https://www.instagram.com/p/BLsSqzyhMoS/

"In 1996 w our 3rd album #IlladelphHalflife we decided to be our own sampling source and jam in the day and sample ourselves at night. 20 years later we are working on our 17th album entitled #Endgame....& we startin all over again. Here the gawd @StroElliot is breaking out his get busy tools and making ish sound tight!" - 15

https://www.instagram.com/p/BLuYKW7hVAU/


Y'all. I'm so excited!!!



"I'm twenty-two, catch
In the prime of my life,
I don't have time to be a wife"

https://twitter.com/MeeshUniVerSoul
https://instagram.com/soul.con.fusion/

"She was on that tip about stoppin' the violence
About my people she was teachin' me..."

Dude is one of my favorite right now.
Really interested to hear what they come up with.

is this the same guy as Stro the 89th Key from the Procussions?

I like the idea of taking it back. Thought will sound good over this.

very promising.

He would sound dope over that beat.

lol

Thought rocks 1 verse and then they spin their wheel of random MC flunkies for the other two verses.

.

hahaha

I thought maybe the CD skipped to the next track for some reason. I was loving that song and then it just ended.

>RE: Ha. I was so flustered when "Unwritten"ended on the Rising Down album
>I thought maybe the CD skipped to the next track for some
>reason. I was loving that song and then it just ended.

Coming off possibly my favorite Roots album "Game Theory" I was first in line at Newbury Comics to cop "Rising Down" (especially off the strength of the title track) and when it ended that way and I realized it wasn't just a faulty disc I was like "man fuck these dudes" haha.

I mean I liked RD well enough, to be sure. Just was kinda disappointed considering expectations.

I remember buying that day 1 and then driving out of the mall parking lot bumping the song Rising Down so loud. Those first few tracks on that album were just ridiculously good.

Which only amplifies why the latter half of the album was such a letdown for me. It grew on me but after those first few tracks (up through I think "Criminal") I was thinking "wow this might be better than GT" but then it slowed down a lot.

Which reminds me, why isn't RD on Spotify ?! Tidal ?

why doesn't anyone want to answer our question?

It's interesting that we haven't even gotten a response or two from someone GUESSING why that might be the case. Just straight up fucking ignored.

I've got the CD, and transferred it to my iTunes years ago and I keep pretty much all their albums on my phone, so never had reason to check for it on Spotify. No clue why it wouldn't be there.

things are looking up, maybe one day we will get an answer.

I'm sure the album will be political in some way, but if these beats are any indication of the direction of the album, it seems this will be more funk and minimal than the last one.

We will get more than 6 verses from Black Thought on this one...

And both of those beats are vicious...just filthy...

But, okay, whatever.


"I wasn't sure if I was lost or running away again. . ."

http://austinato.bandcamp.com

http://www.discogs.com/lists/Favorites-of-2016/269401

I'm an asshole right?

But playing music is not my vocation, so I'm not sure what the point here is.

So again: okay, whatever.


"I wasn't sure if I was lost or running away again. . ."

http://austinato.bandcamp.com

http://www.discogs.com/lists/Favorites-of-2016/269401

Lol

Peace,

Spirit (Alan)
http://wutangbook.com

that 15 posted... shit man.

i love stro like everyone else, but his beats weren't that ill to me. karriem's shit tho? en fuego

Every single beat so far sounds dope.

makes the album..and that other 70 will be thrown away

but if what we've heard is any indication, the beats on the album will be really good.

"I'm twenty-two, catch
In the prime of my life,
I don't have time to be a wife"

https://twitter.com/MeeshUniVerSoul
https://instagram.com/soul.con.fusion/

"She was on that tip about stoppin' the violence
About my people she was teachin' me..."

ATYSYC was cool but can we get back to the original formula

Y'all see Kev Brown comment on that first IG post that he wants to get involved? Love seeing that shit and would dig if he could contribute. I know it likely won't happen but these artists reaching out to one another is cool to see.

2 more
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLyqUN3lDU8/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BLynxs1FQOY/

So Stro, Salaam Remi and Kareem Riggins involved? Dope.

got damn

pls & thx.

also

Royce (that Rap On Steriods joint was FYA).. any word on his and BT's "collab album"?

Freddie Gibbs

Scarface

Anderson .Paak would be interesting

or Chance the Rapper. That would be... wooooooooshhh!

for a legend that should work on the album... Herbie, Stevie, or Roy or someone that was heavily involved in the production of other classic albums from the prior decades (as you've guessed, I'm still doing my homework on older music)

I reeeeeealllyyyy would love J-Live and/or Asheru on there but that's just me

Mick Jenkins would be nice

GZA

D'angelo

Nai Palm

A.G. or O.C.

Large Professor

Sa-Roc

The Jazzyfatnastees

Add-2

Oddisee

Anyone from TDE's roster.. SZA, Kendrick, Ab Soul, Jay Rock are my 1st choices

Styles P

Tragedy

Buckshot/Rock/Tek/Steele from Boot Camp Clik

Jasmine Sullivan

Esperanza Spalding

Mechelle Ndegocello

Solange

Mercedes Martinez obviously



(sorry for all names I misspelled)



that's all i got for now. My personal choices of who I dream of being on this Roots project lol




"I'm twenty-two, catch
In the prime of my life,
I don't have time to be a wife"

https://twitter.com/MeeshUniVerSoul
https://instagram.com/soul.con.fusion/

"She was on that tip about stoppin' the violence
About my people she was teachin' me..."

If ?uesto was real he would get 3000...but he ain't real!

Lol

LOL

Not going to listen yet, just great to know that they're working and will peep when things are further along. More than anything, just want them to do what they want to do and feel good about. They haven't done wrong yet - full trust that they won't do wrong now.

Edit: I lied. Just checked the four clips on Instagram - they sound *great*. Good, good stuff.

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

>Not going to listen yet, just great to know that they're
>working and will peep when things are further along. More than
>anything, just want them to do what they want to do and feel
>good about. They haven't done wrong yet - full trust that they
>won't do wrong now.
>
>Edit: I lied. Just checked the four clips on Instagram - they
>sound *great*. Good, good stuff.
>
>-thebigfunk
>
>~ i could still snort you under the table ~


"I'm twenty-two, catch
In the prime of my life,
I don't have time to be a wife"

https://twitter.com/MeeshUniVerSoul
https://instagram.com/soul.con.fusion/

"She was on that tip about stoppin' the violence
About my people she was teachin' me..."

"I'm twenty-two, catch
In the prime of my life,
I don't have time to be a wife"

https://twitter.com/MeeshUniVerSoul
https://instagram.com/soul.con.fusion/

"She was on that tip about stoppin' the violence
About my people she was teachin' me..."

glad they're off Def Jam though. Not sure why they wouldn't give us the classic liner notes we loved from The Roots

.

everywhere the whole damn time.

He replied back and said the last 2 albums were suites
which is why we didn't get a lot of BT.

and this album will 100% be different. gonna get rapping.

>He replied back and said the last 2 albums were suites
>which is why we didn't get a lot of BT.
>
>and this album will 100% be different. gonna get rapping.

quest, please refer to post 24.

Almost feels like I'm insulting Quest when I type that, but it feels like its been forever since Black Thought was the prominent rhymer on Roots albums. Based on his features in recent years, Black Thought going solo (for the most part) on a Roots album is what I want to hear the most.

Once again, sorry if that comes across as insulting to you 15.

The Roots started as Quest and BT.

So from day till the The Roots as an act stop making music
I think it's fair to think that you're gonna get BT rapping
on a majority of the album. Quest isn't not drumming on every song.


So if the last 2 albums were "suites" or different types of albums
from The Roots and this is a return to form in terms of the dynamics
of the band...

then I, you, anyone who is listening, should be under the impression
that we're gonna get BT rapping his ass off for an entire album.

ESPECIALLY - since like you mentioned - BT has been KILLING every
feature he's been on for 2-3 years now.

joints with Royce, Statik, etc.

It's time for him to shine again on an album by The Roots
or it's time for a solo album.

The man is one of the best of all time and his talent
should be on display for all to hear with great music.

>Almost feels like I'm insulting Quest when I type that, but
>it feels like its been forever since Black Thought was the
>prominent rhymer on Roots albums. Based on his features in
>recent years, Black Thought going solo (for the most part) on
>a Roots album is what I want to hear the most.
>
>Once again, sorry if that comes across as insulting to you
>15.

15 is a big boy and we aren't that important anyway.

LULZ at you thinking you will "insult" him by saying you want more Thought.

He's read that here for years.

A lot of you guys are straight up weirdos when it comes to ?uest.

You will sh!t on anyone and everyone, but because ?uest comes in here occasionally ya'll are afraid to even state an opinion that isn't buried in 3 or 4 apologies?

You don't have to repent for wanting more Black Thought.

Strange.

I'm excited for this next one.

Wasn't feeling their last album at all, so I hope this is a return to form for them.

No word on Chris Difford - but I'm excited for either/both to collaborate with The Roots.

And I wonder where that Squeeze tribute record is.

squeeze was in town

we covered an awesome "cool for cats" backing 2008 w J'davey for fun

Excellent.

I always loved that song. Hard to imagine without a Cockney accent though. Gotta hear your take!

as far as production goes. Not giving this as a suggestion, just saying that yhis record seems like a Illadelph/TFA throwback and I wonder what somebody hungry could come up with.

I would happily wear that crown.

Let the best verse win!

That would be dope as hell. I know they won't do it but man it could be great if they locked in.

(No disrespect intended.)

The Roots’ musical output between 2010-2014 generated a lot of mixed reactions among fans, largely due to the conceptual nature of the albums and lack of Black Thought.

This will be The Roots' first record without Nichols as executive producer, and I think it will signal a shift in their recording dynamic. There is a very telling Black Thought interview from 2014 where he speaks on the recording process of ATYSYC, Undun, HIGO… and how Rich, Dice Raw and P.O.R.N. were the "recording nucleus" of the group during that period:

"Well we don’t really record together per se, you know. My manager, Richard Nichols, who also executive produces a lot of The Roots stuff, he works with Greg P.O.R.N., who’s an MC who’s always featured on Roots albums, and Dice Raw, Karl Dice Jenkins, who is just pretty much my writing partner, the three of them collaborate often on music that will become The Roots music before it’s officially Roots music. They’ll collaborate, as far as what their ideas are, for beats that may or may not work, and Dice will start coming up with choruses, and he’ll try and come up with a verse of his own, and P.O.R.N. usually comes up with one of the first verses out of our crew that I hear on any of our records. For all intensive purposes, they’re kind of like the – they’re the recording nucleus of The Roots. If we need to outsource a producer, or a musician, to get something right sonically, they’re kind of able to do that before Questlove and I have to approve everything or really come into the picture. Like I said, it’s an ongoing thing – whereas I’ve been working on this album – there’s some stuff that I recorded 6-8 months ago. Some beats that I’ve been listening to, a couple of different arrangements that I’ve been taking under consideration for the past year and a half or so. But, these – Rich Nichols, Dice Raw, Greg P.O.R.N., they’ve been actually working on this album for 3 years. It’s just weird. It’s a weird, dysfunctional – we’re like dysfunction junction… but it works out in the end, kind of thing."

https://rapverbiage.com/2014/03/08/black-thought/

And there is a VIBE interview from 2011 where Black Thought talks about having his lyrics "edited" by Nichols for the greater good of the concept of the record:

"Everything I originally submitted to Richard and the band had to be written over. Every verse that you hear on this record began as a different verse. Richard would manipulate those words so they would fit into the concept. He switched them around in a way that I could rock with. But nine times out of ten I would have issues with his editing. Everyone, including Questlove had to deal with being edited. We all had to learn how to take outside criticism."

Perhaps (hopefully) this new record will be less constrictive and more... liberating? For the longest time, I have been wanting a more organic Roots album where the entire band is simply recording together in the same room. And from what I’ve seen on Instagram over these past few days, it looks like this may actually be happening finally.

thanks for that blurb.

I didn't know that but makes a lot of sense for the past couple records.

And I, like you, am glad that they at least apparently will be throwing back to the old strategies for the new joint.

I like the hooks he writes I just don't always like him singing them. As much as I like Dice Raw, I don't want him to be the main ingredient in a Roots album. If this album is just Thought spitting over dope beats I think I will be happy.

Just straight up bad.

I gave Undun a spin the other week to see if I could get into it...it was worse than I remembered.

Yeah it's boring and the concept is generic...


But the WORST part of that album is Dice's hooks by far. Cringe-worthy corny.

I didn't mean for that to come across pr!ck-ish.


No snark, I am genuinely curious though- what are some good hooks on Undun?

I'll give you Tip the Scale right off that bat. That track is dope, my favorite on the album and frankly the only song I can stand on that album sometimes.

The rest?

I'm legit curious what others you think are good.

but maybe that's just me

A questionable self help group or
anti-depressant to me.

Or like a spoof on a sitcom theme
from the early 90s...

I don't get it.

That's the only one that stands out, and that's easily my favorite song on the album.

How I Got Over
Never Leave You Alone
Rising Down
Understand
One time
Already saw you don't like Lighthouse but I do

And some solo records, which I'm guessing you wouldn't like either. Keep in mind some of these are for his own musical/not very hip hop.

Baby Come Home
1995
Run
Thin Air
Over

Not saying he's Michael Jackson or anything but I don't think he's terrible at writing hooks. Depending on the song, I don't mind him singing them, but I think he sings too many.

"I'm twenty-two, catch
In the prime of my life,
I don't have time to be a wife"

https://twitter.com/MeeshUniVerSoul
https://instagram.com/soul.con.fusion/

"She was on that tip about stoppin' the violence
About my people she was teachin' me..."

nah, but questlove instagrammed a pic today or yesterday that i think related to the album.

He's been posting some stuff from Diamond Mine Studios (Truth & Soul/Daptone/etc. cats...)
As well as some stuff with Stro Elliot.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.philly.com/philly/columnists/dan_deluca/questlove-black-thought-roots-partners-endgame-picnic-20170525.html%3Famphtml%3Dy

>https://www.google.com/amp/www.philly.com/philly/columnists/dan_deluca/questlove-black-thought-roots-partners-endgame-picnic-20170525.html%3Famphtml%3Dy

and will continue to do so.

Dope that BT is still working on the solo....hopefully someone get these guys to hit the stop recording button and put these albums out.

as for the Black Thought solo album...9th wonder is involved...

>as for the Black Thought solo album...9th wonder is
>involved...

Come on man! Are we really going to go from live drums to stiff as fruity loop bullshit?

I honestly have no faith in this solo album ever coming out but if he does it at this point he needs to go 100% classic hip-hop because that's what his core fans are waiting for. No one else is checking for it anyway. He needs to go Black Album route and get the BEST beat from the BEST producers.

I know you're not a fan of DAMN., but does the quality of Duckworth make you reconsider your thoughts of 9th's music?

9th's Production is perfect for Tariq...

I expect Statik Selectah to be involved on the project as well...

Those beats are the same stiff 9th production as always.

I'm just not a fan.

Kendrick killed that joint and I wish it had different production.

>>as for the Black Thought solo album...9th wonder is
>>involved...
>
>Come on man! Are we really going to go from live drums to
>stiff as fruity loop bullshit?
>
>I honestly have no faith in this solo album ever coming out
>but if he does it at this point he needs to go 100% classic
>hip-hop because that's what his core fans are waiting for. No
>one else is checking for it anyway. He needs to go Black Album
>route and get the BEST beat from the BEST producers.


100% classic hip hop and then mention Black Album as an example for the best beats

smfh

The Black Album has some outstanding production.

Threat was cool, but definitely in the "best of the rest" list that includes a trash ass beat for Moment of Clarity, the just plain weird Justify My Thug and the horrendous Squirrel Fart clap/Kanye Spanish Bass Sound combo for Lucifer.

>RE: Uh... Dec 4, Encore, WMCIS, Change Clothes, 99 Probs, Allure, PSA, DOYS
>The Black Album has some outstanding production.
>
>Threat was cool, but definitely in the "best of the rest" list
>that includes a trash ass beat for Moment of Clarity, the just
>plain weird Justify My Thug and the horrendous Squirrel Fart
>clap/Kanye Spanish Bass Sound combo for Lucifer.

I said Thought needs to execute the original idea of The Black Album which was get 12 of the best producers and get one beat from each.

Jay didn't even end up going that route.

It's a casual shoe collab with Clear Weather.

http://www.ubiqlife.com/clearweather-x-black-thought-jones-c-cmo18004.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NEW%20ARRIVALS%20ubiq%20June%206&utm_term=BIG%20OPENERS

...because I didn't until now. Clean but too expensive but once they hit the sales racks might cop.

http://www.okayplayer.com/music/9th-wonder-and-salaam-remi-are-executive-producing-the-roots-next-album.html

Not even Salaam who's worked on some albums in the recent past which have been really good? (Life is Good)

If you're concerned about quiet drums, there's a zero percent chance that Quest releases an album without drums that knock.

Or do you think that the themes of the albums might not be the same as albums the group has made in the past?

15's comment in that thought freestyle thread got me hype, and he didn't even really say anything.

And they have a couple hunnid songs that they have to cut down on. Other than that, we don’t have any clue as to what’s going next

the first 30 seconds at least.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl9LWdzDUG8&list=RDAMVMDl9LWdzDUG8


**********
"Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson

"what's a leader if he isn't reluctant"

But really though with this album. This thread is almost 4 years old.

in this new era of the tonight show, it would have been easier for them to release records with a more regular cadence, given that their schedules maybe have more consistency these days
I would think it would be advantageous to do so as well, given the platform they have
but who knows?

Theyre doing fine touring without new music. Black Thought has put out 2 EPs in the time this album was supposed to come out. Maybe that says something too.

>Theyre doing fine touring without new music.

But man, i could not be less interested. That setlist is pretty formulaic at this point. I mean they still perform impeccably and it still blows their audiences away, I'm sure. It's a fun show. But as an older head, I'm not investing that time and money to see the same Roots show again and again.

But im also probly not a good barometer. I've really bee whittling down the shows i see these days. Like:
do you have an AOTY candidate?
have i seen you before?

If thats a "yes" followed by a "no" - ok ill be there.
if its a mixed bag, i'll be on the fence, but probly not gonna pull the trigger
If its a "no" followed by a "yes" - yaaa, ima stay my ass home.

I've been doing the same. Roots shows are just good shows period though. So even though I've seen them many times I'll still go again. BT has been doing some of his solo stuff which is cool.

And tbh I've kind of put them into the "used to be my favorite but fell off" bucket. I dont really have high expectations of them releasing a great album anymore. So if they just play the stuff I like I'm fine with it.

>And tbh I've kind of put them into the "used to be my favorite
>but fell off" bucket. I dont really have high expectations of
>them releasing a great album anymore.

but man &TYSYC is a dark, brilliant, artistic, boundary pushing, haunting, beautiful album IMO.
they put that out and I was like DIP, hoping they would just start putting out art records like that every other year now that they're kinda taken care of financially with fallon and can just be like "fuck a single"
and then ....crickets.

They've been doing Fallon for a decade now, and in that time they've dropped:

How I Got Over
Wake Up! (w/ John Legend)
Betty White: The Movie
Booker T: The Road From Memphis
Undun
Wise Up Ghost (w/ Elvis Costello)
...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin

plus two Black Thought EPs...plus the Money Makin' Jam Boys mixtape...

...plus consistent touring...to say nothing of the jam sessions they were doing heavily early on in the gig...

...plus they had already done 10-12 albums (depending on how you wanna count 'em) BEFORE the Fallon gig.

It's not like they haven't been active. They may not be making the Roots albums you might prefer, but let's not act like they've gone ghost since they got jobs.

In another sense, it misses the point entirely, given that this thread is specifically about a “roots” album - which, despite all that other output, is a scarce commodity- there’s no two ways about that

Still not terrible

2014 was a long time ago.

But also a bit of a misleading stat
Those albums are front loaded in that decade
We’re coming up on 5 years in May since the last record

Khruangbin would be great to fold into The Roots' sound.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.app.com/amp/2562884001

The Roots' Black Thought says new music in 2020: 'I want it to be received as high art.'

And they could feel some type about me or anyone beating that dead horse so long as they know they’ve been doing the same with the line up.

I got faith though...I believe this will be in their Top 5 albums this time.

If anything the delay means the band is paying attention to all the details and crafting and honing until the songs match the sound they intend.

Looking forward to it regardless.

It was PHENOMENAL!

---

https://twitter.com/MeeshUniVerSoul


"She was on that tip about stoppin' the violence
About my people she was teachin' me..."

15 said the production on that EP is more wild and unique than the other two.

But there hasn't been news on a release date.

i liked 2 more than 1 overall but the most fire song is still 9th v Thought.

I unintentionally have it memorized.

Unless I'm missing something it didn't get announced anywhere. Looks to be the teaser 15 posted on his instagram a while back.

https://music.apple.com/us/album/feel-it-you-got-it-feat-tish-hyman-single/1488902390

https://open.spotify.com/album/4jgxBWz040kVlEhj1Oke3n

.

No track with Thought spitting is “trash” IMO.

very disappointing especially after this interview:

https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/11/13/roots-black-thought-says-new-music-2020-i-want-received-high-art/2562884001/

normally I'd hold off judgement until after hearing the entire album... but their track record as of late is so lackluster that I'm not getting my hopes up

not feeling the hook.

we sure its for the album?

I hope not, because sheesh...its...not good.

they are Jimmy Fallon's band

a few times a year they perform nostalgic jams we loved in concert. that's it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRvyFTLnu-E

i can see why people might not be satisfied with it but it sounds good to me.

what I wamt to hear

I liked the teaser from Quest in that IG live.

This seems like the upbeat/optimistic feeling single that’s been on their albums. Idk why, but I’ve always loved their more mellow or darker stuff, yet there’s been these upbeat (for lack of a better term) songs that usually turn out to be my favorites from them.

?uestion for y’all - why do you think it came out of nowhere with no kind of promo? It’s not even on OKP as an article.

With this release, when do you think the album will roll out? I’m assuming March (fingers crossed). This singe in Nov, one in Dec/Jan, and possibly the last in Feb, then we get the full project mid-March. I hope...


---

https://twitter.com/MeeshUniVerSoul


"She was on that tip about stoppin' the violence
About my people she was teachin' me..."

And please bare with me since my musical vocabulary is most likely off, but; the way the last phrase of the melody resolves throughout the main part of the song keep throwing me off... you know how it’s like, “do do do do do do duu DO!” four times? My brain wants the 4th time to resolve as “DU.” rather than “DO!” God, I hope someone gets what I’m trying to say.

The song has been stuck in my head pretty much throughout these last few days, thus driving me to listen to it frequently throughout the day. It’s growing on me!

One more thing - I can’t hear Tish’s voice in this song at all. The only reference I have of her voice is from BT’s song from last year’s Streams Of Thought 2. In this, I hear only BT singing the chorus. Do I need new headphones or sumn????


---

https://twitter.com/MeeshUniVerSoul


"She was on that tip about stoppin' the violence
About my people she was teachin' me..."

and this belongs to some other project.

I want The Roots to make an album that the whole music community listens to and feels the same way about, talks about it with the same excitement and joy that we talked about the last Tribe album.

There is an album inside The Roots band that they haven’t made yet
that gets talked about like that.
I don’t think Things Fall Apart is that album because there’s not even a consensus that TFA is their best album.

We know Black Thought can deliver the lyrics for this album (his 2 EPs, features, Flex).
Can Quest and Black and the band put together the music that allows him to be the man that can pen the words for this album?

---

https://twitter.com/MeeshUniVerSoul


"She was on that tip about stoppin' the violence
About my people she was teachin' me..."

Meaning I think (EYE. ME. MY OPINION) that the band hasn't been as good since the departure of certain members. Granted I haven't listened to a Roots album in full since....Tipping Point? So maybe my opinion is fucked...and you're right. Maybe the album hasn't been made yet.

>Granted I
>haven't listened to a Roots album in full since....Tipping
>Point?

>RE: shit doesn't grab me

*************************************

Fuck aliens

-Warriorpoet415

#2dopebrothersandastackofwax

https://www.instagram.com/bobgeorge87

https://www.instagram.com/thirtythree.three/

It should be a sure bet that a Roots album is going to be incredible.

Its not though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9_bEV07IEo

Citizens Bank brings Made Ready to life with a video set to The Roots’ new song, Feel It (You Got It).
We collaborated with Questlove and The Roots to inspire a song celebrating unique journeys, passions, and pursuits, titled Feel It (You Got It). Working with renowned director Alan Ferguson, we developed a video using crowd-sourced content and footage from our Made Ready for Music event, where Questlove debuted the song live at his high school alma mater, The Philadelphia High School For Creative & Performing Arts.

Feel It (You Got It) is available on The Roots’ page on Spotify®, Tidal®, YouTube Music®, and Apple Music®.

Wherever your journey takes you, Citizens Bank is here for you along the way. You’re made ready and so are we.™

To learn how Citizens Bank can help you along your journey, visit: https://www.citizensbank.com/made-rea...

To hear about Questlove’s journey in his own words, visit: http://spr.ly/60561rAfQ

Shrugs

IDC about the roots anymore after the "shoot your cousin" album

https://www.okayplayer.com/culture/questlove-roots-breakup-jemele-hill.html

Questlove Talks About the Closest The Roots Have Come to Breaking Up

CULTURE


TORRY THREADCRAFT

Torry Threadcraft is a contributing writer at Okayplayer

Questlove joined Jemele Hill is Unbothered to talk his musical journey, the music industry, and more.

In the latest episode of Spotify’s Jemele Hill is Unbothered podcast, Questlove joined the show to talk about his musical upbringing, his experiences in the music industry so far, and a lot more. Stream the full episode below.

Just over 40 minutes into the conversation, Questlove revealed the closest The Roots have come to breaking up. After 14 studio albums, the group has endured many peaks and valleys.

“The inside joke is this album, Endgame, will probably the first album where I didn’t threaten to leave the group,” he said, holding back his laughter. “The rest of The Roots will say that I hold the record for the longest (holdout)…after three records, it’s like ‘The Little Boy Who Cried Wolf,’ like yeah, he’ll be back next month, don’t worry about him.”


According to Quest the closest moment occurred in the process of recording their third album.

“During Illadelph Halflife, we didn’t exactly have a conversation about evolving. Longtime Roots fans will know like, ‘this album sounds this way, and this album different than the album before.’…I think at the beginning of Illadelph Halflife, I was the last to know that Tariq and Malik desired to rhyme over a more traditional hip-hop backdrop. And after a while, it was like ‘wait a minute? Am I the bad guy here? Did I kill my own group? Are you saying the live music angle is what’s killing us right now? It’s my fault? I took it mad personal.”

Luckily for us, the misunderstanding was resolved shortly thereafter. Illadelph Halflife was a success, peaking at number four on the United States Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Billboard charts. The album is widely considered one of the best rap releases of its time.

looking forward to listneing

End Game is corny as fuck.


I always loved "This too shall pass...."

Sounds like a Roots title too.

Especially in light, the grief they collectively felt after Richard Nichols passed likely affected the recording of this new album.

Ahmir says this towards the end of his guest spot on Mark Ronson's podcast(at the hour and 18 minute mark), which is a really good episode by the way, heavy on Phrenology talk
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4mdg5usmhScAq0Uzs4lsmh

I'll believe it on my 5th run thru of the the album

...listening to the album?


disbelief?

noun Rhetoric.
(1) obvious and intentional exaggeration.
(2) an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity.”

yep

At this point, they need to just rename it "WandaVision" or
"The Falcon and the Winter Soldier".

I think the strategy a lot of acts have adopted of just announcing the project like a week or two before the album drops at the most, is a better fit for today’s music listeners.

as folks who haven't learned this lesson.


TDE hasn't dropped anything noteworthy in a minute...tried to build hype over some mystery release for weeks...it ended up being just a single for Isaiah Rashad...and a fairly shitty one at that.

Monch is another one. He had snippets of trailers for longer trailers for a video of single etc for weeks leading up to his rock album. And now? crickets.

https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.72222/title.questlove-provides-update-on-the-roots-next-album-its-a-return-to-form#signup

QUESTLOVE PROVIDES UPDATE ON THE ROOTS’ NEXT ALBUM: 'IT'S A RETURN TO FORM'

EXCLUSIVE – The Roots drummer and Academy Award-winning director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson has provided an update on the Philly group’s next album.

Speaking to HipHopDX in a recent interview, the multi-talented artist — who’s the current face of a new Gold Peak Iced Tea campaign — talked about the highly anticipated follow-up to 2014’s …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin. As he explained, winning an Oscar for Summer Of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) was a speed bump he never saw coming — a welcome speed bump but a speed bump nonetheless.

“Here’s the weird thing,” he said. “In a normal world, I would’ve done this film, it would’ve came out and I would’ve promoted it for maybe eight to 12 weeks. And then, once it’s done its thing, then it’s over. And of course, a funny thing happened was that Disney’s like, ‘Hey, this is Oscar caliber.’ And I’m like, ‘Huh? You sure?’

“And so, that part of my life, I didn’t plan. I mean, I’m glad it happened, but what it did do was it pushed our album back from happening. So right now, there is a very short window before I start my second movie.”

Questlove was referring to his next documentary about soul icon Sly Stone of Sly and The Family Stone, which he begins shooting in October. So technically, The Roots have roughly two months to finish the project.

“I have a short window now to just knock it out,” he said. “And so we’re doing a bunch of dates right now. As soon as we get back from Japan in August, I’m just going to It took us two weeks to do Organix. It took us three months to do Do You Want More?!!?!

“We’ve been working on this album for six years, so I’ll say that we’re 60 percent done. And the fact that it still sounds good, even after six years of starting and stopping, that’s how timeless it is, and it’s a return to form.”

As for Questlove’s latest endeavor as the face of Gold Peak Iced Tea, there’s a deeper meaning behind it — it’s not just about an endorsement for him.

“The messaging was really important,” he explained. “I mean, I say no all the time. You can’t even fathom the amount of people that have come like, ‘Yo, you want to do…’ First of all, I actually drink Gold Peak, so there’s that. But it’s also the messaging of getting out of your comfort zone.

“My thing was like, ‘If I do this, I got to plant a seed of something that I believe in in the messaging of it all.’ And it’s not just about, ‘Hey kids, I use this product and you should too.’

He continued, “So for me, the whole messaging of like getting out of your comfort zone was really important. I was like, ‘Yeah, let me do something that I’ve never done before.’ And we made a list of stuff. My manager was hella afraid of me with a blow torch. But I was like, ‘No, I got this.'”

Check back with HipHopDX later this week for Part II of the Questlove interview.

Maybe the upcoming deadline is a source of urgency to get the album done? But I'm guessing it won't fully ready before ?uest goes to shoot his next film, and we'll have to wait a bit (maybe another year or so) later.

But let me say that if the deadline comes and goes without an album, I'll be disappointed but fully supportive of ?uest. For someone who didn't even like shooting videos for *his own group* to have a studio urging him to shoot projects *he* selects is great to see as a fan of his and the group.

https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/the-roots-hip-hop-hall-of-fame-interview-1236320402/



Music


R&B/Hip-Hop


Why The Roots Remain One of Hip-Hop’s Most Groundbreaking Acts: ‘The Curiosity Is Still There’


Billboard's 2026 Hip-Hop Hall of Fame honorees on the enduring success of the Roots Picnic, what they've learned playing for Jimmy Fallon and why Jay-Z is "a regular guy like us."


By Carl Lamarre


8/21/2026


“You can leave the lights off,” Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson says. It’s 9:45 a.m. in New York, and the seemingly tireless musical polymath — and cofounder, with Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, of hip-hop collective The Roots — is in desperate need of a power nap. A whirlwind summer has finally drained his battery.

This summer alone, The Roots hosted the 16th edition of their blockbuster Roots Picnic headlined by Erykah Badu and Jay-Z — in his first major solo performance in seven years, and his only one this year outside of his Yankee Stadium shows; Thompson premiered his critically acclaimed Earth, Wind & Fire documentary; the group returned to the Montreux Jazz Festival more than three decades after its debut there and performed for the opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago — all on top of its 17-years-­running gig as Jimmy Fallon’s late-night house band. “I’ll probably look at 2026 as our best bucket-list summer we’ve ever had,” says Thompson, 55.




For more than three decades, Thompson and his longtime creative partner Trotter have inspired each other to keep the same childlike sense of discovery that took root when they first met as big-­dreaming teenagers at the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. Starting with their 1999 breakthrough, Things Fall Apart, The Roots have released a string of acclaimed albums and picked up three Grammy Awards — and while the group’s lineup has changed over the years, Thompson and Trotter have remained the constants that both anchor it and continually expand its reach.


“The brand is greater than its parts,” adds Trotter, 52. “It’s a beautiful thing, and it’s something you’re only able to achieve over time.”

The Roots have certainly mastered the art of longevity, enjoying a rare degree of creative freedom and commercial success along the way. They have also endured profound loss, including the death in 2014 of the group’s longtime producer and co-manager Richard Nichols. But in the years since, The Roots rediscovered the creative spark that first brought them together. With the guidance of longtime manager and Live Nation Urban president Shawn Gee, Thompson and Trotter tell Billboard they are preparing to release the long-awaited Endgame, The Roots’ first studio album in more than a decade.

With the project nearing completion, Thompson and Trotter say that Endgame is a return to the free-flowing jam sessions that once defined The Roots’ creative process. The group is still chasing the feeling that captivated them as teenagers: pure curiosity.






Billboard: You guys have been together since 1989. In a genre where even some of the greatest groups eventually break up, what has made the bond between you so strong?





Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter: We’ve been together for such a long time. What else would I consider at this point, right? Long before I met my wife or thought about having children, this relationship, band and dynamic existed. This is something that stood the test of time. There’s no shortcut to that.

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson: Our first gig, the Montreux Jazz Festival, we were a last-minute addition. This was ’94. For it to come full-circle 32 years later and we did (it) this (past July), I kept saying, “Wow. We’re the same two high school kids who had a janky four-track recorder and a Casio SK-1 trying to figure out how to take two rocks and make fire. And here we are.” We’re still those 15-year-olds maintaining that (love for the music). Every time I see units and guys saying, “We gotta go solo,” I’m sure it’s the Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson effect of the highlight reel. But we’ve learned that groups and collaborations are probably the wisest way to set a legacy. The solo thing is an illusion because you still need people on the team to do that. That’s what kept us together.


Trotter: We’re still very much fans of the game, and the curiosity is still there. We’ve had so many “We’ve arrived” moments that it’s so hard to count. Everything feels like a new beginning.





Billboard: How have you guys maintained this level of prestige while never compromising your creative principles?




Trotter: By compromising. (Laughs.)

Thompson: We’ve always trusted the focus group aspect. You can just gauge people’s reactions to things, but also, when you create something, do you get goose bumps hearing it? Does something excite you? And probably the standards have changed. We get better with rejection. I take that less personal now, and it helps me come back with something better. We still care about the product at the end of the day and contrary to popular belief, we still care about success. We’re a business now. We’re still creating and that should count for something.




Billboard: You guys have expanded The Roots far beyond your music — whether it’s (online community) Okayplayer, The Roots Picnic or your gig with Jimmy Fallon. How have you ensured music stays at the center of everything, even without dropping albums constantly?






Thompson: I’ve learned that we’re in the creativity game and not necessarily the music game. When we in 2009, that’s when I observed that all talents are transferable. This doesn’t mean (that) if you’re good at driving an 18-wheeler truck, tomorrow you’ll be able to fly an Air Force pilot jet but just observing and seeing how creators create or being able to spy on Martha Stewart at The Tonight Show and see what kind of sandwiches she’s making or watching comedians punch up a joke empowered us.





Billboard: When did you realize The Roots had grown into something much bigger than just making records?





Trotter: The last couple of years at The Roots Picnic in Philly. The fact that we’ve been able to expand. We began doing the festival where The Roots would sometimes do two, three sets during the course of the day to keep moving the dial forward. Now we’re at a place where the ecosystem it brings to the city of Philadelphia, the scale it’s grown to, and the fact that there are die-hard Roots Picnic attendees who aren’t necessarily Roots fans — that represents something.

Thompson: I learned that lesson in 2000. The beginning of Okayplayer was The Roots’ website. One day (former group member) Rahzel was on the discussion board and said, “I see this like a playground or a mall, and you guys own a bunch of stores. You can rent out a store to Erykah (Badu), D’Angelo, etc.” Once we ramped up in 2000 and (D’Angelo’s) Voodoo came out, I was a little weirded out. I was like, “Why are people coming in here and they don’t even know this is our coffee table?”

Trotter: Like, how you gon’ diss me on my own s–t? (Laughs.)

Thompson: Right. If there was one regret I had, there was a good hot minute where our site was the destination for almost every journalist to write these stories. It would have been social media. At one point, it became a social system for music minus us. I felt some sort of way about that for at least two years and realized that’s almost the meaning of life. Once you create something and leave it, it can run on its own without your (help).

Trotter: You want your kids to be self-sufficient. This is definitely that way with The Roots Picnic. I think that’s the American dream. Now that I get that’s what real legacy is, then I’m fine with it. The rule is just show up and be ready.






Billboard: Do you think there’s still room for popular hip-hop driven by lyricism and live instrumentation?





Trotter: Absolutely. I think that’s where the most potential lies, right? There’s space for everything to exist. There’s definitely a place where lyricism and true musicianship are going to be more than enough. Is that the consensus or the standard? Not at all. It’s a personal preference. If you’re into lyricism and your musicianship is where it needs to be, that’s just for you and whoever you work with. And then if you invest so much into it that you take it personally when it’s not received as such, yeah, then that’s when people hit these hard bumps in the road and don’t feel like it’s safe to create. I think all that factors in.





Billboard: Jay-Z chose The Roots Picnic for his first major performance in seven years. How did that moment compare with your Unplugged performance with him on MTV in 2001?





Thompson: This was probably more fun. With Unplugged, we were really just feeling each other out. What taught me was that he’s a regular guy like us. This time around, he was overly enthusiastic about the 30th anniversary , which I wasn’t ready for. I thought he was just going to be at a level where he’ll have his folks call me and I’ll put something together. He’s hitting us up at 7 a.m. like, “What we doing?”

There were points where I didn’t seem excited enough, and he was like, “Are you in this?” So I was like, “Let me come up with some ideas and stuff.” But the big takeaway of putting both (performances) together is the importance of legacy and the history of it all. There was a period where I looked at our catalog and thought, “Maybe 30 years from now, somebody will see how much painstaking work we put into this.” It made me want to look at our work with the same reverence because oftentimes when things are in the 20-year cycle, it’s so hard to get people to celebrate themselves. We still struggle with calling this game art form or seeing it as art as opposed to survival.




Billboard: You’ve worked with Jimmy Fallon for well over a decade now. What has late-night tv taught you about continuing to evolve as musicians?





Trotter: Remaining like water as creatives and performers in the game. The cue-card guys have to be ready for whatever. Cameras 1, 2, 3 have to be ready. A stand-up comic is coming out there, and you may have all your bullet points in front of you and think you have it all figured out, but you have to remain malleable in that performance. The people who stood the test of time are the ones that give a damn about what they do and who consider whatever they do as an art form. If you’re a videographer, that is your art. Being up there every day and getting to interact with the cream of the crop of all these different genres, fields and places they have to offer is contagious.

Thompson: I know it’s a hell of a flex to say, but no Olympic-level athlete or sports champion really gets to that place unless they put time in the gym. Between ’94 and 2008, I would be shocked if you can at least mark us having rehearsal 15 times. No. 1, our shows were mammoth, sometimes two-and-a-half-hours-long. There’s sound checks and constant jam sessions, so we were always in a constant state to play, but we never rehearsed.

Trotter: We kind of pride ourselves in that.

Thompson: That always prepared us to be ready at any given moment, but there is something to be said about going to the woodshed and practicing your craft. So I consider The Tonight Show 11 musicians doing eight to 10 hours a week in the gym because the thing is, our shows have been better than they’ve ever been. And yeah, any job can get monotonous, but we’ve never not played 10 hours a week — minus the pandemic — since 2008. Being in a position where we have to write eight-second themes is a very, very hard thing to do and also just observing how rhythm and timing work, how punch lines and setups land, all that we can apply to where we are now. This is definitely our Beatles in Hamburg, Malcolm Gladwell period.


Trotter: Ten thousand hours be damned. We’re past that.


This story appears in the Aug. 22, 2026, issue of Billboard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUWuaD1RABU

The Roots join Billboard for a Hip Hop panel conversation covering their 2026 Hip-Hop Hall of Fame moment, four decades of brotherhood, and what’s next—including updates on the long-teased project “Endgame.” Black Thought and Questlove also talk the “secret sauce” behind their creative synergy, how fans are giving Thought his flowers in the algorithm era, Roots Picnic’s massive growth, and why “creativity is transferable.”

Plus: studio stories (including how deep the vault really goes), the “no spoilers” approach to features, and a throwback to performing at the 2002 Grammys with Eminem.

00:00:00 The Roots + Hall of Fame Intro
00:02:22 Living in the Present (Secret Sauce)
00:05:58 Breakbeats, “Ooh-Aah” Origins & Musical Roots
00:08:30 Endgame, Perfectionism & The Song Vault
00:10:37 Fast Creation: Busking to Studio Workflow
00:13:00 2002 Grammys With Eminem + “America’s Band”
00:15:34 Roots Picnic Growth + Going Global
00:18:31 Leadership Lessons + Still Having Fun
00:21:09 9th Wonder Collab + Philly Respect Talk
00:26:30 Philly Fan Advice + Defining The Legacy