VIDEO: ?uestlove x And 1 Commercial
Finally found this commercial starring ?uestlove of the Roots that was as part of a Latrell Sprewell ad campaign. Spree was rolling with And 1 at the time and this predated his choking out Coach P.J. Carlesimo. The Roots’ drummer and defacto spokesman runs through the different looks he uses when performing, including one that channels the 6′ 5″, former NBA star guard.
I tell anyone who will listen that Spree’s two handed dunks were things of beauty. Any ballplayer will appreciate the athleticism necessary to go full speed toward the hoop, take off of one leg and cock the ball all the way back before throwing it down with authority. Damn shame the Milwaukee native basically negotiated his way out of the NBA.
Also, peep the vid, not one but TWO afro picks.
The Roots ‘undun’ Track List
The 13th album (at this point I’ve given up trying to fact check this) from the legendary Roots crew will be a concept project called undun, and the track list (below) has been revealed. ?uestlove previously told MTV News that it will be a “movie without visuals.”
That sounds a bit too DJ Khaled’esque, but the Philly crew has earned the benefit of a doubt. The album’s first single, “Make My,” is due November 1 on iTunes and features their Def Jam labelmate Big K.R.I.T. I need to hear this STAT.
UPDATE: Listen to ‘Make My’
The former B.R.O.ther ?uestion said the following via press release:
“At this point in our career we’d like for our work to have a unifying theme, and an experiential quality. We’ve been intentionally making our albums shorter in length so that they can be experienced as a continuous work. The music is band-oriented with an eye on the moody cinematic. As a DJ, I am the King of playlists, but I don’t want our albums to feel like a playlist or a mixtape for that matter. We want to tell stories that work within the album format and we want the stories to be nuanced and useful to people. undun is the story of this kid who becomes criminal, but he wasn’t born criminal. He’s not the nouveau exotic primitive bug-eyed gunrunner like Tupac’s character Bishop in “Juice”… he’s actually thoughtful and is neither victim nor hero. Just some kid who begins to order his world in a way that makes the most sense to him at a given moment… At the end of the day… isn’t that what we all do?”
The video above is a song the Roots created in one take while shooting those John Varvatos Fall/Winter 2011 collection ads you’ve been seeing in mags like GQ and Esquire. Respect the swag.
undun Tracklist
1) Sleep
2) Make My
3) One Time
4) Kool On
5) The Jump
6) Stomp
7) Lighthouse
8 ) I Remember
9) Tip The Scale
10) Redford
VIDEO: The Roots “Dear God 2.0”
Admit it, you can't name half of these cats...
VIDEO: ?uestlove’s Mathematics x Black Thought’s Masterpiece
B.R.O.THER. ?, Black Thought
Yesterday I posted that the Roots’ soon be released How I Got Over album was all of nine records (hey, it’s what Def Jam said), but OkayPlayer and ?uestlove say it’s 11 (don’t think that includes skit/interludes, though). Anyway, I got an early listen at the album last night (two thumbs up after one listen amidst listening session distractions that inlcuded free Hennessey) after noting that ?uestlove said How I Got Over was their 11th solo album, as opposed to the ninth that the now faulty press release said, I asked him to explain.
Black Thought says his much delayed Masterpiece Theater solo is on the “backburner” while he finishes up his Dangerous Thoughts project with Danger Mouse. Can’t figure why Mr. Trotter is seemingly lacking a solo deal. A&R’s, step your game up.
Much respect due to the homie Mikey Fresh for making these Flip cam clips look all official.
The Roots – “How I Got Over” Track Listing
The Roots - How I Got Over
The Roots’ ninth album, and third on Def Jam, is due June 22nd. Only nine tracks?
?uestlove is a proponent of the less is more theory (see Nas’ Illmatic or Sly & The Family Stone’s Stand!), so it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. The as yet unheard lead single is called “Dear God 2.0” and is a remix/re-imagining of Monsters of Folk’s “Dear God.”
Track list after 2009’s (wtf?) “How I Got Over” video.
TRACK LISTING
1. Walk Alone (Truck North, Porn, Dice Raw, Mercedes Martinez)
2. Dear God 2.0 (Jim James, MOF)
3. Radio Daze (Blu, Porn, Dice Raw, Mercedes Martinez)
4. Now Or Never (Phonte Coleman, Dice Raw)
5. How I Got Over (Dice Raw)
6. The Day (Blu, Phonte Coleman, Patty Crash)
7. Right On (Joanna Newsom, Sugar Tongue Slim)
8. Doin It Again (John Legend)
9. The Fire (John Legend, Rick Friedrich)
Slang Rap Democracy 