rather than on drum machines. His drums adapt to every song perfectly throughout the duration of the album. Black Thought’s vocals are full of energy and attitude. The rhythms are mostly synths and the bass it thick on most tracks.
Rising Down features quite a few guest appearances but none overshadow Black Thought and blend into the mix perfectly totally making this a Roots album and not a compilation featuring The Roots. The most notable guest spots are provided by: Malik B (a nice return from an original Roots member!), Mos Def, Common, Wale, Talib Kweli and Styles P of D-Block.
Black Thought paints vivid pictures in the listeners minds with his lyrics showing how powerful his emceeing is which has fortified with time rather than dissipate. The Roots have made an opus of Black protest music in rising down which embodies the spirit of socially-conscious Hip Hop. This is a great album both musically and content-wise and is highly recommended to any Roots fan.
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