The Boy With The Thorn In His Side

“They said he’s busy hold the line please
Call me crazy, I thought maybe he could mind read
Who does the blind lead?
Show me a sign please
If everything is made in China, are we Chinese?

And why do haters separate us like we siamese?
Technology turning the planet into zombies
Everybody all in everybody’s dirty laundry
Acid rain, earthquakes, hurricane, tsunamis

Terrorist, crime sprees, assaults, and robberies
Cops yellin’ stop, freeze
Shoot him before he try to leave
Air quality so foul, I gotta try to breath
Endangered species
And we runnin’ out of trees”

So nice of The Roots to take a break from their busy schedule being the house band for Jimmy Fallon to grace us with a brand new record. We’ve heard the title track from the band’s forthcoming new record How I Got Over and for a few brief minutes, we felt as if all was right with the world. We may breathe again as the official first single from the album is now making its way through the internets.  This one is called  Dear God 2.0 and once again The Roots fail to disappoint.

The song itself is a bit of a rework job of a track by the group Monsters Of Folk which features Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) as well as M. Ward. 2.0 features James singing the hook and as usual Black Thought once again makes the dire and desperate sound like a sort of clarion call to action.  Quite simply, this is yet another track that shows how far ahead The Roots are from their contemporaries. Almost twenty years in and the band is still at the top of their game.

“Dear God 2.0″ by The Roots, taken from the forthcoming Island/Def Jam release, “How I Got Over”

“When you on the corner it’s too much drama
Livin’ with the police right behind ya’
It’s always more than a slight reminder
We livin’ in a war zone like Rwanda.
Before I go back to the heavenly father
Pray for me if it ain’t too much bother.
Whatever don’t break me’ll make me stronger
I feel like I can’t take too much longer”

Before they became Jimmy Fallon’s house band, the Roots were the pre-eminent hip hop band in all the land. Universally adored and fawned over by the critics, hopelessly underrated by the public at large yet treasured, cherished and beloved by those who actually like music.  Throughout their almost twenty year career, the band out of Philly simply have done everything there is to do. Luckily for us, they’re not done quite yet!

The band’s new record, the long awaited How I Got Over will finally see the light of day on the 8th of June via Island-Def Jam. Yes, gang…happy days are here again! As you just heard and saw in the video, that is indeed the title track and it is a treat indeed. We’ve got Black Thought singing and delivering his world-weary rhymes as only he can. Earthy in its tone, Black Thought reminds us that as he looks around, nothing’s changed as he sees it. There’s still crime. There’s still poverty. The stench of failure still lingers from ghetto to ghetto. This is the kind of song the Roots are known for and are better than most at writing. No frills, no bling. No glamour and glitz. It’s simply how it is.

There’s really nothing else that needs to be said. It’s the Roots. Buy the record on the 8th of June.

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“How I Got Over” by The Roots, taken from the forthcoming Island/Def Jam release, “How I Got Over”

Every once in a while, you come across an unreleased song that makes you scratch your head because you simply cannot understand why it was never fully finished and released. This demo from 2006 recorded by the voice of the Roots, Black Thought, is one of those tracks.  Reportedly produced by the incomparable J Dilla, the song features Black Thought at his best. His flair for storytelling and wordplay is matched by few and we’re even treated to a rare sung chorus. Dilla provides his usual beat-making excellence and a sweet wah-wah guitar sample that simply offers a foundation for Thought to go off.

Maybe it’s a simple case of a song simply not fitting in with the overall vibe of a record which would be 2006’s Game Theory in this case. Perhaps Black Thought was getting around to finishing his long-rumoured solo record and this song simply leaked out while the rest of the record lies under wraps. No matter what it’s simply proof positive that the man is criminally underrated as a rapper and lyricist. Too bad most of America knows them as the cool house band for Jimmy Fallon… Quel dommage…

Bonus: here’s the Roots doing some U2

“Please Don’t Go” by Black Thought