Audio By Carbonatix
Philadelphia’s The Roots have broken down hip-hop stereotypes. They may not have been the first hip-hop band to employ live instrumentation — that distinction belongs to Stetsasonic — but they certainly made the idea palpable for mainstream audiences. Since emerging in the early Nineties, they have had a long, prosperous career that hasn’t depended on nostalgia, and they have generally rejected the aspirational lifestyle clichés that oftentimes make rap boring and monotonous. The recently released Homegrown, a greatest-hits compilation, is a testament to the group’s longevity, both in terms of commercial impact and artistic viability. I recently caught up with Roots’ MC Black Thought.
What strikes me, after listening to the Homegrown CD and thinking back on your recorded material thus far, is that while some acts focus on making a statement via a single or maybe an album, you guys are more like careerists in that each album reveals a different side of The Roots. Phrenology is a more experimental record, while The Tipping Point concentrates on more meat-and-potatoes hip-hop. Was this intentional?
Yeah, but it’s not so much a conscious effort as much as it is a natural progression. The Roots is an ever-changing band. The foundation remains the same — ?uestlove and myself — but the different elements change and the focus changes. Whenever a new record comes out, we want to highlight the different members who’ve come into the fold. There is never a set formula for a Roots record. We still haven’t exposed all the sides of The Roots. That keeps us fresh.
What’s an untapped element of The Roots you’ll explore on future albums?
The world of rock is still very much uncharted terrain. We explore it in our live shows, but it’s something that I feel can be implemented into our records.
Do you take exception to people who consider The Roots first and foremost a live group, or are you proud of that distinction?
I’m proud that people consider us that way. A lot of groups have come and gone since we first came around in 1994. We’re still relevant, I feel, and we wouldn’t be if it weren’t for our live shows. With only label promotion, we would’ve been forgotten a long time ago.
Do you think the emphasis on live improvisation carries over to the studio and allows you to keep updating your sound?
Very much so. Without our live show, we’d be dependent upon this record coming out so that we could pay our mortgages. There are people who can’t tour just because they don’t have a new record to support. That doesn’t apply to us. We could never put out another record and still continue touring. I’ve done enough shows and laid my foundation so that the audience isn’t coming because I have a hot single. They come to have a good time. And it’s proven we can deliver.
The New Year’s Eve show at Revolution will mark the second time you’ve been down here in as many months. You must enjoy playing here.
We do. For many years, we didn’t touch South Florida at all. Whenever we’d do radio tours, we’d do Orlando or Jacksonville. But for these past few years, we’ve been trying to branch out and focus on South Florida. It’s a little humid for me to come and chill, though, but I enjoy playing it. Any market where [acts] don’t generally come as much, the people there develop a thirst, a deeper appreciation of what they’re receiving.
