rarities, obscurities, oldies but goodies (for people who are truly down with The Roots), remixes, collabs, demos & all kindsa Roots-related jawns (i expect most okps would be familiar with majority of it, but i hope there's at least a few surprises in there for the longtime fans). had a lot of fun puttin this together but it's a bit of a monster listen.
01. the roots - uncut freestyle (@ o.t.g. repeat offender hip hop graffiti video magazine) (1994) 02. the roots - intro/jusufckwithis 03. the roots - i'm out deah 04. the roots - butter baby (live @ the phoenix festival) (1992) 05. the roots - proceed iii (feat. bahamadia) 06. the roots - dave vs. us 07. the roots - it's comin' 08. the roots - without a doubt (interlude) 09. the roots - distortion to static (ques jim mix) 10. divine beings - we can get fly (feat. black thought) 11. jamaaladeen tacuma - the hollers of the horn (feat. the roots) 12. mc solaar - i'm doin' fine (feat. the roots) 13. galliano - believe (roots mix) 14. the roots - on & on (live @ the phoenix festival) (1992) 15. the roots - writer's block 16. the roots - quicksand millennium (original version) 17. dice raw & black thought - freestyle 18. inoran - the agenda (feat. black thought) 19. the roots - proceed ii (feat. roy ayers) 20. the roots - don't see us (madlib remix) 21. the roots - act too (the love of my life) (remix) 22. dj krush - meiso (dj shadow klub mix) (feat. black thought & malik b.) 23. bobby hutcherson - montara (the roots remix) 24. malik b. - sleep mode (unreleased) (prod. edk) 25. j dilla - workinonit (feat. black thought) 26. dice raw - thin line (between raw & jiggy) (feat. black thought & malik b.) 27. the roots - for the love of money (feat. dj cash money) 28. the roots - the good, the bad & the desolate 29. the roots - caravan 30. jill scott - the roots (interlude) 31. the roots - one shine 32. bahamadia - da jawn (feat. the roots) 33. divine beings - whatever 34. la relève - la violence 35. eric benét & the roots - why 36. les nubians - tabou (the roots remix) 37. jack herrera - silver & gold (feat. black thought) 38. jungle brothers - brain (feat. the roots) 39. rahzel - suga sista (feat. the roots & aaron hall) 40. sweetback - au natural (the roots after midnight remix) 41. toshi kubota - masquerade 42. soulive - clap! (feat. black thought) 43. tracie spencer - it's all about you (not about me) (remix) (feat. black thought) 44. jaguar wright - the what if's 45. erykah badu - otherside of the game 46. jazzyfatnastees - unconventional ways 47. femi kuti - blackman know yourself (the roots remix) (feat. dice raw) 48. jamaaladeen tacuma - relax (feat. the roots) 49. the roots - worldwide (london groove) 50. guru - lift your fist (feat. the roots) 51. shaquille o'neal - in the sun (feat. common, black thought & joi) 52. the roots - still out there 53. common - all night long (feat. erykah badu & the roots) 54. la relève - phillystyle (feat. the roots) 55. the roots - silent treatment (kelo's mix) 56. the roots - represent (instrumental) 57. bahamadia - i confess (the roots remix) 58. the roots - sprite commercial 59. the roots - you got me (original version) (feat. jill scott & eve) 60. the roots - should i (feat. project pat) (unreleased) 61. the roots - burnin' and lootin' 62. the roots - world full of sadness (dilla joint) 63. the roots - y'all know who 64. the roots - thought @ work (original version) 65. the roots - the show 66. the roots - new years at jay dee's 67. the roots - the battlestar questacula (part 3 - the search for scratch) 68. the roots - improvised inspirations 69. the roots - tighten your cypher (live @ the phoenix festival) (1992) 70. the roots - mellow my man (check check check) 71. the roots - proceed (demo) 72. the roots - the hypnotic (rare remix version) 73. the roots - 1997 freestyle (@ wakeup show with sway & king tech) 74. the roots & a tribe called quest - freestyle (@ lorna's corner) (1995) 75. the roots - bust a biaaaatch (unreleased) 76. the roots & gravediggaz - freestyle (@ 1fm rap show with tim westwood) (1995).
3. "I'm about an hour in" In response to Reply # 1
The news about The Roots' Japanese keyboard player that was part of the band before they went on their first tour was interesting.
It's odd to hear the band in their early days, before DYWM. Only because now the band's sound is so well defined and also more in line with what most people think of as hip-hop jazz rather than the free-flowing style that they played in before '94.
Even then they showed potential. Thought was a great freestyler. That opening freestyle was pretty good, especially he had to be, what, 18?, 19? at the time.
Songs that I'm digging so far are the Love of My Life remix and another song that I can't remember the title of. It's a Black Thought feature, maybe recorded around the time of TFA.
Also, the song where ?uest drops the voiceover of the explanation of the sample clearance issue with Cash Money wasn hilarious. Dope stuff.
I like that you shouted out the boards on the show. I didn't know you were a part of The Lesson mixtapes. I never had a chance to hear those, but I know they were pretty popular here when they dropped. When was that '08?
Anyway, really digging the songs and the background of the band.
5. "RE: I'm about an hour in" In response to Reply # 3
>The news about The Roots' Japanese keyboard player that was >part of the band before they went on their first tour was >interesting.
Nikki-O. don't know much about her but she was dope on the keys.
>It's odd to hear the band in their early days, before DYWM. >Only because now the band's sound is so well defined and also >more in line with what most people think of as hip-hop jazz >rather than the free-flowing style that they played in before >'94.
the whole Organix period is something i only really came to appreciate with age. i kinda miss it, actually.
>Even then they showed potential. Thought was a great >freestyler. That opening freestyle was pretty good, especially >he had to be, what, 18?, 19? at the time.
i've yet to see evidence of Thought ever sucking at his craft. like, how far back to we have to go to hear an amateur Thought at work? was he an ill zygote too?
>Also, the song where ?uest drops the voiceover of the >explanation of the sample clearance issue with Cash Money wasn >hilarious. Dope stuff.
yeah was a new joint to me cos i never had the bonus disc from Roots Come Alive. had some interesting stuff on there.
>I like that you shouted out the boards on the show. I didn't >know you were a part of The Lesson mixtapes. I never had a >chance to hear those, but I know they were pretty popular here >when they dropped. When was that '08?
8. "The very first segment" In response to Reply # 0 Tue Dec-26-17 11:38 AM by maro
of thought freestyling is from "on the go" graf magazine from philly / ..this was a video from a tape they released. (I see you have this in the liner notes -) I remember posting stills from this on OKP in 2000. Pretty sure that guy spraying in the background is ESPO
10. "yep that's the clip. had to use it in the intro" In response to Reply # 8
man they look like babies there but Thought is still ripping shit up. n i love ?uest feeding him random colours and words (and thought mishearing "can" as "bam" lol).
the production sounds non-Rootsy but could also be in-house. was ripped from a radio show from 96 or 97 (via 88.9FM). features the same narrative from the OG Hypnotic (featuring 'Alanna with mad persona'). but i'm also thinking it might be a recycled rap and it's a Thought feature on someone else's track?
youtubers think the singers are Kindred The Family Soul. but otherwise this shit's a complete mystery.
12. "Yeah, I never heard this before you played this" In response to Reply # 11
I was hoping you knew more about it. Mad zone out vibe going on with this.
It's crazy that you still find things that you never heard of twenty years later. I thought I heard everything from this time period back then. Makes you wonder what else is out there.
both produced by EDK on the SP1200 at 4am back in '96 (according to the dude who uploaded em, which i think is EDK himself). he says "the mixes of these tracks are rough versions used for reference on the ride home after recording". and that Malik "wanted to get away from The Roots. he said that they were going too r&b. and we had a 4 track. that was it. and that's one take".
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The Lesson
