Why don't The Roots become a house band like Booker T. and the MGs?

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1. The Jay-Z unplugged was hot.

2. As the production on Roots albums continues to be awesome or even get better, the rapping seems to get worse and worse, and was rarely mind-blowing to begin with.

So why not? Especially with a climate that strikes me as increasingly down on samples, and with the prevailing trend still being towards ultra-minimal Neptunes or crunk-style production on a lot of stuff -- it'd be cool to here the more proggy jams of The Roots with dope mainstream MCs over them.

― Hurting (Hurting), Wednesday, 20 April 2005 23:59 (twenty years ago)

they done this some, in live scenarios, but obv not enough

― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 21 April 2005 00:02 (twenty years ago)

too much ego, not enough time

― ()ops (()()ps), Thursday, 21 April 2005 00:14 (twenty years ago)

they gotta lose Black Thought

― miccio (miccio), Thursday, 21 April 2005 00:15 (twenty years ago)

Black Thought used to be the shit! I dunno if he went downhill or my tastes changed.

― ()ops (()()ps), Thursday, 21 April 2005 00:18 (twenty years ago)

wait I shouldn't single him out. I've liked each album less than the previous one since Illadelph Halflife.

― ()ops (()()ps), Thursday, 21 April 2005 00:22 (twenty years ago)

I'll second that, but they're still capable of breakout greatness.
At this point, aren't they due for a live greatest hits album? Again?

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Thursday, 21 April 2005 00:37 (twenty years ago)

they gotta lose Black Thought

-- miccio (anthonyisrigh...), April 21st, 2005.

Absolutely right.

For example, even one of their best recent songs, "Water," is badly marred by his retarded and near-incomprehensible chorus "Over Over Over THE WATER. Over over over THE WATER." WTF?

― Hurting (Hurting), Thursday, 21 April 2005 00:44 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, fuck Black Thought. The last time he was good was Things Fall Apart, but he had Malik and DICE RAW to take half the verses there. I would love to see them re-cast themselves as a production team rather than a band.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 21 April 2005 01:44 (twenty years ago)

Etta James is on tour with The Roots Band. This isn't ?uestlove et al backing her up, is it?

― Jeff Reguilon (Talent Explosion), Thursday, 21 April 2005 01:51 (twenty years ago)

They just need a Berry Gordy style businessman with the capital, the studio, the vision, the industry connections, etc.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 21 April 2005 01:57 (twenty years ago)

seventeen years pass...

Jimmy Fallon owes Hurting some royalties or something

― J. Sam, Saturday, 14 January 2023 00:46 (three years ago)

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