i think this question is relevant,
because at this point, the band does not have to release albums.
they have the tonight show gig.
quest is a tastemaker.
he can DJ. he'll always be able to do guest speeches. seminars.
produce for other artists.

hell, if times got really rough, he could sell his vinyl (although i am sure
it would never come to that).


so before we can answe the question of whether the roots
are "losing," we have to at least come up with an educated guess of what they are trying to accomplish by continuing to release material.

you mentioned Tyson and going in for another payday.
i don't think quest would release albums at this point
if it was only about money.

i can see him DJ'ing just for money, but not releasing albums.


so maybe it's about continuing to release critically acclaimed albums that
go gold. maybe that's his goal. i could see that, but i don't think that means
he's down for the count.

look at the artists you mentioned...
dylan/ prince/ etc. when they were past their prime.

it gets to a point when a major artist (or maybe any self actualized person)
has nothing left to prove.
they have many things they can do, but nothing left to prove.

will dylan/ prince/ etc... ever reach the peaks of their commercial heyday again?
of course not. but for diehard fans of these artists,
those post-prime albums hold a special place in our hearts.
not just because we are stans (although that's a part of it)
but because there is something profound about an artist
that has accomplished damn near everything still find ways to
experiment within their own sound.

in a way, i can get lost inside of Stevie's "conversation peace"
just as much as i can get lost in "innervisions," because as a fan,
it's a trip to hear stevie experiment within his own limitations.
he subtly shows off the type of harmonic and rhythmic depth that
a new kid on the block couldn't pull off no matter how brilliant they are.

will the kids care about a new stevie album?
no.
could i recommend "conversation peace" to somebody just getting up on stevie?
of course not.


but i am love that stevie is in the place where he can drop an album
if wants to, when he wants to, and it sounds exactly the way he wants it to.
are stevie's releases since "hotter than july" a failure
just because he's no longer a former kid artist with a chip on his shoulder
and something to prove?

not hardly.



which brings us back to the roots.
although i am not a roots stan, i respect them a great deal.
but more than all of that, i am a huge fan of what the represent.
they are one of the few hip hop artist i can think of
that has the artistic freedom that was granted to dylan/ prince/ stones etc while
past their prime.


i guess jay COULD do that,
but he'll never open up and do a album that isn't concerned
about having at least one song in the top 10.

they have the luxury to do the albums they want while past their prime,
and NOT be disrespected for not having a top 10 single.


most artists never get to that point.
most of the artists that DO get to that point are not black.
now ask yourself how many of the black artists that got to that point are hip hop.

what the roots are doing right now with their albums
isn't a loss. it's a miracle.

so i don't think of them as losing the fight by releasing albums.
as long as they want to do it and fans want to hear it,
they should keep doing it.

and maybe i feel they almost have an obligation to do it,
if for no other reason that to show that a black hip hop group
can occupy the "past your commercial prime, but still artistically relevant"
sweet spot that is usually reserved for white legacy acts.

hell, even michael jackson wasn't able to get to that point.
maybe that's what killed him.
maybe that's what kills a lot of our legends, when you think about it.

in other words,
i say the roots won.