HIP HOP LEGENDS OF 90s #8 - The Roots
Rap is not just yelling on a beat and constantly repeating the pattern in instrumental. Hip hop is music, it can sound like symphony if the real artists are involved. The most rapers you heard rap on electronic instrumental, or on the beat made of samples taken from other songs. But what if we include a specific guitarist, awesome bassist a synth played, one of the greatest MCs and lyricists and a drummer who is also a producer and all that perfect sound came out of his head? That's what's so special about The Roots. They have special place in my "HIP HOP LEGENDS OF 90s" series because they are my favorites! I wrote on Steemit about many MCs, producers and albums that could be considered as the greatest, the best or the most famous! But for me, The Roots are the best. That's the music that I want to make!
HIP HOP LEGENDS OF 90s
THE ROOTS
When I learned about The Roots, 90s were already gone. It was 2000 when a fifteen years old teenager held the CD "Things Fall Apart" in his hands. It was the time when I fell in love with a girl for the first time and I was really happy that I got the album with few easy songs. I was so surprised with their sound and rap that I got all previous albums in next few days.
The Roots were formed in 1987 by MC Black Thought and a drummer/producer Questlove in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania while they were in high school.
The band got some new members and change a lot of names until 1991 when they dropped "Square" from "The Square Roots" and became "The Roots". Even Scott Storch, who is awesome producer today, one period was the member of The Roots. Today wit Questlove and Black Thought we have Kamal Gray on keyboards, Captain Kirk Douglas on guitar and James Poyser as multi - instrumentalist. They have even more members but those were there for the longest time.
They released their first album "Organix" independently in 1993. They meant to sell the album on their concerts but it got much better feedback than they expected.
In 1995 they signed the contract with DGC Records and released album "Do You Want More?!!!??!" with great hits "Silent Treatment" and "Do You Want More?!!!??!". That CD was their breakthrough.
Their third album "Illadelph Halflife"* as released in 1996 for Geffen Records and they had a lot of guest musicians from the world of jazz and R&B.
The fourth album "Things Fall Apart" was also released for Geffen Records in 1999 and it is still the best CD that I have in my collection! Each song is perfect, especially the singles "You Got Me" and "The Next Movement".
The fifth album "Phrenology" from 2002 is also one of the best CDs that I have and contains the biggest hit of The Roots, "The Seed (2.0)".
Most rappers got worse by their rhymes and style in 2000s but not The Roots. They become better with each year!
Sixth album "Tipping Point" from 2004 was two months in my CD player, I just didn't want to take it out. Now I know every word by heart. Most popular hit was "Don't Say Nuthin".
Two years later "Game theory" came out. The Roots set new trends in music and they kept they original style that grew mature.
Then "Rising Down" in 2008 and "How I Got Over" in 2010 with major hits "Walk Alone", "Radio Daze", "Now or Never", "How I Got Over" and "The Fire".
Last two albums "Undun"* and "...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin" are also great but too far from 90s and still sound too fresh to write about them in this series. At the moment they are finishing their new album "End Game".
Yes, they were in Croatia in 2014! And yes, I was on concert with my wife! And yes, yes, yes, my wife caught the drumstick that Questlove threw in the crowd!
Check from her hands!
Check the covers:
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Great post cool that you got the drum stick
Tip!
Thank you very much! :)
Cool
Thanks
Hi @dumar022! @tattoodjay is sending you 0.1 SBD tip and @tipU upvote
:)
@tipU - send tips by writing tip! in the comment, get share of the profit :)That drumstick could be worth a fortune one day, Questlove original :)
I hope so :)