So, this post has inadvertently turned into The Roots post, but I've still got a few random goodies to throw in. For those of you that don't know, that picture (cover of The Tipping Point) is Black Thought recreating this mugshot of Malcolm Little before he became Malcolm X. In my mind, that's brilliant album art.
On to the music...
The Roots - Please Don't Go demo
I don't know the story behind this song but it's tagged as demo so I might guess it's pretty old. My favorite part of this song is that Black Thought sings the hook, a lot of people don't know that Black Thought can actually sing in addition to rap. There was a rumor going around that he was gonna release a Gnarls Barkley style album with Danger Mouse, but who knows if that'll actually happen.
The Roots - Lovely, Love my Family
This song was performed by The Roots on Yo Gabba Gabba, and every time I hear it I'm reminded of Questo rockin out for the entertainment of small children and I laugh uncontrollably.
This song is really good. The music is great and Black Thought, as usual, delivers a stellar lyrical performance. Cradle Orchestra are a Japanese group and I don't know what project this song is from but hopefully we hear some more from them soon.
Other tracks:
Originally a K-Os song, Fashawn jumps on Sunday Morning and does it well. I was highly skeptical of this song at first because K-Os' version is so good I didn't think someone could do this and make it worthwhile at all, but Fashawn does, so give him credit.
One of Talib Kweli's many side projects, Idle Warship brings us this track which I actually can't remember at all what it sounds like but I remember that it's cool, so check it out.
This remix is amazing, to say the least. For some reason, Three 6 Mafia remixes that get them out of their dirty south sound and into something new usually turn out really well.
One of the best recent lyrical performances I've heard from an MC of any gender, hands down. Plus the sample is amazing and the beat is pure fire.
B.o.B. flips "Build Me Up Buttercup" for this love song, continuing his tradition of bringing hope to the future of hip-hop.
All songs are mp3 uploaded to zshare
