It's odd how popular live instrumentation during concerts has gotten yet there is not a hip hop (that I know of. I could be very mistaken) that uses live instruments as part of their standard sound besides The Roots. I guess you could count Robert Glasper. But that group doesn't have an MC perse, like Thought. He just has MCs rotate in and out of the lineup.

Granted, The Roots is made up of some legendary musicians who have touched many genres with great music. So, the likelihood of a group meeting with not only the interest but the talent and skill to pull off what The Roots do is very small.

But you'd figure some aspiring hip-hop head would pull his boys (and gals) together and form a group.

Thanks

are you talking about the group with the album "First Fruit" or are you talking about someone else? If so, what is an album of theirs?

Peace
Doitall76

I think they're first album at least was self titled, Chris Daddy Dave is the drummer for the group. The lead emcee is Kay (remember him from some of his appearances on Nicolay's solo albums, especially There)

thanks for that, I forgot about that one. Your clue reminded me that I had it. It was called Forever Behind the Music.

Peace
Doitall76

I couldn't remember the title but that's the one

not sure, but seems like they might have

than it is to find a beatmaker. At least that's my theory.

It's more difficult getting three or four or five musicians on the same page over the course of recording an album than one beatmaker working with an MC on one song.

Plus, the money for a show is split multiple ways rather than the whole sum going to the MC. Money talks... (as you well already know)

...?uest, Black Thought, Hub, Kamal, Poysner and them would collaborate for one album.
THEN they'd all do their own solo projects.
OR they'd look for other people to do projects with.

Freddie Gibbs did projects with Madlib and Alchemist.
Snoop and Pharrell did an album.
Zo! & Tall Black Guy did an album.
Anderson Paak and Bruno Mars are doing an album.

It's all about one-off collaborations today.

All of them have solo projects.....dropped a record together....and are now in the rotation of solos again.

Not saying it works....but it is being completed by a band that isn't the Roots...but make pretty good music in their own right IMO.

Ha. Mad I didn't name The Internet cause they fit the example more than the ones I named.

https://youtu.be/sGCqVREL3wU

...they were a band like the Roots from out of Oakland. I played the above record SO MUCH when it dropped.

Anyhoo, it's gonna be hard to find multiple musicians when there's no band in school these days, add that it's easier to find a producer, and everyone wanting to shine and it equals little to no groups these days.

That said, I don't see a reason that a rapper wouldn't have a go with a couple of the groups out there. Why not form a real group with BadBadNotGood, The Free Nationals,El Michaels Affair or even the collective of people making music with Terrace Martin?!?

Or imagine a good rapper becoming a group with Flying Lotus & Thundercat?!?

It's probably some $$$ to be made that way right?

El Michaels
>Affair

Gibbs been doing live shows with them. Reportedly they were supposed to come out with a live version of Bandana with them too.


>Or imagine a good rapper becoming a group with Flying Lotus &
>Thundercat?!?

Agreed. I thought they were supposed to link up with Ish from Shabazz Palaces/Digable Planets to form WOKE..

The Roots were touring damn near year round until they got the late night gig. It was the only way to get paid because splitting them Geffen/MCA/Def Jam checks 5+ ways was nothing since they weren’t moving hella units.

who are coming out together in hip-hop. People don't want to split the checks multiple ways. If an MC wants that live band sound they can get musicians to tour with pretty easily. But a band like The Roots came up together, developed a signature sound together, etc., and that's just rare in these days.

bands are necessary. though, it would be nice they were more popular. bygone day mostly.

But to replicate the Roots sound - great hip hop mixes that 'bump' with live instruments and particularly live drums - is not easy at all IMO

bands and instruments are difficult. not to mention the level of talent to do all of that.

another aspect is that you can make music all alone. you don't 'need' other people in the way a band would. nobody to bounce ideas off of.

There have been other groups and posses but no one will ever approach Wu-Tang.


Thought is a GOD MC top 5 ever AND with a live band? Nope, lightning struck and that's what we got.

They aren't a rap band version of Wu-Tang everyone besides Quest & Thought can be replaced. The group wouldn't have even been sustainable if the show stopped for anyone besides Quest or Thought.

i hope not, their last two releases were deleted after 1 listen...that shit was a snoozefest made for "coffee shop chicks and white dudes"

I think the word in 2019 is that they were recording a new jawn. Hopefully it is better than the last one: i literally played that twice.

first year. I rarely ever go back to it, likely because it's really made to listen to beginning to end. It's also a pretty depressing story from a concept album perspective. I remember adding a couple joints like One Time and Make My to my workout playlist since they knock, but hearing that sad story doesn't really help while lifting heavy.

I didn't even realize it had been so long since they released an album. I don't even think I made it through And Then You Shoot Your Cousin one full time. I remembered them talking about another album a few years ago and never checked for it - I'd assumed it was out but looking at their discography that was End Game which never came out.

>first year. I rarely ever go back to it, likely because it's
>really made to listen to beginning to end. It's also a pretty
>depressing story from a concept album perspective. I remember
>adding a couple joints like One Time and Make My to my workout
>playlist since they knock, but hearing that sad story doesn't
>really help while lifting heavy.
>
>I didn't even realize it had been so long since they released
>an album. I don't even think I made it through And Then You
>Shoot Your Cousin one full time. I remembered them talking
>about another album a few years ago and never checked for it -
>I'd assumed it was out but looking at their discography that
>was End Game which never came out.

Organix (1993)
Do You Want More?!!!??! (1995)
Illadelph Halflife (1996)
Things Fall Apart (1999)
Phrenology (2002)
The Tipping Point (2004)
Game Theory (2006)
Rising Down (2008)
How I Got Over (2010)
Undun (2011)
...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin (2014)

Unless you're including the collab with Elvis Costello -- but I would consider that part of their albums discography, i'd put that in the same vein as the Wake Up and Betty Wright albums (i.e. collaborations, not The Roots-focused projects)

-thebigfunk

~ i could still snort you under the table ~

> Organix (1993)
> Do You Want More?!!!??! (1995)
> Illadelph Halflife (1996)
> Things Fall Apart (1999)
> Phrenology (2002)
> The Tipping Point (2004)
> Game Theory (2006)
> Rising Down (2008)
> How I Got Over (2010)
> Undun (2011)
> ...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin (2014)
>
>Unless you're including the collab with Elvis Costello -- but
>I would consider that part of their albums discography, i'd
>put that in the same vein as the Wake Up and Betty Wright
>albums (i.e. collaborations, not The Roots-focused projects)
>
>-thebigfunk
>
>~ i could still snort you under the table ~

I luv 'em both. To me, Akua is like a female Black Thought in terms of skill and thought-provoking rhymes over soulful live instrumentation-based music. Not only does she have a great live band on her records, she's performed with the likes of Terri Lynne Carrington and Eric Benet.

I love what JR and PVD have been doing recently by carrying the torch for Hip Hop and live instrumentation. They also bring guests such as Silent Knight, El Da Sensei, Sadat X.

N/m

Full album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYQxjSMFmT8

I remember this seeming like a growing trend around 2008, too - Heliocentrics is a band name I think of a lot, but am not sure I ever liked?


~~~~~~~~~
"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517
Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz

im glad to hear Quest talk about this at length when others ignore it