>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.
>
oh it's not for the money, as I mentioned they're not making money off these albums.

It's more a critical legacy type of thing.


>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.
>
stands to reason as a studio act The Roots are past that point too, which isn't unusual, how many bands even make 20 years?

>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.

Dylan was in a bad way for a good chunk of the 80's & first half of the 90's, those later albums from Time Out of Mind on are prolly his best run since Street Legal tho.

I'd love to hear a good new Prince album but I've somewhat given up on that.

>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.
>
these albums tonally & thematically aren't really 'experiments' any more, it's pseudo-experimental but they've sorta been using this road map since Game Theory with this one & How I Get Over being the least enjoyable.

Rising Down started ferociously but sorta falls back into this Dice-hook mid-tempo malaise after 75 Bars.

>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.
>
we're talking Stevie Wonder, dawg, the level of songwriting is a different tier.
>
>
>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.
>
they never had a Top 10 single, my point is they're spinning their wheels in this same mold & haven't even added a song to their own canon in a fan favorite sense.
>
>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.
>
I disagree, they're capable of better work but they're churning out half-baked concept records for critical applause but little else in the long run.

>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
>
making a good hip-hop record would be a nice statement there, this indie-rock arty mishmash is yielding diminishing returns.

>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.
>
obviously they 'won', the concept of 'game loser' is that now it's just a case of showing up for appearances sake but not really digging in.

There's obviously a myriad of reasons for that, not the least of which is they used to live off working their early records for 2/3 years straight.

The stakes were higher, now the records are a side hustle.