I can still never figure out why it takes 2 people to write their articles...

*shrug*

http://www.eurweb.com//articles/headlines/02042002/headlines558302042002.cfm

QUEST SHOWS US SOME LOVE
Roots drummer tells us what's up.
by Ricardo Hazell (additional reporting by Chianti Phillips)

The Roots
(Feb. 4, 2002) *The current neo-soul growth is bringing many closet Hip-Hop lovers out into the dawn's early light. There are artists out there whose musical genius cannot be held back by the confines of "what's hot."
Some would argue that the Roots are responsible for bringing the underground sound once reserved for coffee shop chicks and breakdancing kids to the masses. We had the absolute pleasure of running into Roots drummer Questlove at a recent event and he agreed to talk for a spell.

"Hello, I'm Questlove, chairman and founder of the Roots," said Quest as he introduced himself.

The primary subject that was on his mind was record label exploitation of artists.

"The record industry is not designed to benefit the artist. It's designed to benefit the label, but the Roots will not be stopped. Even through clenched teeth we will continue to promote, to the best of our ability, our sixth opus entitled "Phrenology." That will be June 29, 2002." (For those that are not knowing, phrenology is the study of the skull, based on the belief that it is indicative of mental faculties and character.)

Whenever the Roots come out with a work, people listen. They've been given the honor of going home with a Grammy and the whole nine, but Questlove says things are still hard most of the time.

"Anything I put my name is going to be done to the best of my ability. Sometimes it feels like you're doing this thing in vain, and you're not getting the proper respect ... but it's just part of the bump and grind associated with the record label. At the end of the day the legacy I leave behind is important to me. I won't let my personal gripes come between my product and my label."

Even though Questlove is a musical purist, a brother gotta eat sometime. When we ran into him it was on the set of a Coca-Cola commercial he is involved in. The new Coca-Cola commercial series is geared toward the neo-soul movement.

" shooting three commercials for Coca-Cola. "They're doing a neoclassic series featuring music geared toward the neo-soul movement, of which we are a part of. You know, I'm honored to be here, I feel as though the Roots are the foundation of the neo-soul tree and I think it's a great opportunity to expose our artist, Jaguar, who's on our label. It has also given us a chance to work with the great choreographer, Fatima."

Hold up (wait-a-minute)! Jaguar Wright has been getting a lot of buzz ever since she began appearing with the Roots on several road occasions. Once upon a time they said "Who Is Jill Scott?" but this time Questlove is trying to make sure folks know about Jaguar.

"Jaguar Wright is an artist we developed in our Black Lily series, which is a showcase we have in Philly. She jumped on stage one night and took control ... it was as simple as that. We do this every weekend in Philly at a place called the Five Spot. We built Black Lily as a place to try to nurture home talent and develop them. It's through the Black Lily workshop that we are able to help people grow. A lot of artists don't even come out with demos. They do background parts on other people's album and the next thing you know pushing them out on stage to go on tour. There's really no development, no preparation. , we just provided her with a background where she could practice her skills."

And practice she did. Jaguar Wright's new CD was recently released on MCA Records. Meanwhile, look out for the Roots' Coca-Cola commercial as well.

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