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I hope the OkayPlayers don’t get their hemp boxers all up in a bunch. I still fucks with the Roots on the regulack, and I will definitely be at their next NYC performance.

Friday night I organized a small junket of DP Dot Com heads to go in to see the Roots perform at the Apollo Theatre. I’ve seen them at the Apollo previously for a Black August benefit a few years back(ROSARIO DAWSON nearly kissed me – true story). As a matter of fact, I may have seen the Roots perform live as much as I have seen GEORGE CLINTON and all of his P-Funk incarnations. The number is alot. However, the fellas in my group hadn’t seen them at all, or in a looooong time.

	40 Dawg 40 went to Temple U. and he remembers when the illaDelphonics were prah’lee called the Acknickulauts since they were the house band for 3xDope. All this to say that Diesel goes way back with the Roots although I don’t think 40 has seen them perform live since he was in college.

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	VEe from Scritch & Scratch This was VEe’s virgin Roots show. Check his link above to take a look at the artwork he is creating to herald the proposed Wu Tang vs. Shaolin project this summer.

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	P-City a/k/a Master P P also popped his Roots cherry at this concert. Y’all may not remember this but P produced the first two DP Dot Com videos. This joint where G DUBBZ tells the victims of Hurricane Starrkeysha to shake their ass and show him what they are working with is a classic.

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I was hoping that the Roots would do their typical guest-filled marathon. The Roots have trademarked themselves as the most incredible Hip-Hop experience on stage and for the last fifteen years I haven’t seen anyone top their best. Not Public Enemy, nor the Wu. Friday night’s show was all about the Roots though. It wasn’t a BlackStarr reunion or an OkayPlayer jam session. It was just the Roots and that alone is worth the price of my ticket.

But what the fuck is up with an 83 minute set? Am I wrong to expect the Roots to perform for at least two hours? How about at least 90 minutes? I needed one more song to show my friends that these dudes were indeed the truth. In reality Black Thought had already sewn that shit up for them. You need to recognize this man as the greatest emcee alive. Black Thought is a beast of a rapper, but even bigger than that he is an M.C. Microphone Controller.

All of the Roots are master musicians in their own right, but Black Thought exceeds even ?uestLove because he is using the oldest musical instrument known to man. The human voice. Black Thought stretches his trachea, larynx and lips past the tipping point. His lyric spacing moves from single shot punchlines up to semi-automatic semantics. Sunn is straight ill-MATIC in a full metal ski jacket.

Star

Don’t Say Nuthin’

Boom!

If you haven’t yet seen the Roots perform live then you are missing one hell of a band throw down and clearly one of, if not the greatest emcee to hold a microphone.

Even when their set is only 83 minutes.