Black Thought Says The Roots Are Free Agents.

[LevelUp]

In a recording career that’s nearly 25 years long, The Roots have really dealt with only two labels: Geffen Records and Def Jam Records. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Hip-Hop band has released 11 studio albums, along with handfuls of EPs, collaborative works, and side projects dating back to 1993’s Organix.

After five albums at Def Jam, dating back to 2006’s Game Theory, The Roots are officially on the free agent market. Front man/MC Black Thought told HipHopDX: “We’re not really on Def Jam [Records] now. We’re kind-of free agents, if need be.” Looking back at The Roots’ collective label dealings, the Grammy Award-winning MC/singer added, “It was cool, Def Jam was cool. Geffen [Records] was cool. I didn’t feel any difference. Def Jam felt like Geffen. A major label is a major label to me. We’ve always been self sufficient in that we never were dependent on a major label for much, ever.”

With their own Okay Player imprint over the years, Thought may be hinting towards independence. “We shamelessly self-promoted our work and CALCULATED our whole entire existence since we began. I don’t know if it would make much of a difference what label we went to.”

The Roots were added to Def Jam at a time when Jay Z was label president. The Brooklyn, New York MC-turned-mogul partnered with the band for an Unplugged release of his 2001 Blueprint album, following an MTV-aired performance. Jay Z has since left his executive post at Def Jam and focused on his Roc Nation ventures.

Last year, The Roots released …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin, which debuted at #11 on the Top 200.


http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/inter...ht-says-the-roots-are-kind-of-without-a-label

 

[AV Dicey]

The fact that the Roots became the house band for The Tonight Show is arguably crazier than Barack Hussein Obama becoming POTUS post 9/11.

Black Thought + House Band + The whitest whitebread show since leave it to beaver =

 

[Da King]

The fact that the Roots became the house band for The Tonight Show is arguably crazier than Barack Hussein Obama becoming POTUS post 9/11.

Black Thought + House Band + The whitest whitebread show since leave it to beaver =

The Roots are safe, that's why Jew cacs gave them that job

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

I just need to have the BlackThought solo project

 

[MikeyC]

Hopefully this'll force em back to dropping that Rising Dawn/Game Theory heat rock.

That last joint was moist as fukk.

 

[W.I.Z.E.]

Saw Thought on Saturday. They chilling and living off that Fallon money.

Thought may have VOY 2013 and 2014

 

[George's Dilemma]

The Roots are safe, that's why Jew cacs gave them that job

The Roots minus Black Thought are safe. The reality spit in his rhymes and their guest artist's rhymes is anything but safe.

 

[aceboon]

haven't really felt a Roots album since Game Theory, and I really don't ever feel compelled to pull that album up and listen. their shyt is stale now.

 

[AV Dicey]

The Roots are safe, that's why Jew cacs gave them that job

Black Thought is an mc's mc, a purist in a musical genre whose raison d'etre is subversion, a musical genre that gave us such groups as nikkaz With Attitude and Uncle Luke and the parental advisory sticker. That Thought is not only a member of a freaking house band, but a house band for a show thats more middle america than 2 and a half men with a host who is somehow more bland than Jay Leno is mind blowing...ancient chinese saying on interesting times is applicable here. #MrDeathCertificate/AreWeThereYet

It goes without saying that The Roots are not... "am in the field with a shield and a spear nikka, am in your gal with her legs in the air nikka"...safe

 

[We Major]

Gives us more How I Got Over and less concept albums please.

 

[DredScott]

The Roots minus Black Thought are safe. The reality spit in his rhymes and their guest artist's rhymes is anything but safe.

yeah, the truth is that the problem with the roots last two albums and the main reason they were so disappointing is that they have steadily lessened black thought's verses. he's been spitting less ever since HIGO (and even on there, they were way too many guest spots and even one song where tariq sang an entire song.) if they can get back to letting him spit like he can and just drop some hip-hop ish instead of focusing on dropping pretentious concept albums that they can't pull off, they'll be okay. i fear that much like andre 3000, cee-lo and other elder rapping ass rappers, they feel they are too mature and "above" hip-hop at this point...

malik b being an on and off again crackhead and hating on/leaving the group randomly doesn't help either. he was like the doper phife dawg to tariq's doper q-tip.

 

[Wepa Man]

I just need to have the BlackThought solo project

me too

 

[Walt]

The fact that the Roots became the house band for The Tonight Show is arguably crazier than Barack Hussein Obama becoming POTUS post 9/11.