(JUAN.of.a.KIND)

The Roots - The OtherSide (feat. Bilal Oliver) [Late Night w/ Jimmy Fallon: 2011-12-06]

A web exclusive clip showcasing a tremendous live performance of undun’s superb 6th track (and a vintage style Roots composition that belongs up there with some of the band’s greatest creations). Always a treat to peep these incredibly talented gentlemen performing live on late night network TV (and at their own nightly gig, no less). Everyone across the board kills it here: Thought performs both of his ill verses from The OtherSide and then (like the human rhyme style replicating machine that he is) executes Greg Porn’s excellently dark third verse to perfection. Then there’s Captain Kirk blacking out on electric guitar, not to mention Poyser and Kamaal totally feelin’ it on the keys (James even cracks a smile near the end). And finally, the illa-5th dynamite back-and-forth between Bilal and Kirk during the track’s extended home stretch, leading into a ?uesto-led crescendo finale (I imagine this is how The Roots will be performing this joint while on tour). Can’t wait to get the chance to peep this (and other wonderful moments from undun) live in person, hopefully sometime next year. Be sure to cop the new album (my CD copy is currently in transit, packaged together with this super sweet Roots tee). “That’s when we’ll settle up the score!”

#The Roots #Bilal #undun #Late Night #Jimmy Fallon #Live Performance

The Roots - The Christmas Song (Late Night w/ Jimmy Fallon: 2010-12-21)

If I had to choose only ONE aspect of the holidays that I absolutely must experience every year to make this festive time truly complete, it would have to be listening to Nat King Cole’s legendary rendition of the Mel Torme composed Christmas classic, simply and aptly titled The Christmas Song. Not the snow, presents nor the decorations. Mainly because that song magically conjures up crystal clear images of each and every one of those staples and more, all by itself (wherever you may be).

No words can describe how the opening high pitched notes puts a smile on my face or the timeless sound of the King (and the G.O.A.T. singing voice) doing his classy thing like no one else has done before or since. And if you’re a fan as well, then I’m sure you know that song off by heart and note for note with much love and admiration. Not even a snifter of Carlos I Imperial brandy consumed while chilling by the fireplace makes me feel as warm inside as that song does.

So you can imagine my overwhelming excitement when I heard earlier this week that my all-time favourite band would be performing my all-time favourite Christmas Song on Late Night (?…!!!!!! —> Me). I managed to catch the west coast airing of said performance, and have now peeped the above viddy enough times to give the following breakdown of the holiday greatness on display:

Black Thought: the greatest MC alive and one of the be(a)st to ever hold a microphone (“I never use a cordless, or stand applaud-less / sippin’ chlorophyll outta ill silver goblets”). Tariq shows here (much like during the amusing “Slow Jam The News” bits) that he can also carry a smooth tune, something that MANY rap lyricists cannot do to save their lives. A subdued and classy performance by a dynamite wordsmith and an underrated crooner.
Kamal: When Mal-dog set things off with those iconic synth strings-style lead off notes, I was instantly sold on the rendition. I’ve heard Kamal recreate many classic joints over the years via his magical keyboard (namely on tour as part of the classic “hip hop 101” segments at live Roots shows). And to this day, dude never ceases to amaze me.
?uesto: Subtle sounds on the drums and cymbals is all we hear from Mr. Thompson in this live performance. Like snowflakes falling ever so slightly.
Knuckles: The yang percussionist to ?uesto’s yin drums, Frankie handles the wind chimes here, sprinkling a touch of magic over the proceedings.
Owen: On bass guitar. Very subtle notes for ambiance, coupled with the funny/chill look that’s always on Owen’s face when he’s playing.
Tuba Gooding Jr.: Adding some subtle subterranean sounds to the composition, much like he always does.
James Poyser: The melodic keys master of the Soulquarians nails the solo piano section (although I’m sure it was a piece of cake for that dude). Poyser and Kamal together are like a dynamic keys super tag team, no doubt.
Captain Kirk: The electric guitar genius (and I told Kirk as much in person when I got to shake his hand at a Roots show), freaking the solo strings section of The Christmas Song to perfection. And let’s not forget the dreamy end notes that beautifully takes the listener home again.

How many other bands do you know that can masterfully perform ANY genre of music (having now added traditional holiday music to their repertoire) on top of their own extensive critically acclaimed catalogue? The list is VERY small, no doubt. Hence, The Roots truly stand in their own realm, first in the hip hop world and now on the mainstream TV platform on which they’ve been proudly displaying their immense talents without artistic compromise. And this beautiful performance of The Christmas Song is the snowy icing on the holiday cake, no doubt.

So if you haven’t already, press play to thoroughly enjoy this Legendary rendition (one that will no doubt become a part of my annual holiday tradition) of IMO the most magical Christmas composition ever created.

“And although it’s been said, many times, many ways. Merry Christmas…to you.”

#The Roots #Late Night #Jimmy Fallon #The Christmas Song #Christmas #Live Performance

Black Thought making a bowl of ambrosia fruit salad while ?uestlove and Big Boi look on in the background. Add this to the list of (hilarious) things that I never expected to see. Another win for Late Night (and another great comedic performance by Tariq).

From the LNJF shout outs segment (07/12/10), which also included:

?uesto basically confirming the rumours that he’s joining forces with Raphael Saadiq and Amy Winehouse in a Lucy Pearl-esque LP collaboration (awesome!).
Kamaal big-upping string cheese like only he can (overly hardcore).
The LNJF drink expert (show writer Morgan) shouting out to H2O…to be used as ice cubes in a glass of Hypnotic.
Late Night director Dave with yet another kinky story about him and his wife (ass fireworks…woo-hah!).
Tariq shouting out to Ambrosia: the feast of the gods…and also the sweet fruit salad which he then proceeds to make, cooking show style (I lost it right about here).
The glorious return of the “Hubble Gotchu” guy shouting out to molecular models and then back to what got him to the dance: Hubble telescope pix.

In addition, the smoove Sir Lucious Left Foot sat in all night with The Roots and I heard the following Roots-ified ‘Kast/Big Boi classics re-imagined live:

Daddy Fat Sax…I think (Antwan then tells Jimmy about the superb Lookin’ For Ya track he did with Andre that the record label stupidly cut from the LP: “You can Google it on the Internet for free.” - Big Boi)
ATLiens (modified with a “say O-K-er!” during the hook)
Mainstream (just the “went it ain’t all peaches ‘n cream” hook, and that makes 2 joints from my favourite ‘Kast LP)
Reset
The Way You Move
Shutterbug (performed in full, with a shout out to Khujo Goodie at the end…what happened with Khujo?)

Another fantastic sit-in appearance with The Roots and my favourite one to date, considering that Outkast and The Legendary are both TOP 5 music groups in my book. And if you haven’t already, go out and cop Boi’s new album (I did). It’s FAN-tastic! Not yet sure if it’s better than Speakerboxxx though (it’s a close call IMO).

“Now, ladle these ingredients together. Refrigerate them for a few hours. And become your family reunion star for the day!” (c) Black Thought (with ?uesto and crew supplying a calming lounge melody for ambiance)

#The Roots #Big Boi #Late Night #Jimmy Fallon #Shout Outs

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

30 plays

The Roots w/ Ice Cube - Straight Outta Compton (Warm-Up Song/Pre-Song)

You are now in tuned to the sounds of the legendary:

?uestlove as Dr. Dre (street knowledge intro)
Ice Cube as Himself (love those mutha-mutha edits, O’Shea)
Black Thought as MC Ren (flawless as usual, with more clever lyrical edits)
Captain Kirk (who busts through the door and kills it!) as Eazy-E
The Legendary Roots Crew recreating the classic Dre/Yella beat (note perfect, as always)

Recorded live before the May 28, 2010 edition of Late Night w/ Jimmy Fallon (featuring Ice Cube as guest, sitting in with The Roots).

And while I’m at it, here are some highlights of Cube’s Late Night appearance:

Live medleys of Check Yo Self and It Was A Good Day (backed by The Roots).
Cube trying to explain to the naive host what a scag/scallywag is (haha).
The underrated Arabian Prince getting mentioned when Jimmy pulled out this vintage N.W.A photo.
Ahmir (?uestlove) talking about how he and Tariq (Black Thought) met while Thought was rapping the lyrics to N.W.A’s first album in the lunchroom of their high school (“If it weren’t for N.W.A, you wouldn’t have The Roots!” (c) Ice Cube).
And my favourite part: Before all of the above took place, Cube entered the stage to the awesomely raw sounds of The Roots covering the hook of The Nigga Ya Love To Hate from Cube’s five-mic rated, Bomb Squad produced masterpiece: 1990’s AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted —-> still dude’s best solo recording ever IMO. Because just like Common said to Cube on the greatest diss track of all-time: “You ain’t made shit dope since Amerikkka’s Most.” Ironically, that viewpoint can also be applied to Com’s transformation over the past decade from elite lyricist to Hollywood ladies man, but I digress. I still have The Bitch In Yoo (in particular, this version) on cassette tape, recorded off college radio back in ‘96 (when he was still known as Common Sense aka the ill side of Rashid that appears to no longer exist).
As for said intro track, I’ll bet that’s the first ever network TV appearance of The Nigga Ya Love To Hate (not exactly a lead single/radio friendly track). And the obligatory curses (i.e. “FUCK YOU, ICE CUBE!”, “You don’t like how I’m livin’? Well, FUCK YOU!”) were censored for the TV broadcast, of course. EXCELLENT song choice as usual, ?uest! Way to constantly use your platform to creatively go where no TV house band has gone before. In this case, to remind the public of who Ice Cube was before the wack-ass “Are We There Yet?” days.

“I can’t believe you did that!” (c) ?uest @ Kirk after the Captain’s unexpected, hilariously spot-on Eazy-E rendition.

(Non-televised live track via ?uestlove’s SwiftFM)

#The Roots #Ice Cube #Late Night #Jimmy Fallon #N.W.A.#Live Performance

Shout Outs as seen on Late Night w/ Jimmy Fallon (4/15/10)

Highlights include:

Brother ?uestion shouting out to the Okayplayers that have been down since DAY ONE (that would include me!).
Black Thought bringing back the jheri curls (“Ay yo El Debarge: I’m comin’ for yo’ spot!”)
“Hubble Got You!” (Nerd Hop style)

And I just might have to try a highball of “Tijuana Doctor” (Patron and Dr. Pepper) when the weather gets (and stays) warm. Sounds delish.

#Late Night #Jimmy Fallon #The Roots #Shout Outs

6-Bee: Episode 2 (as seen on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, 4/8/10)

I don’t watch Glee (because, you know, I don’t like to torture myself in that way), but this skit was epic. Namely because The Roots were thoroughly involved (the Parks and Rec cast playing themselves was also a nice bonus). And seeing Aubrey Plaza and ?uestlove interact was adorable (especially Aubrey, who seemed pretty much in character the whole time…ironic hoodie stance and all).

Well, it’s been a while since I did an LNJF recap, so heeeeerrrrre we go:

Tina Fey entered the studio to the sound of The Roots perfectly replicating the beat and hook to A Tribe Called Quest’s classic example of a…a dope joint: The Infamous Date Rape (from my favourite Tribe LP: 1991’s The Low End Theory). Only this time, the lyric was changed to: “Classic example of a…a date NIGHT” to reflect the flick that Fey is currently promoting (you know, “the funniest Steve Carell movie EVER”, apparently? Yeah, that one).
Charades! Weekend Up Date Edition w/ Poehler and Meyers was entertaining. “Straight Outta Compton” was my favourite selection (no particular reason).
Justin Bieber (never thought I would ever mention his name on my site) had a drum-off with ?uestlove (something I’ve noticed happens often if the guest can play the drums).

?uestlove: Are you ready?

Justin Bieber: Are YOU ready?

?uesto: Sure.

Bieber: I was born ready! —-> very original answer /s

?uesto: (sarcastically) Oooooh!

Oh Justin, do you even have ANY idea of the caliber of brilliant artists that you are jamming with? Of course you don’t, you silly little kid, you (show some respect to The Legendary). Congrats on all of your success though. Edit:…punk.
Before Bieber came out, The Roots did a little sandwich coming back from break, with Thought spitting “Stand tall or sit yourself down / all the way from 2-15”, which is an edited version of the hook from Double Trouble (“Either stand tall or sit the fuck down! / all the way from 2-1-5th to Bucktown!”) from 1999’s Things Fall Apart. I love figuring out where the bars are coming from (remember, my brain is a stacked encyclopedia of intricate Black Thought lyrics).
Coming back from the final break with the final sandwich: “Check it out now, it’s the type cere-bral / world renowned, illustrious, ille-gal” = Thought’s opening bars from Without A Doubt. I guess The Roots felt like paying honour to the album that gave them the most mainstream exposure to date…and the LP that always reminds me of my high school grad trip to Mt. Tremblant in Quebec, where I played the then freshly copped CD countless times (and I specifically sought out the morbid Tally-Ho Ace cover and got a poster with it too! Edit: as well as street promo stickers that I would place all around town as the dedicated fan that I was and still am).
Chef Mario Batali @ The Roots: “I live for this band! I cook for this band!” I enjoy ANY moment where someone on the show big-ups the illa-5th.

Good show overall to catch. But yeah, that 6-Bee sketch up top is fun for sure.

#Late Night #Jimmy Fallon #The Roots #Parks and Recreation #6-Bee #Glee

"So to all the people watching, I can never ever…thank you enough for the kindness to me and I’ll think about it for the rest of my life. And all I ask is one thing, and this is…I’m asking this particularly of young people that watch: PLEASE do not be cynical. I hate cynicism. For the record, it’s my least favourite quality. It doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind. Amazing things will happen. I’m telling you, AMAZING things will happen. I’m telling you; it’s just true."

Conan’s final words to his loyal fans as host of The Tonight Show. Great message/advice to take to heart. Loved the entire swan song broadcast from top to bottom. Plus The Roots and Fallon pouring out a little OE in Studio 6A in honour of Conan’s Tonight Show tenure right at the very beginning of Late Night was a really nice touch (glad I set the DVR to go 5 minutes over time). “Yeah! And ya don’t stop…well it’s 1-8-7 and CoCo Rocks!” (c) Black Thought & ?uestlove getting their Deep Cover on.

#Conan O'Brien #The Tonight Show #Late Night #Jimmy Fallon #The Roots

"Thank you: NBC for announcing that Jay Leno will be moving back to 11:30. It will be interesting to see how Jay and Conan do against Dave…and how we do against the perfect push up infomercial."

“Thank You Letters” via Late Night w/ Jimmy Fallon. Yes, NBC = National Broadcasting Clusterf*ck. But wait…some positive developments (or at least some resistance) are brewing.

#Late Night #Jimmy Fallon #Thank You Letters #NBC

Clipse featuring Black Thought - Popular Demand (Popeyes) (Live on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon), backed by The Roots (who perfectly recreate the Neptunes beat).

Enjoy this viddy while I go ahead and attempt to transcribe Tariq’s one-time only Popular Demand verse (he killed it, BTW).

#Black Thought #Clipse #Jimmy Fallon #Late Night #The Roots

"Yo, as I child I used to fantasize / bout the lights and camera eyes / gettin’ more gettin’ mine / everything they glamorize / lookin’ for some presence in the skies like it’s camouflage / never expected I’d be the greatest man alive / see I’m from Philly where the ambulance is standing by / people are screamin’ at the sky / extend their hand to God / asked myself “what kinda man am I?” / the person in the mirror replied: / “a cannon that was canonized” / and now I’m royal like them Tenenbaums / they say I’m so hard to analyze / I can’t apologize / and you can only pass judgment if you qualified / stand strong ‘til they call my numbers / I ain’t gotta hide"

Tariq Trotter/Black Thought/Riq Gees dropping yet another one-time only guest verse (transcribed by yours truly, something I just love to do) during a fantastic live performance of Raekwon’s Catalina on Late Night w/ Jimmy Fallon. I say one-time only because Thought wasn’t on Cuban Linx II and there’s no remix of said joint that I know of (let alone one featuring Tariq). So the Bad Lieutenant penned this never-before-heard album-quality verse strictly for Chef’s live performance of the track (with The Roots masterfully replicating the somber Dr. Dre-produced beat). And just like the lyrical machine that he is, Thought went right into the following bars as the show went to the final break:

“Yeah, where I’m a start it at / look I’m a part of that / Downtown Philly where it’s realer than a heart attack.”

Indeed, those are the beginning lyrics of the incomparable title track from Game Theory —-> a perfect LP with no fat whatsoever and best believe (spoiler) one of the greatest albums of the decade.

#Black Thought #Catalina #Jimmy Fallon #Late Night #Live #Raekwon #The Roots #Hip-Hop Quotable

"Researchers at NYU have discovered a new technique that can erase bad memories and fear in humans: it’s called whisky."

Late Night w/ Jimmy Fallon. Mm..Whisky?

#Late Night #Jimmy Fallon #Whisky

Snoop sitting in with The Roots on Late Night…

This should be good. And just like in the past, this post will probably be updated numerous times (live blog style). But just be thankful that I don’t flood all of your dashboards with numerous annoying “tweet-like” posts that could have easily been consolidated into one meaningful post; I like to keep things green with my (com)posting resources.

Started things off with a flawless Nuthin’ But A “G” Thang live medley.
Jo-el from Puerto Rico wins himself a Christmas vest and shucks and jives his way out of there (compliments of The Roots).
A well-deserved thank you letter to the awesomely trashy Jersey Shore.
Snoop just vibing with The Roots as we go to break. Good stuff.
“You ever seen that movie The Dark Crystal? It’s kinda like that.” Nice reference, Jimmy! Too bad no one got it.
The Roots rendition of The Neptunes-produced Drop It Like It’s Hot as we go to another break. Roots and ‘Tunes, yo!
Snoop re-enters the studio to…a lovely Roots live rendition of arguably the GREATEST Neptunes-produced track of all-time: Beautiful! I just want y’all to know…I need to change my shorts (fully intended TMI). The Legendary with another perfect intro song choice (I’ll never get tired of The Roots doing Neptunes joints). Snoop liked the choice as well (signified by dude pointing to the band with his pleasantly surprised approval).
Respect to the funkalicious and incoherent Bootsy Collins.
Respect to Lalo Schifrin (Enter The Dragon OST and many other scores).
Weed joke #3784. Also, Wake n’ Bake.
Snoop will give us a special holiday greeting when we come back. Will it have more thinly-veiled allusions to weed? Stay tuned!
Storytime with Uncle Calvin: How The Grinch ~~Smoked~~ Stole Christmas. Really gets you into the season. *applause*
Mary Steenburgen up next. Snoop hitting on Mary. There better be a reference to One Magic Christmas—-> BTW, the little girl in that movie (Abbie played by Elisabeth Harnois) grew up to be SUPER fine (and I, for one, guiltily enjoyed Point Pleasant, despite it lasting only one season).
Just as we go to break, The Roots bang out the ill beat to Snoop’s legendary Who Am I? (What’s My Name?). Awwww sheeeeiiiiiit.
Snoop Dogg - I Wanna Rock (Live) [feat. Tha Dogg Pound & The Roots]. Sick. And even though they weren’t introduced, I’m pretty sure that was Daz & Kurupt onstage with Snoop (like old times). The Roots were flawless with the music as always. And I’m digging this joint WAAAAAY more than the horrible Gangsta Luv lead single that’s been getting too much play everywhere. Anyways, another great Late Night live performance (what a year!).
Less than 2 weeks ‘til Christmas! Copping some presents on Saturday. And this has nothing to do with the show. I just didn’t know how to gracefully end this live blog post. Goombye.

#Late Night #Jimmy Fallon #The Roots #Snoop Dogg

Milk Punch.

As printed in Jerry Thomas’ Bartender’s Guide (1862):

(Use large bar-glass.)
Take 1 tea-spoonful of fine white sugar.
1 wine-glass of brandy.
½ wine-glass of Santa Cruz rum.
Small lump of ice.

Fill with milk, shake the ingredients well together, strain into a large glass, and grate a little nutmeg on top.

This festive beverage was mixed by Rachel Maddow on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Although to be exact, Rachel utilized Courvoisier VSOP Cognac and Angostura 1919 Rum as well as sugar syrup (water and sugar simmered in a sauce pan).

I am totally gonna make this baby sometime this month. Although the only things I’m missing right now are the milk and nutmeg. But I’ve got all the needed booze on hand (Hennessy VS Cognac and Bacardi 151 Rum), so clearly I’ve got my mixology priorities straight. *turning on portable tape recorder* Note to self: Go to the supermarket this week for some skim milk and fresh nutmeg *stop and playback*

P.S. The “tape recorder” is actually a pen.

#Jerry Thomas #Jimmy Fallon #Late Night #Milk Punch #Rachel Maddow #Alcohol

Norm MacDonald on Conan…

Bringing da ruckus for the third time this year. OH YES.

“It actually looks easy.” Just got me metaphorically rolling on the floor with laughter.

*keeps watching the brilliance*

Edit: Black Star sitting in with The Roots on Late Night! Could a Black Star reunion LP (11 years in the making) be that far behind?

Edit2: It just hit me that 2 of the greatest progressive hip hop factions ever are kicking it on a national late night TV talk show (with one of them constantly killin’ their nightly gig). 10 years ago, I would NEVER have thought I would ever see something like this on network TV. And Black Dante is overly chill tonight (did someone slip Mos a mickey?). Anyways, I’m gonna stop these edits right here before this turns into another infamous Late Night live blog. But this rambling post is just further proof that we are all in the midst of the greatest late night talk show landscape ever! Now excuse me while I thoroughly enjoy Black Thought, ?uesto, Mos Def and Talib Kweli(!) take us to (and back from) break with some of their timeless hip hop joints. Way too much awesomeness.

Final edit: Seth Green is the man. But if any of you are dumb enough to buy a ticket in support of a movie like Old Dogs, then we can never, ever be friends. Just sayin’. Having said that (c) Curb, this massively marketed flick will probably do some impressive numbers during this American holiday weekend (I’m basing that prediction on my utter lack of respect for the general movie-going audiences). *sigh* Remember the good ol’ days when sh!tty movies used to flop? Oh well, Black Star performance up next!!!

#The Tonight Show #Conan O'Brien #Norm Macdonald #Late Night #Jimmy Fallon #The Roots #Black Star