The Roots feat. Big K.R.I.T.-Make My

There are few things better musically than a rap song that takes its time to drop. My favorite song of all time, "Elevators" by Outkast, knows that good things come to those to wait, and "Make My" by The Roots and Big K.R.I.T. follows that legacy to a T.

I didn't do a "best-of" list for last year, but if I had, Undun by The Roots would have been very very near the top. Today's jamandahalf is a clear standout on that brilliant album, and it truly is an album in the purest sense of the word. Featuring a verse by longtime favorite Big K.R.I.T., The Roots know they have earned the right to ride out for as long as they want to, and that's what they do. Other than said verse by KRIT and a reflective banger by Black Thought, the thing that is most notable about the track is how expansive it sounds. At the beginning of the album, but at the tail end of the life of Redford Stephens, the central character to the story of Undun, both verses focus on taking one final look back on a life of both good and bad before Redford's subsequent suicide. Although the dark lyrics do weigh the song down, there is some glimmer of the triumphant hidden in there somewhere. Finishing an album-long story with a serious dose of class, The Roots give Stephens a proper farewell.

Click here to download


Download The Roots Make My (feat. Big K.R.I.T & Dice Raw)

Roots-What They Do

Grilled Cheese Johnson breaks his strike on posting on our little blog (after we vetoed a jamandaquarter) and returns to bring the heat. The Roots join Outkast and Manu Chao as the only artists with two posts. They do so with a real jamandahalf, "What They Do."

As I sit here at my desk, bored to tears by the Supreme Court opinion I am currently reading, I contemplate burning all my textbooks, saying goodbye to my friends and family, and moving to the forest to live in a cave.  It’s Friday night and my spring break has just begun. Yet instead of celebrating at a local bar with my brethren, I have my face buried in a book.  It’s enough to drive a young man to tears.  Just as I am ready to throw my laptop out of my 10th story window and follow it head-first, something magical happens.  The shuffle feature on my itunes throws on a legendary jam and a half, and all my anger and frustration melts away like butter.  A wave of calm washes over me, as if I had just finished my 10th Guinness on a sunny July afternoon in San Diego.  All must be right in the world, I think, because at some point in time, some people got together and made this song.

That song, ladies and gentlemen, is none other than “Bad Romance” by the legendary Lady Ga—I’m sorry, what blog is this? “Jam-and-a-half?”  I thought this was “Terrible-pop-hits-that-are-ruining-our-society?” No? Well then…

That song, ladies and gentlemen, is none other than “What They Do” by the legendary Roots.  The Roots are one of hip-hop’s most prolific, longest-running acts, with eight studio albums to their name and a ninth on the way.  Formed in Philadelphia in the late 80s, The Roots are one of hip-hop’s few live bands, boasting drums, guitars, bass, and a plethora of other instruments to create their organic sound.  Their lead MC, born as Tariq Potter but known as Black Thought, is one of the greatest of all time.  Combine his skills on the mic with the band’s signature sound and you have a foolproof equation for some good ass music.  This is none more apparent than during one of their legendary live performances, which resembles more of an all-out rock & roll jam session than it does a hip hop show.  If The Roots are in your area, I advise you to pay the price on the ticket and go see them at all costs; you will not be disappointed.

This particular jam is off their 3rd studio album, Illadelph Halflife (1996), and features Black Thought dropping knowledge about his love of the art and its continued demise at the hands of the industry.  The lyrics are complimented by a creamy mayonnaise of guitar strings and keyboard riffs designed to stimulate your ear drums.  After “blessing the track lushly” with his rhymes for 4 and a half minutes, Black Thought yields to the power of the band. The guitar and bass line take the song out for the final 90 seconds, leaving music fans of all genres satisfied.  I recommend this track to all those looking to unwind during stressful times, or when just cold kickin it like your name was Moose Halpern.  You can’t go wrong.

But don’t stop there!  I urge you to check out all of their music, as they truly are one of the most talented acts of the past two decades.  After listening to Illadelph Halflife, purchase 1998’s Things Fall Apart for another sampling of their Grammy-winning sound.  Then move on to 2004’s The Tipping Point for something slightly different but equally dope.  I’ve included bonus jams from each of these albums as a nice holiday treat. Now I know what you’re thinking—“it’s not a holiday!”—but enjoy nonetheless.  May the following tracks bring joy to all readers around the globe.  Peace

  

Bonus Jam:  Star (from The Tipping Point)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G1lB4FZdLs&feature=channel

Bonus Jam #2: You Got Me (Featuring Erykah Badu & Eve) (from Things Fall Apart)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJCHeEQV454

The Roots - Game Theory

Whats up to all you cats out there in the blogosphere. My name's Moose and Im gonna be helpin out Big Leks droppin only the choicest of jams for the good people of the world. To me, what the Jam and a Half blog is all about is allowing other people to share the connection that we feel with music. We´ve got the blessing to throw our favorite tracks up here of all different styles and genres to help people hear what they want to be hearin, or what they´ve never heard before. I love music but I aint no doctor so please if you have any comments or jams that you want us to posterize holler at us.

That said, for my first jam I wanted to go with something that Ive been feelin real heavy right now, and that's Game Theory, the title track off The Roots seventh album circa 2006. The Roots have been blowin up for a cool minute now, and Game Theory was both critically acclaimed and commercially successful. For a mainstream audience the album takes up a more serious tone than most of today´s current beats, and Game Theory sticks with this theme keepin the tone heavy and the lyrics real to their roots. This jam walks that fine line of casting some social commentary without getting on the political soapbox and soundin phony. In his first verse Black Thought explodes out the gates using a thumpin rythm to spark the track, and lets everyone know what Philly is really all about.

Using a real classy Sly and the Family sample (Life of Fortune and Fame), and the irreplaceable flavor of The Roots band, the track builds an intensity that carries into each verse forcing the power of the rhymes on you. After a second rock solid verse from Black Thought, Malik B comes in smokin for the closer. Hittin rhymes within lines and spinnin street stories, the jam closes out as hard as it opens. Game Theory sets the tone for the rest of the album with a force that carries you through until the end, but this Jam and a Half has got everything it needs to stand alone as a classic track.