now, i aint talking about their little lay off to do some individual stuff, but i'm talking about the next album that will come out. now, it seems to me that the roots are starting to come out of their "underground" role. seems to me like they are gaining some momentum in becoming extremely popular and well known. now, i got no doubt that roots will forever keep their intergrity but what will happen to the roots' fans. will roots' fans be deterred by so called "fake" fans? will support continue on? i mean, i know i will forever be a roots fan no matter what happens. the reason i bring this up is because i was just thinking about the so called mainstream hip hop heads like dmx and jay-z. when dmx first came out he was all underground and a lotta people felt his ish. he had that raw style of his. i feel that he stuck by his guns and more people started to get into him and then he became of the mainstream. however, in my opinion, he still keeps his style and "rawness." so, what are your opinions on what will happen to the roots in the future. will the roots, common, etc. be the mainstream of tomorrow? will they be looked down upon like we do upon dmx and jay-z now? any responses would be greatly appreciated.

disclaimer: just a simple "what if?" question. don't look upon this as a "hater" post but as a subjective thought about the future of an amazing group of talent. i am and will forever be a fan no matter the outcome of the roots in their role in hip hop

lagism OUT

"I ran wit what G-d planted in my heart and I understand it" -Talib Kweli

Right now The Roots seem to have a lot to them that doesn`t exactly appeal to the mainstream. For example the fact, that they explore hip hop from corner to corner and don`t stick just to one style is something that confuses an average radio listener. About overlooking... dunno. Round where I live ppl were already talkin bout Roots selling ass and doing it for the dough when You Got Me was out with 50+ contributors. I don`t think so, though. IMO it`s rather another milestone. I`m also pleased that they still push forward with cats like Dice instead of trying to grab more famous quests...

I don't understand why the slightest modicum of noteriety has to automatically mean a "sell out"... especially when a person or group has an established and long standing history of integrity (and the resulting adversity to back it up)... i understand what your saying about the "non-roots fans" clouding up shows and "diluting" the vibe, but thats a dangerous angle to start on... technically, unless you been at South & Fitzwater on more than one saturday, your one of those people yourself. but for us, who are just damn happy the group is still together, the original vibe of inclusiveness still prevails... as commercial as some hip-hop is (which would make it seem like "we the people next door, that's why you wanna hear our sounds) it's all about bein' exclusive from everybody else (i got money, you don't, i got females, you don't etc)... the philly vibe is all about yo, this is us, and we gonna take it to wherever it goes...

PoZi (;=

Yeah, mean, anyone able to come up with a qualified definition for a "real fan"? The difference between a guy who buys records just to listen to something in his car on his way to work and someone who buys the album the 1st day and passes through every last note there is surprisingly wavering. Which one`s more valuable to the band? Hell, I wouldn`t say loyalty is the meter here. That can be sick too. If I were big putting records out and had no economical problems I`d hate fans who`ll buy "any shit they release." Ok, who cares?

unless you consider "paul's boutique" and the bomb squad commercial......

then...

lemme keep my mouth shut.







THE SOULQUARIANS
chewy (quest).....jan
luke (d)........feb
lando (jaydee)......feb
cp30 (james poyser).....jan
r2d2 (jazzy jeff)......jan
hans (chaos)........jan
anakin (lil mike)......feb

honorary members:
kelo- soulacorn.......jan
common- soulcies......march
erykah- soulcies......feb
zack- soulicorn.......feb
anthony hamilton-soulquarian.jan


jepordy time!

the answer: PPPPPPTTTTTTTHHHHHHHHBTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!

?uestion: maria's response to what breakfast i wake up to everymorning while on the road.

(cream of wheat, with vanilla butter, brown sugar, raisins and cream....yummmmmmmmmmmmm...


...ok i guess i'd say the same shit if i woke up to ramen every morning.)

check the resume

organix-93
(from the ground up)-94
do you want more?!!???!-95
illadelph halflife-96
things fall apart-99
(the legendary)-99
the roots come alive-99
phrenology-2002
the tipping point-2004
(the roots present...) 2004
homegrown: the beginne

those weren't weren't exactly mainstream at all, but they are still some damn good albums if you ask me
"May the Force Be With You!" OBi-Wan Kenobi

Crazy

whatthebloodcotwesmokepotandblowspotsyouwannathinktwiceithinknot

i ain't understanding your point on this one. if you could, can you please clarify your argument. thanks. peace. lagism OUT

"I refuse to lose self and try to win fans over" -C-O-DOUBLE M-O-TO THE N

The Roots will stay the same, music wise. I believe the whole concept of the Movement is going to blow up in the next year or two. What I consider wack now (most of the mainstream) will not be as popular in a couple years, hopefully its just a fad. The good music's takin over yall. prepare yaself.

peace.

"If the streets were college, some MC's would fail." -GURU

I like your question. I think the one thing that artists like The Roots, Common, Talib Kweli, Mos Def etc have in common are the types of audiences they attract. Now I'm not a hater because I listen to everything but they attract the "thinkers". A generation of psychologically sound brothers and sisters that need intense content in their music. It's deeper than a head nodding beat or a contagious chant for them...for us.

As long as these artists continue to explore our minds as well as their own they'll always have that special support. To me the only reason that they are now making it to mainstream is because our support has been unwavering for them in spite of all the "Jay-Z's" or "DMX's" out there. We're not taking no for an answer. Play the positive, sometimes revolutionary ish on the radio too. Let the world know that the black man and woman are thinkers with solutions. The harder mainstream pushed the "accepted hip-hop artists", the more solid we stood in what we wanted to hear. I think it got to the point we couldn't be ignored. If true hip-hop hedz are feeling "Things Fall Apart"(LP), "Like Water For Chocolate", or 'Respiration' and they're pumpin' it in their cars, their jeeps, SUV's, bikes, whatever then as far as we're concerned it's already a hit. Everyone else has to catch up. Lauryn Hill is a perfect example! We loved her straight onto the cover of TIME magazine.

My feeling is that as long as The Roots show us they care about what we think and are making positive additions to our thought processes then them and any artist remotely like them will be superstars to us with or without a biased media.

for some reason some people hate when their "undeground champion" gets MTV-like burn.it has happened with so many artists.i think the so called "hardcore" fan hates the idea of others liking the same artist."hardcore" fan probably looks at them as bandwagon,fairweather,here today gone tomorrow type fans.it happened to run,cool j,jay-z,biggie...dont forget how biggie was being hated on for a minute before his second album came out.remember "underground" niggaz stopped givin him props but handed em out to wu and nas.hey like what you like ,who gives a fuck what the masses think.

"and after all my logic and my theories,I add a mothaf*cka so you ig'nant niggaz hear me"-L BOOGIE

"my rhymebook will be the next bible"-RAKIM ALLAH

word... word, word, word...

that's exactly how i feel! ain't nuttin wrong wit doin sumpin well... amd if you feel good about it, and it helps you live longer and happier, than keep at it... this is what i meant in an earlier post sayin- let cats explore and play... i prefer music that aint afraid to run around nekkit (literally in the case of Untitled) and (to further the metaphor) let it all hang on out there... you open yourself up to criticism, but when that critiwue is reflected in the next set of movements, then people realise that we are listening carefully... and reponding... i've seen bands like Steel Pulse go from gauranteed buys to, maybe laters, to i ain't gettin burned by no more wack syntho pop reggae... so your right, were not lemmings gonna buy anything just cause... and given the chance, artists with vision will learn the give and take...

i'm just stoked that in another ten or fifteen years, i can think about this music in the context of my life then (i'm mr #1 organix bigger upper for that reason)...

just imagine bein' like the age you are now and hearin marvin go through all his different "phases"... one hit (or trend chasing) wonders suck so bad because they never develop, you feel like your wakin up from a musical one night stand...

PoZi (;=

dont get me wrong. i like what i like and i dont really care what others think. my thought process on this question is that because the roots stick to their guns by not bringing any artificial ish, will they looked down upon when they (or if they) reach the mainstream like jay-z and dark man x. are the roots the next jayz, etc? it aint a hater question or anyhting like that, its just a thought on what will become of our beloved roots. i got nothing but love for these cats. ive grown as person with them. its a hypothetical question to be looked upon subjectively by "thinkers" (as stated in a response to the original post). this is by no means meant to criticize the roots, just an analytical thought about them that may or may not happen.

"knowledge of self is essential" -GURU

mos def, yo....

i appreciate your input into the general discussion of musical progress... i would never mistake honest musings for hating... i'm one of those psychos whose spent way to much time behind a camera out in the field somewhere by myself... so i've had plenty of time to create arguements and counter arguements about all types of stuff to a)keep myself occupied and b) be prepared to throw down when i come up against opposition... that digression aside, i don't really beleive in he concept of "hating"... so don't stress havin to clarify yourself... i think open discussion is a wonderful thing...

i think the jay-z bling bling vibe comes from a certain perspective that the roots don't neccessarily possess... and at the same time, they have enough of a world view to be able to co-exist with such artists without using them as the sole reason for their existance (meaning, they can get along without constantly saying that WE AINT THEM. or look at what happened to left wing protest groups when reagen/bush era ended- with no "bogeyman", it's hard to rally the people)... so i think the success of peeps from the "Next Movement" will continue without the "wait till i see you next nigga" you dissed us vibe... the music will exist even if its just a couple cats groovin in a basement again...

but for real, speak your mind... hatin is more perception than reality...

PoZi (;=

>my thought process on
>this question is that because
>the roots stick to their
>guns by not bringing any
>artificial ish, will they looked
>down upon when they (or
>if they) reach the mainstream
well, the sad thing is that everyone gets hated on. commerical-leaning-but-respected rappers from Kane to BIG were looked down upon for such reasons by at least one group of hip-hop fans from almost the start of their carrears. Or, you look at a group like OutKast - they lost a lot of fans when they did ATLiens. Recently, you have this ridiculous abandonment of support for Pharoe Monch. But really, all the fuss was about a creative, enjoyable single that just made some folks real uncomfortable by crossing over. The result was, he released a very strong album (not better than O.K.'s 1st 2 albums, but better than Equinox) that was looked down upon by many former fans. I really don't think a group that's so concerned with being artists like The Roots are can worry too much about what either the "true head" or MTV/Radio crowd wants/thinks of them, if they want to remain true artists. I mean, LWFC is a masterpiece, Voodoo is the best record I've heard in years, but look at all the naysayers, on all sides of the fence.

>like jay-z and dark man
>x. are the roots the
>next jayz, etc?
I don't think this is comparable. DMX was commercial from the jump, but in an unusal way ("hardcore" material/imagery, but done in pop-music format). Jay-Z was a much more commericaly viable artist than The Roots have ever been, even when he was only going gold. My point is, The Roots aren't about to cross over like that unless they do some drastic makeover. They'll never be in that position. Could they be the next Pharoe Monch? Yes. I'm not saying it will happen, but the potential is there.

Backhanded, pimpslapped backwards and left stranded - Kurupt

yo man I've seen these discussions over and over again about artists of different genres and styles aor whateva and I always say the same thang ...

man as long as the music is there who cares if they sel 10 million copies or 10,000 copies . IT'S ABOUT THE MUSIC ...

BTW - there's a lot of shit goin' on Prince's camp about how many albums the litle guy sells . fans get really cought up in this shit . MAN IS THE MUSIC IS COOL ___LISTEN TO IT .

peace.
s
.

>yo man I've seen these discussions
>over and over again about
>artists of different genres and
>styles aor whateva and I
>always say the same thang
>...
>
>man as long as the music
>is there who cares if
>they sel 10 million copies
>or 10,000 copies . IT'S
>ABOUT THE MUSIC ...
>
>BTW - there's a lot of
>shit goin' on Prince's camp
>about how many albums the
>litle guy sells . fans
>get really cought up in
>this shit . MAN IS
>THE MUSIC IS COOL
>___LISTEN TO IT .
>
>peace.
>s
>.
well, in the case of prince, nah - the music has not been all that cool at least the stuff he has decided 2 put out. if the music was cool, i wouldnt care, but even he seemms more bothered with sales then the music. as for the roots, i hope they dont split. quest said that they would do at least 10 albums like the beatles or something. its too early to split now. they havent even made their best shit yet.

yeah man about prince that's my point .
he seems to be too busy thinkingg about numbers he ain't got time 2 think about notes .

s.

pushing up