Questlove is one of the few voices/minds in hip-hop that I always look forward to hearing speak (whether its on his myspace blog or in the Roots liner notes, or any other media he chooses). I feel that with the serious turn in subject matter that Rising Down took and the murkier sound, ?uesto is being asked a lot of questions to explain it. The cool thing about him is that he is not afraid to answer. Some people may say that is complaining or hating but I think he is just fed up with simple-mindedness. See what he has to say to HHDX about Def Jam, porn, and people born in the 80’s. Full article after the jump…
The Roots blog has posted some new video of the rehearsals for Rising Down. Looks to be a banger with dope beats and political messaging on this one. Also, Critical Mass has a breakdown of the Roots’ listening party in Philly from last week. Good Read w/ video. And to keep you interested, here is the Roots new song with two of my fav up-and-comers. (BTW, ML has Wale’s new mixtape!). Enjoy!
On this last day of “5 Days of the Roots”, we bring you a special treat. This is a public radio recording of Chuck D and Cornell West interviewing and following The Roots on tour earlier on their career. Despite the critics of those that say Hip-Hop is all about cars, drugs, and money - this is an audio argument to defend your stance on what hip-hop is really about. Its a long listen, so clear some time and hard drive space. As a bonus, here’s a recording of their MTV $2 Bill concert in 2002 and some interviews after the jump…
Hip-Hop 101: The Roots w/ Chuck D and Cornell West
