Hi,<P>I'm new to this site and I'm asking the question because the Roots are not known for having predominantly black audiences @ their concerts and shows (please correct me if I'm wrong). Looking @ the tour schedule though, I can't imagine that the average young black male (or female) is interested in seeing Everlast. Granted, Lauryn Hill is popular within the black community but, if her concert @ the Garden is any indication, a majority of the tickets available will be sold to upper middle class white fans. <P>To be honest, I'm more partial to the Snipes argument than the Denzel one (intro to TFA), particularly when it comes to the lack of black support for the Roots....so maybe I'm biased. While I think the music is quality and I buy your albums, I also believe the Roots had failed to connect with the average black hip hop fan (particularly the "roundtheway" type) in the way that other artists have (though that's improving). And this is sad because it's critical that the general black audience has exposure to a variety of sounds. <P>I'm from NY and I've seen the Roots @ Tramps. I'm not sure where else the group has played but using that spot as an example, it is hardly a venue that is popular within the black community (that I know of). The show was advertised in the Voice but I never saw any fliers or ads in common ghetto spots in BK or uptown. The same can't be said for Bad boy artists, Fat Joe & his clique, or even Juvenile when he came to the BX to perform. After being surrounded by a sea of white faces and continuously bumped into by some retro hip hop kid and his nonrhythm having self, I'm hard pressed to see another show @ that venue. I'm way too old for & not a fan of the Tunnel but atleast there a sistah can find a black dance partner. There's a social aspect/black celebration to hip hop shows (and black events in general) that is important. There are a lot of blacks that I know who are uncomfortable or simply don't want to deal with white folks on a social level. Maybe that's wrong, but I notice that the vibe of a function changes as the number of blacks decrease. <P>Now I don't necessarily expect the Roots to tour with JayZ (for example), nor do I know if that's possible, but why not? I remember, a long time ago, seeing PE, Naughty By Nature, Geto Boys, LL (I think) and a bunch of other acts @ a concert @ the Garden. Those are very different groups with very different messages but they all rocked an audience full of people with faces that looked like theirs. <P>I'd be interested in anyone's thoughts on this.<P>Thanks & for the record, I'm over 25 and came up in this.