My Campaign: Let Me Produce The Next Roots Album

As a longtime Roots fan, I’ve felt the pain of seeing one of the most talented and worthy groups of our era suffer the indignities of not being able to penetrate the commercial music market.

I’ve watched the misfires and near misses with a heavy heart knowing that each album that fails to connect to the record buying public puts the group closer to not having a record deal…

So that begs the question; what do The Roots need to set things off? How can they make their names known to the record buying public at large and not just industry insiders, underground heads, and finicky hipsters?

The answer is to make a brutally classic album.

That answer leads to more questions…..

What could The Roots do that they haven’t done already? How can they do it without going over-budget?

The answer is to translate the magic of The Roots stage show to the studio. Oh, we’ve seen this before: The kick-ass live act whose albums never live up to the shows. Could The Roots be the Grateful Dead of Hip-Hop?

Can The Roots make an accessible but artistically satisfying record?

Sure, they can.

Can The Roots bring their live magic to tape?

Sure, they can.

They just need a catalyst.

Someone who isn’t intimidated by their stature.

Someone whose musical tastes and knowledge run the gamut of popular music, but yet someone who knows and loves Hip-Hop.

Someone who know the nuts and bolts of TRUE record production.

Someone who is aware of the climate of the music industry and the listening public. Someone with a discerning ear.

Someone who is knowledgeable about bands, instruments, gear, and musicians, not just MPC’s, Pro Tools and old records.

Someone who knows the way this evil empire called the entertainment business works, both for good and for ill.

That someone is me(or AFKAP…LOL)

Yes, me.

You all know me as Scorpion on and off the boards. Some of you know that I use to front a hip-hop group. I produced hip-hop records for myself and others. You may also know that I play a few instruments and that I have written and produced my own forthcoming funk/soul project. Some of you have heard some of that material.

You may disagree with my views, but you also know that I am passionate about the art of music.

And love of the art is what moves me to put forth this extremely bold yet feasible offer.

I would lie to place myself in the running to produce the next Roots album.

First off, how does Ahmir know I’m not a crackpot? Well, I met Ahmir briefly once in 2004 after a show at Berkeley’s Greek Theatre(w/311 and Medeski, Martin and Wood). But more than that, he’s cool with a number of people that know me. So he can ask them any questions he has about my character.

Or he can talk to me.

What would I do with your favorite hip-hop band?

It’s pretty simple actually….They need to be a band in the studio….a cohesive recording unit…

They need to actively write SONGS. They need to arrange and perform those songs live in the studio.

If you’re not familiar with the Roots current recording method, it goes like this…

The guys get in the studio and they jam. It get recorded and then deconstructed….

Ahmir picks pieces he likes and does a re-arrangement via ProTools and/or a sequencing tool(such as an MPC)….

The pieces are reconstituted as a beat for Riq to write to…

They almost never play live to tape as a group.

As any of you who have witnessed a Roots show know, each of the guys is a beast on his respective instrument…

But as musicians, they’ve not been challenged. Why?

Well, mostly because honestly, most hip-hop fans aren’t musicians and live music is kind of a foreign animal to them…So the Roots can play The Itsy Bitsy Spider and get a pass…

Secondly, they have no competition. The Black band is damn near extinct. And Hip-Hop bands are damn near unheard of(Besides The Roots I can only think of two)so there’s no one to raise the bar of what hip-hop bands can do…

But even if the public is musically ignorant, ppl can still recognize greatness and superior musicianship when they hear it.

The Roots have to step out of their comfort zone at this point. Hub has to make the bass talk. Ahmir’s drums have to put fire under your ass. Kamal's keys need to sing. Knuckles has to bring the ruckus(save the “more cowbell” jokes…)and they have one of the dopest guitar players around in the group….Kirk’s role needs to be much bigger.

Riq needs to do what he does best instead of being pressured into writing rhymes that he’s not really into.

Can Ahmir play a beat as shit-hot as Stewart Copeland?….he says he can….it’s time to show and prove.

But still, why me?
What would make me the one who could get this out of them?

Because:
1) I have nothing to lose….I don’t have a fat paycheck on the line nor any previous reputation to sully
2) I know how to communicate with musicians being one myself
3) I have no allegiances. My only mission is to serve the music. I would not be there to make friends or win favor or play Wii wit Ahmir. I’d have a job and I’m there to work. If the shit is not working, I’m not afraid to say so and I can and will articulate my position clearly. At the same time, I realize people are people and they have feelings and egos, ESPECIALLY musicians.

I know the work involved in making an album. It can be grueling. Long days and nights of listening to the same shit over and over again….uninvited guests in the way….days that are wasted because of faulty equipment and/or low morale….the pressure to finish from the record label...having to watch each penny that is being spent.

Should it bother them that I have no major credits to my name? It shouldn’t seeing as they work with unknowns all the time.

And finally, what makes me the best choice for this task?

Because all I’d want is a plane ticket to where the record is being recorded, a place to sleep each night, a small per diem so I could eat at least once each day, a plane ticket home and a co-producer credit on the album(if they want to sweeten the deal, we can definitely talk, tho)

They can keep the producer fees.

So, in other words…..I'M FUCKING CHEAP!

So fellas, what have you got to lose?







The avatar: Mo' betta makes it mo' betta...

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Quote of a lifetime:
"...music is not just a hobby or what I do...it's what I live...music is the voice of my god, my vehicle for spiritual enlightenement..."
-OKP Illogicz