curious, what's the general vibe in your own mind when you think of the roots?

are they legendary?

is it the live, organic, hip-hop band thing?

is it acessibility or distance?

are they a bunch of dudes with individual styles?

or is black thought and ?uestlove?

or is 'the roots' just ?uestlove to you?

is thought's rhymes or ?uestlove's writings/posts?

underdog/local heroes perhaps.

don't mean the music so much as the image.

what's your mental picture/definition.

hub, kamal, malik b., rahzel, scratch..

did/does coming to this site make any difference?

those that have met them can chime in too.

are they intelligent or mean or moody or what.
_______________________________

seize your time! - marley/wailers

exciting, isn't it - treach/naughty

no talent...absolutely none

especially that question dude!

peace

shmooz

"i wanna be a pioneer so trails i blaze"

"hip hop you're the love of my life"

When I think of the Roots I see a group of indiviuals who has brought their musical talents together to compose the purest and greatest form of hip-hop. Not only do they keep humble they never drop anything weak. (Name a weak song?!?!) They are simply Living Legends giving us what we need. Hip- Hop!!


Okay Uncle Bnicedh-Giving you true advice since 2001

"Ya'll wanna play rough, OKAY"-Tony Montana

"I want my daddy records"-Bubba

"I'm feeling better than ever what's wrong wit you, you get down"-Andre 2000

"Life without knowledge is death in disguise"-Talib Kweli

You probably NEVER checked out one of their GOOD live shows cause the whole CD1 of the Live album is some disappointing shit.

& I'm not joking or being sarcastic.

Oh yeah
Stop fronting like you never fast forwarded a track or two.

Chill, is it that serious?! I mean someone asked for opinons not smart ass remarks! And FYI I have been to a live show (Okayplayer Tour and various others) which is something that I'll never forget. I may have got a little carried away b/c I'm sure Quest have skipped some songs but overall you can't call a Roots track trash. So just chill and give your own opinon instead on critizing others! Peace dude!!

Okay Uncle Bnicedh-Giving you true advice since 2001

"Life without knowledge is death in disguise"-Talib Kweli

Before i came to this site it wasnt. I read the liner notes and stuff, so i knew who was who, and from a passive fan standpoint it was probably more Thought than anyone just because he is the MC.

But since OKP the Roots are ?uest. He gives teh indepth on the songs, breaks them down, tells us the samples, he posts, he does updates, his section is massive. Maybe its b/c i got here after scratch, BT and Kamal would post.......

Its not like i dont think the other members contribute to the songwriting or anything, its jsut that the only personality i can attach to this band is ?uests so there fore he becomes the band in my mind.

But as ?uest has so often said, he enjoys going online @ 5 am to interact with us, tell us his opions and coment on ours, obviously not everyone else in the band does, which is fine it just alters my perspective of the Roots

and to answer your other prompt, the Roots are a 100% LEGENDARY.

didn't ?uest also singlehandedly pen the liner notes for "things fall apart," image-wise, he IS the media/fan-interactive voice for that group. i kinda think that without him, there would be no bridge btwn the artists and the listeners.... he's kinda like the decoder. their songs are encoded... the listener is the receptor. and if there were no intensive liner notes or okp posts, those songs would stay coded.

when the roots go to the grammy's, who comes and reports to us what they saw? ?uest.

when they tour? ?uest.

musically, they're a collective.
viscerally, they're ?uest.

*shutting up in 3...2...1...*

n/m

i think what did it for me were the liner notes. i mean, to listen to the tracks and know the stories behind them. i was crackin up when i read the thing about "lesbian sex act". it's just nice to know all them lttle things. TFA is so enjoyable on a different level than other albums i have.

the "what they do" video got my attention

the TFA liner notes hooked me in

the roots come alive blew me away

and now i'm slowly workin my way back to organix

?est's personality (and musical skills) played a big part in all of it (which is not to say hub, kamal, razhel, scratch, malik, tariq, and even dice had nothin to do with it)

-------------------------------------------------------

"lyrically illicit,up steps the explicit, most wicked, seven-digit, mic wizard, my tongue lash out to strike with it, ya slightly might miss it when I blast through ya section and district to rip it" --black thought

"goin' back an' forth, forth an' back, all across the track, passin the mics like quarterbacks, course it's phat, git offa dat! reverse psychology got 'em scared to say when shit is wack, outta fear of being called a hater...imagine that! we ain't havin' that, reachin past the star status that you grabbin at, my battle raps flash yo ass back to ya natural habitat" --talib kweli

"black body radiation situation that we workin with, my verb exists enlisted by the rawkus camp for services,the purpose is: make you go and purchase this, no nervousness, we are hot like black tar, BLACK STAR:what the merger is, superlative, you fabricated like the word absurditive, I'm rockin this from here to where the persians live, from brooklyn where the merchants live, next door to the murderers and bourbon is an elder man's medeicinal alternative" --mos def

the source mic ratings 1990-2001


@@@@@
-edutainment (funny in the annivrsery issue they left this out...but i have the ice cube issue when they first started rating albums)
-people's instintive travels and the paths of rhythm
-amerikkka's most wanted
-let the rhythm hit em
-all for one
-de la soul is dead
-illmatic
-life after death
-aquemini
-niggaz4life* (not reveiwed but in summer issue 92 they mentioned it as a 5mic classic)

@@@@1/2
-sex and violence
-buisiness as usual
-business never personal
-whut thee album
-breaking atoms
-death certifacate
-buhloone mindstate
-the chronic
-enter the 36 chambers
-southernplayerlisticadillacmusic
-life after death
-the infamous
-only built 4 cuban links
-illadelph halflife
-hell on earth
-bow down
-i am
-murder muzick
-life story
-classic limited edition vol 1
-guerilla warfare
-in my lifetime vol.3
-la rock familia
-ecleftic:two sides to a story
-moment of truth
-supreame clientel
-last of a dying breed
-the truth

the gag mics-
fear of a black planet-@@@1/2
da shinin-@@@
stankonia-@@@@
lootpack-@@1/2
ressurection-@@@1/2
the beatnuts-@@@1/2**
mos def and talib kweli are black star-@@@1/2
the love movement-@@@1/2
fantastic vol 2-@@@1/2

*-source never reviewed, but mentioned in summer issue that it was a 5 mic classic.

**-the only record to change a rating after printing. in the next issue they printed (in fine print that it was a @@@@ mic album)

damn...you gettin' up or goin' to bed?

peace

shmooz

"i wanna be a pioneer so trails i blaze"

"hip hop you're the love of my life"

They got beats and rymeS!!!..put me down for LEGENDS!

>curious, what's the general vibe in
>your own mind when you
>think of the roots?

best hip-hop ever, probably the best music ever (although I find it's silly to compare different genres of music for quality)

>are they legendary?

What do you mean by legendary? If you mean am I going to listen to them forever? HELL YES! Tell my kids about them? HELL YES! Will their music last the test of time? HELL YES!

>is it the live, organic, hip-hop
>band thing?

Yes.


>is it acessibility or distance?

Yes.

>are they a bunch of dudes
>with individual styles?

Yes.


>or is black thought and ?uestlove?

Yes.

>or is 'the roots' just ?uestlove
>to you?

Yes.

Okay, player, I wasn't trying to sound like a yes-man there, but all that ish is true. I like how they are a live band, rather than a emcee and dj, I like that each member of the band gets his turn in the spotlight rather than just being a supporting figure (like when most emcess play with a band). I love that these amazingly talented musicians picked hip-hop, when you know they could have rocked it with any style.

I love that I can e-mail ?, I love that he replies to our posts, I love that he created this awesome web-community, completely innovative. There's nothing like this around. I love that Angiee (who is kind of like the mother of okayplayer), a woman with so much class, technical ability, and style runs it her way and makes it so homey.

I love that they play small venues, and most of the ardent, real fans will probably have a chanve to meet them, because they are so accessible and open to their fans. I love the fans themselves(aka okaypleyrs). Rarely do I meet someone who is down with the Roots who I can't relate to on a few levels.

It's kind of like BT and ? in terms of the focal points of the bands, since they started it together, but in terms of fan relations (aka posting to this site, it's just ?). They each have their own role in every aspect of the band (and it works to perfection).

>is thought's rhymes or ?uestlove's writings/posts?

Thought rhymes are the best ever. ?'s posts are the only one of their kind (although the black eyed peas kind of do the same thing).

>underdog/local heroes perhaps.

This too, I love how they rep Philly, and talk about it in every fucking track. I love how they could rip apart any hip-hop band in the world, especially the commerically successful ones. I like the swagger and confidence they carry around knowing this.

>don't mean the music so much
>as the image.

Speaking of image, and not rying to sound like a dick-rider (I know I probably do by now), I liek the way they dress. Very rarely do I go to a show and not be impressed by a nice pair of cargos or a cool hooday or something they have on.

>what's your mental picture/definition.
>
>hub, kamal, malik b., rahzel, scratch..

love 'em all. I would explain why, but that would take way too long.

>did/does coming to this site make
>any difference?

all the difference in the world. It's like, the Roots would still be the best musicians I have ever heard wihtout this, but knowing it's here, I can't imagine a world without it.

>those that have met them can
>chime in too.

not yet, but hopefully soon.

hope this helps.

>>curious, what's the general vibe in
>>your own mind when you
>>think of the roots?
>
>best hip-hop ever, probably the best
>music ever (although I find
>it's silly to compare different
>genres of music for quality)


WOW!!!!!!!!!




One...Jas

Damn, I don't know about "best music ever" bro. The Roots are good but they are by NO means the best musicians or group to ever enter music. I don't know what the hell you listen too but get off the Roots jock just a little.
Peace & Love though

to campare different types of music for quality. How can you compare The Roots to Beethoven or Miles Davis or Jimi Hendrix? They were all trying to do completely different things with their music; the normal criteria I use to compare hip-hop bands (voice, lyrics, flow, beats, content, etc.) don't really work.

As far as hip-hop goes, there is no doubt in my mind that they're the best. When it comes to the best musicians of all time, yeah maybe I got a little carried away, what I should have conveyed is that they are the best in their style, and I don't know of a good way to compare them to anyone else. The only way I could compare them is to compare which of those musicians who dominate their genre I like the most (ie, which ones find their way into my cd player most often).

The Roots win.

>
>As far as hip-hop goes, there
>is no doubt in my
>mind that they're the best.

How old ru?

What about:

Rakim, KRS-One, Run-DMC, EPMD, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Outkast, Public Enemy, NWA/Dr. Dre?

Let's put everything into perspective. They're dope, but they gotta few more years to go before you can even claim their the dopest or even legendary.

>How old ru?

I'm 22. I don't see why it matters.

>What about:
>
>Rakim, KRS-One, Run-DMC, EPMD, A Tribe
>Called Quest, De La Soul,
>Outkast, Public Enemy, NWA/Dr. Dre?

Rakim's new album is weak. KRS-One's had some weak albums. Run-DMC have pretty much fallen off. EPMD definitely had some whack shit. Tribe's group stuff was good, but their solo efforts suck. De La Soul are close, this is definitely a toss-up. You might be right about De La. Outkast are good, but not up to the Roots level (I'm not a big fan of Southern rap). Public Enemy are close as well, but again, not at the samle level. NWA/Dr. Dre? you have to be kidding.

>Let's put everything into perspective. They're
>dope, but they gotta few
>more years to go before
>you can even claim their
>the dopest or even legendary.

Who says, they've put out four stellar albums. That's more than most of the groups you mentioned.

This is all very subjective, but the Roots shit is the best hip-hop ever in my opinion

>>How old ru?
>
>I'm 22. I don't see
>why it matters.
>
>>What about:
>>
>>Rakim, KRS-One, Run-DMC, EPMD, A Tribe
>>Called Quest, De La Soul,
>>Outkast, Public Enemy, NWA/Dr. Dre?
>
>Rakim's new album is weak.
Maybe

>KRS-One's had some weak albums.
NAME A COUPLE, & Please for the LOVE OF GOD don't say SEX&VIOLENCE

> Run-DMC have pretty much
>fallen off. EPMD definitely
>had some whack shit.
I REFUSE TO RESPOND TO YOUR INEBRIATED DAMNED RAMBLINGS:
SHOW FUCKING RESPECT TO THE PIONEERS

>Tribe's group stuff was good,
>but their solo efforts suck.
SEE THE LUCY PEARL ALBUM & ANGIE STONE'S ALBUM FOR EVIDENCE TO DISPROVE YOUR ARGUMENTS, As if Mr. Muhammed wasn't in the group.

> De La Soul are
>close, this is definitely a
>toss-up. You might be
>right about De La.
ALL OF TRIBE'S COLLECTIVE SHIT IS JUST AS POTENT AS DE LA'S.
YOU'RE MAKING NO SENSE!!

>Outkast are good, but not
>up to the Roots level
>(I'm not a big fan
>of Southern rap)Then you have absolutely NO REAL SOUL. THEIR SECOND & 4th ALBUMS ARE AIR TYT!!

>Public
>Enemy are close as well,
>but again, not at the
>same level.
SHOW RESPECT TO THE FUCKING FOREFATHERS OR EAT A DICK!!

>NWA/Dr. Dre?
> you have to be
>kidding.

If I was the nigga hustlin weed to YOU,
you couldn't get a BAG!!! If I was the
nigga smokin with YOU I'd smoke alone!!!!

JUST FOR FRONTIN ON BOTH CHRONIC ALBUMS!!!!!

>Who says, they've put out four
>stellar albums.

HOW'S THAT WHEN ORGANIX WAS ON SOME 3& 1/2 SHIT.
oh but if you only said FOUR you DIDN'T INCLUDE THAT ONE DID YOU?!

I guess you're not REALLY a HIPHOP authority then, huh?

>That's more
>than most of the groups
>you mentioned.

ONCE AGAIN SEE DE LA & TRIBE.

YOU STUPID, STUPID-
HI-TEK ON TRAIN OF THOUGHT

P.S. The roots (& hiphop as a whole) have YET to hit me with an album that moves me FOR YEARS like the following:

1.)ILLMATIC (the perfect harmony of beats, ghetto shit and plain old rhyme content, flow & skill)

2.)LOW END THEORY(Banging in my deck for GOD KNOWS HOW LONG, the Low End Theory had ALMOST reached that same apex that illmatic did, but its TRUE DISTINCTION from NASTY NAS premier, is its RANGE in production (from sample to LIVE INSTRUMENTS) and rhyme content(from Phife's ABSOLUTELY OUTSHININ presence whenever he grabbed the mic to Tip's Amazing range in topics given in story)

3.)STAKES IS HIGH (POS & DAVE put down their greatest performances on this proof that YOU CAN GET BEATS DONE WITHOUT A SAMPLE OR LIVE BAND)

4.)THE GROUP HOME ALBUM (IF YOU LOOKING FOR RHYMES, STAY FAR FAR AWAY. IF YOU LOOKING FOR BEATS, well PRIMO.
yes they dropped two. BUT THOSE WHO KNOW, KNOW EXACTLY WHICH ONE I'M TALKING ABOUT!!! THIS ALBUM REALLY DOES PROVE BEATS CAN GET ANYBODY, & I MEAN ANYBODY BY)

>>Rakim's new album is weak.
>Maybe
>
>>KRS-One's had some weak albums.
>NAME A COUPLE, & Please for
>the LOVE OF GOD don't
>say SEX&VIOLENCE

Well, I could actually only find one, I Got Next is the only joint of his I don't like. I haven't heard the new one, but I heard it's sub-par.

>> Run-DMC have pretty much
>>fallen off. EPMD definitely
>>had some whack shit.
>I REFUSE TO RESPOND TO YOUR
>INEBRIATED DAMNED RAMBLINGS:

In the words of guru, "I like to catch a buzz cuz I get into the beats more."

>SHOW FUCKING RESPECT TO THE
>PIONEERS

You know, I hate this sentiment. Why can't I compare old music to new and decide what i like better. Why does every "pioneer" or "classic" have to be unbeatable? I respect the pioneers, for the fact that they did shit nobody ever did before, for the fact they opened the door for everybody else, and for the fact they made some wonderful music. I don't think you can just say they're the best because they're first and leave it at that. Most of my favorite shit I've got this year, and the same is going to be true every year. Hip-Hop keeps improving. If you think the pioneers are the end-all of hip-hop, that means the music is stagnate or getting worse, which is untrue.

>>Tribe's group stuff was good,
>>but their solo efforts suck.
>SEE THE LUCY PEARL ALBUM &
>ANGIE STONE'S ALBUM FOR EVIDENCE
>TO DISPROVE YOUR ARGUMENTS, As
>if Mr. Muhammed wasn't in
>the group.

Angiee Stone's album was nive, Lucy Pearl wasn't all that. And you know this. Let me ask you a question. Do you expect Ventilation or Amplified will even compare to Masterpiece Theatre, the Philadelphia Experiment, or Make the Music 2000? Didn't think so.

>> De La Soul are
>>close, this is definitely a
>>toss-up. You might be
>>right about De La.
>ALL OF TRIBE'S COLLECTIVE SHIT IS
>JUST AS POTENT AS DE
>LA'S.

Right, but Maseo didn't make a cd about how much he loves ass and how much money he has, did he? We should probably clarify if we are only considering the Tribe Called Quest group stuff or you can throw in the solo efforts. Without the solo efforts, though I would still want the Roots discography over Tribe's. It's really close though.

> YOU'RE MAKING
>NO SENSE!!

I'm making perfect sense. This is all very subjective, and these are just my opinions, but they're just as grounded and logical as yours.

>>Outkast are good, but not
>>up to the Roots level
>>(I'm not a big fan
>>of Southern rap)Then you have absolutely NO REAL SOUL. THEIR SECOND & 4th ALBUMS ARE AIR TYT!!

First of all, their second and third albums are air-tight. Second, I have plenty of soul. I just don't like one particular group, I see why people like them, and I see their talent, I'm just not that big a fan personally. The music doesn't sing to me like the Roots does.

>>Public
>>Enemy are close as well,
>>but again, not at the
>>same level.
>
> SHOW
>RESPECT TO THE FUCKING FOREFATHERS
>OR EAT A DICK!!

I'm not that inebriated.

>
>>NWA/Dr. Dre?
>> you have to be
>>kidding.
>
>If I was the nigga hustlin
>weed to YOU,
>you couldn't get a BAG!!!
>If I was the
>nigga smokin with YOU I'd smoke
>alone!!!!
>
>JUST FOR FRONTIN ON BOTH CHRONIC
>ALBUMS!!!!!

I live in Northern California, I guarantee a whiff of my sack would render you senseless.

>
>>Who says, they've put out four
>>stellar albums.
>
>HOW'S THAT WHEN ORGANIX WAS ON
>SOME 3& 1/2 SHIT.
>oh but if you only said
>FOUR you DIDN'T INCLUDE THAT
>ONE DID YOU?!

I'm referring to Organix, DYWM, IH, & TFA. I wasn't talking about the live albums.

>I guess you're not REALLY a
>HIPHOP authority then, huh?

I never claimed to be one, just a well-educated fan with an opinion.

>
>>That's more
>>than most of the groups
>>you mentioned.
>
>ONCE AGAIN SEE DE LA &
>TRIBE.
>
>YOU STUPID, STUPID-
> HI-TEK ON TRAIN
>OF THOUGHT
>
>P.S. The roots (& hiphop as
>a whole) have YET to
>hit me with an album
>that moves me FOR YEARS
>like the following:
>
>1.)ILLMATIC (the perfect harmony of beats,
>ghetto shit and plain old
>rhyme content, flow & skill)
>
>
>2.)LOW END THEORY(Banging in my deck
>for GOD KNOWS HOW LONG,
>the Low End Theory had
>ALMOST reached that same apex
>that illmatic did, but its
>TRUE DISTINCTION from NASTY NAS
>premier, is its RANGE in
>production (from sample to LIVE
>INSTRUMENTS) and rhyme content(from Phife's
>ABSOLUTELY OUTSHININ presence whenever he
>grabbed the mic to Tip's
>Amazing range in topics given
>in story)
>
>3.)STAKES IS HIGH (POS & DAVE
>put down their greatest performances
>on this proof that YOU
>CAN GET BEATS DONE WITHOUT
>A SAMPLE OR LIVE BAND)
>
>
>4.)THE GROUP HOME ALBUM (IF YOU
>LOOKING FOR RHYMES, STAY FAR
>FAR AWAY. IF YOU
>LOOKING FOR BEATS, well PRIMO.
>
>yes they dropped two. BUT
>THOSE WHO KNOW, KNOW EXACTLY
>WHICH ONE I'M TALKING ABOUT!!!
> THIS ALBUM REALLY DOES
>PROVE BEATS CAN GET ANYBODY,
>& I MEAN ANYBODY BY)
>

Well then the Roots just don't hit you. THey hit me perfect, maybe you should smoke better shit.

The capitals are really annoying by the way, type better next time.

>P.S. The roots (& hiphop as
>a whole) have YET to
>hit me with an album
>that moves me FOR YEARS
>like the following:

then too bad for you, guess your waitin for the nas comeback or the tribe reunion album or just planning on hugging your old CDs forever and claiming they the best forever, thats fine with me, it just seems like your lookin for somethin no one will give you, no one will make albums like those (if they did they would be biting) and i think there are plenty albums that are as great that you just might not feel cuz its your opinion (doesnt mean they aint great)
i say just listen to their shit for what it is, TFA is timeless to me and probably my favorite album ever, and before that album my favs were similar to your list (it included Illmatic and Low End Theory), after listening to countless hiphop albums i have realized that no one will tailor make an album for YOUR ears you can only take it for what it is and enjoy it and acknowledge the greatness in it (if there is any)...and TFA sounded like an album i had been waiting for 4 a long time, the beautiful middle ground between kick you in the ass hiphop and musically rich/intelligent shit (if that makes any sense, sorry if it didnt)

>As far as hip-hop goes, there
>is no doubt in my
>mind that they're the best.
> When it comes to
>the best musicians of all
>time, yeah maybe I got
>a little carried away, what
>I should have conveyed is
>that they are the best
>in their style, and I
>don't know of a good
>way to compare them to
>anyone else. The only
>way I could compare them
>is to compare which of
>those musicians who dominate their
>genre I like the most
>(ie, which ones find their
>way into my cd player
>most often).
>
>The Roots win.

THIS GUY MISSED PAID IN FULL, SPECIAL ED THE MAGNIFICENT, THE ADVENTURES OF SLICK RICK, A GRIP OF EPMD, THE FIRST DAS EFX, ALL THE TRIBE ALBUMS, ALL THE DE LA, THE FIRST BRAND NUBIAN ALBUM , THE EXTINCTION AGENDA, ILLMATIC, READY TO DIE, THE BREAKIN ATOMS ALBUM, THE 4TH JAY-Z, A WHOLE LOTTA DITC, THE LAST TWO REDMAN JOINTS, THE ELE ALBUM, THE BIG L ALBUM, CANIBUS' MIXTAPE JOINTS, A COUPLE LL JOINTS FROM WAY BACK, MAAAAD MOS DEF&KWELI, AND BOTH CHRONIC ALBUMS

yet
heeee
wants to discuss the best in hiphop

YOU STUPID, STUPID!!!!!!!!- Hi-Tek off the Reflection Eternal album.

>
>THIS GUY MISSED PAID IN FULL,
>SPECIAL ED THE MAGNIFICENT, THE
>ADVENTURES OF SLICK RICK, A
>GRIP OF EPMD, THE FIRST
>DAS EFX, ALL THE TRIBE
>ALBUMS, ALL THE DE LA,
>THE FIRST BRAND NUBIAN ALBUM
>, THE EXTINCTION AGENDA, ILLMATIC,
>READY TO DIE, THE BREAKIN
>ATOMS ALBUM, THE 4TH JAY-Z,
>A WHOLE LOTTA DITC, THE
>LAST TWO REDMAN JOINTS, THE
>ELE ALBUM, THE BIG L
>ALBUM, CANIBUS' MIXTAPE JOINTS, A
>COUPLE LL JOINTS FROM WAY
>BACK, MAAAAD MOS DEF&KWELI, AND
> BOTH CHRONIC ALBUMS

I didn't miss any of that. I love it all. I just prefer the Roots. And if you had mentioned Gang Starr you might have had a point. Oh well.

View all reward to anyone who can spot Malik, cratch, or Rahzel at show.

Yo...I was just at a show in DC....Scratch was there holdin down as usual
Razhel don't do shows wit em....neither does Malik B......(that's what they say at least)
You might catch em here and there........but..you just neva know!
Usually you won't see em tho.......
Peace





"The ignorance is just as dangerous as the intelligence..." -Atmosphere

Scratch and Rahzel together okayplayer tour thanksgiving time in philly...blessed the crowd...believe that, d

2nd NYC okayplayer tour stop

Rahzel vs. Scratch vs. DJ Dez(??) kind of....its in the tour section, under ?uest's diary

it was insane

Never heard of them...are they rap guys or something like that?

well as far as the legendary thing goes its always struck me as a little arrogant. i dont judge, but in the back of my mind ive always thought "dont you have to wait for someone to name yuo legendary".. kinda like this chinese food store in the city i saw that said "BEST CHINESE FOOD EVER" or soemthing crazy like that, not a quote, just them boasting. and im like who the hell told you you were the best chinese food ever. know what i mean? that doesnt mean i dont think they have become legendary.

peace

What do I think of the Roots?



I noticed that quite a few people

broke it down for U in great d-tail.

I usually like to ramble on but I think

2 words sum them up quite nicely:

PURE CHEMISTRY!

although Questlove is a bitch-ass,i still luv the Roots they provide me with pure hiphop,although i wish my man Malik B could rap more.

Peace.

April fools is over. That shit's not funny anymore. You need to do like track eleven on 'Welcome 2 Detroit.'

easy,
octogon

I knew do you want more was good, but until yesterday in my mind it was seriously underproduced (maybe the whole timeline thing was in my head, earlier stage in their career, not as developed). Headphones will do the trick. This album has so many highlights for me (title track when the drums stop and thought is just going off human djing over the keys). This is truly their hungriest effort, had geffen been more supportive this coulda been revoultionary for real. Bring back the hunger

---------------------------------------
"Looking Good!"
Chico

Kevin Torres
R.I.P.

I declare today "old post day."

RED

"Instead of just sitting around, why
don't you kids go out and co-opt
some black culture?"
© a New Yorker cartoon

I think of musical inscense in a blue world.

i enjoy listening to all artist from philly. Of recent i've been bumpiing that musiq cd. its off the hook . yall should check out his house of blues station http://www.hob.com/internetradio/greenroom.asp
take it easy.....peace

The roots gotta be nice
Why?

Because they ride their dicks so hard that they diminish/forget the conributions of various other hiphop legends which are amongst them or paved the way; for example,

As far as ?uestlove BEING THE ROOTS I'd like you to go back to review Things Fall Apart. Remember how you felt when you finished hearing Thoughts verses on tracks like 100% Dundee? Double Trouble? Once again? I bet you were not giving a thought to ?uest then so PLEASE. WHO YOU FOOLIN'.

As far as those who think that BT is the greatest MC, I'd like you to listen to Double Trouble on that same album, specifically the FREESTYLE by Mos. Then go to your BLACKSTAR album and play the last three tracks. Go to your TALIB KWELI albums and play For Women. Go to your Mos Def album and listen to Speed laws, Got, Mathematics, Brooklyn, Home, & New World Water.

Check out Malik's verse on STEP INTO THE REALM

Most definetely play your Canibus mixtapes ras kass & redman albums.

Do I even HAVE to recommend KRS-1 & RAKIM?!?!?!

As far as those who think ?uestlove is the greatest Producer in hiphop (C'MON! He IS nice but damn) reference (Oh God there are so many here we go...) ANYTHING PRODUCED BY PREMIER, ESPECIALLY THE GROUP HOME ALBUM, ANYTHING PRODUCED BY ALI SHAHEED MUHAMMAD, ANY ALCOHOLICS ALBUM, PETE ROCK, ANYTHING PRODUCED BY THE BEATNUTS, THE FIRST TWO WU ALBUMS, ANYBODY WITH THE WORD MARLEY IN THEIR NAME, LARGE P, BOTH CHRONIC ALBUMS...
THE SECOND & THIRD COMMON ALBUMS

HELL EVEN TAKE IT BACK TO THE B.I.G. REMIXES & THE BENJAMIN BEAT.
& DON'T FRONT WHEN YOU DO THE LAST TWO EITHER!!!

NIGGAS ACTIN LIKE THEY DON'T REMEMBER ILLMATIC!!!!

I can't front
they VERY close to LEGEND status.

They not there yet though.

When niggas EVERYWHERE is SCARED to hate on them from FEAR of being MOCKED and LOOKED AT FUNNY (kinda like Bob Marley, Aretha Coltrane, Miles, Stevie, Al Green, Luther(Don't front), Teddy P then they can get that.


Basically when they drop they next album.

ONE MONKEY DON'T STOP NO SHOW
Solitayre on IVERSON

Never step on the foot attached to the ass you might one day HAVE to kiss- Martin Korngor

>The roots gotta be nice
>Why?
>
>Because they ride their dicks so
>hard that they diminish/forget the
>conributions of various other hiphop
>legends which are amongst them
>or paved the way;

REPLACE "THEY" with "THEIR FANS"

First Music is personal...you cant tell someone they are wrong about there personal taste...you can disagree but damn how the hell can you say your opinion is better than someone elses...De La is Hot...EPMD when they split up showed lack of skillz...Tribe is Tribe some people just donbt feel em sometimes...

On to the Roots...as a brother who sat in the corner and witnessed first hand the evolution of the Square Roots to the force they are today I have to give it up...If half the people knew the struggle these brothas went thro' their respect meter would go off the charts...From the corners (yes corners), Geffen Records, 15 mofos fightin for the mic (I stil like organix track 14 minutes oh rhyme) Ahmir beatin on the damn sidewalk...to "The Studio", Motive Records, a Grammy, Production credits all over the place...thats movement...and it must be acknowledged and respected...the sick thing is this is still the start...

I know there are crazy people like get off there jocks they arent that great...well I say whatever...of course there are better...there always is...better really doesn't matter...skill matters...tell me Quest cant play the drums...tell me Thought cant bus'...tell me Hub cant strum...tell me Scratch and Rahzel dont amaze you...tell me Malik cant rip it can you really?

And if you can you still cant tell me they arent real...They still talk to there homies...i just saw Quest and Mpozi catchin up the other day...I bet I could walk up to Ahmir with no fear of big ass security niggas whuppin my but...try that with Jay-Z...

If Im jock ridin so-be-it Quest, Ahmir, Malik, Scratch, Rah, Hub, Ted, Rich, and all the other brothas and sistas that help the group do there thang....big ups...to the haters keep hatin its more to talk about

Im waitin for the Questlove quintet tho' I m sick of these old heads tellin me jazz is dead...please please please

i agree wit da last two comments, but 4real though, u gotta admit that some of the cats on here be walkin da fine line between havin love and jus blantant dick ridin'. i like da roots and all but damn, greatest of all time? legendary? i dont know about the later, they will be in due time, but right now, i jus dont know. as far as what i think of the roots they aight, i consider 'em my 4th favorite group. i think of the roots as blk thought, dice, malik b (is he really out of da group?), hub, questlove, and da rest of da band. and i'll really miss malik if he is really out of the group cause (and i know imma get crucified for this) sometimes thought gets monotonous and malik comes through to liven things up a bit. and about being the illest emcee, thought is nice but he jus dont stack up to the names that dude mentioned be4.

feel free to disagree

what in due time?? roots are the legendary....there are no ifs ands or buts about it. they do everything they don't just drop the phatest rymes they also drop the phatest beats for the phatest rymes.... they can do everything, they are the legendary.. yeah there are also those greats like run dmc, epmd you know them all they are great but when i listen to them i def don't get the same feeling i get from listening to the roots.. i listen to them and like its just...... its something that can't be described.. they are the legendary they have everything ( i do wish malik would tour with them so i don't have to go all the way out to philly to see him live cause he is the ish but thats another point) but on the point of their live tours. they are the sickest live show band ever...

thats all i got to say

OKAY





Roots (mathematics), in mathematics, a number that when multiplied by itself a stated number of times yields as a result a second, given number. The index of the root is the number of times that the root appears in the multiplication.

i dont know, the phatest beats? naw, what about primo, pete rock, jay dee, hi tek, diamond d, alchemist(even though he can be hit and miss) the rza(same as alchemist but a bit more consistent) and as far a rhymes being the phatest how about ras kass, canibus, redman, common, mos def jus to name a few, yes da roots is nice but before u start proclaimin they got the livest beats and rhymes, u should put that 'imo' in front of da shit like everybody else. and if they is legendary then so is da Wu.

i think the wu can be make an argument for legendary status, that isnt too far fetched.....but when i hear dope beats rhymes i dont think that means you have to ask "is it better than premiere beats" or "is it better than a canibus verse", its the combination of the two, thought is my favorite MC and i prefer him over any other but thats my opinion, i love many other MCs, i love the music/beats the roots provide and i cant compare them to much other production cuz its very different, its the combination of dopeness and the even doper sound together....i think people tend to forget how dope music is when it all comes together, canibus can kick a million dope verses but will they sound dope on beats? it takes some talent to rock a beat right, nowadays cats just want to kill it and end up makin it sound like an acapella put over a random instrumental, thats fun if you like it but i think its harder to make a dope track altogether and the roots do it everytime, and producers can make tracks and tracks but they all need someone to put vocals on it that will make the shit sound tight, there are many many dope groups and combinations of producers and MCs that get the job done 4real, THE ROOTS are definitely one of them, they make dope MUSIC dope HIPHOP everytime

true jay dee and hi tek have some phat beats.. but the roots make their own beats up on stage with their own instruments...true mos def is sick but once again over all i think the roots are the legendary

think whatever

OKAY



Roots (mathematics), in mathematics, a number that when multiplied by itself a stated number of times yields as a result a second, given number. The index of the root is the number of times that the root appears in the multiplication.

"Change the order, we can't rock after them!"- The Legendary Foundation

as someone who writes rhymes in my spare time, the ability of thought to consistently amaze since 95 is unbelievable. i am also a big fan of one-two combos, and tip-malik is up there with the best of them of the 90's

i also appreciate how different their albums are ... organix just fin shit, dywm still fun but a cleaner sound, illadelph a little more thought out and issue oriented, and tfa a nice mix of the last two

i mean damn, they just keep getting better and better in my opinion!

only thing that i would ask for is some more collabos outside of the usual collective


-------- B EZ ------------

IM and ICQ name: reefdogg1 (number one at the end)

Mondays, 9pm-12pm EST - hip hop by stressed Brown undergrads (yes, black people do exist in the Ivies!)
http://www.bsrlive.com

"It aint all about economy
so the fact that these wack emcees is making G's don't bother me
Honestly, my number one policy is quality
never sell my soul is my philosophy" - Binary Star