Seriously, is Black Thought the G.O.A.T.
Black Thought and Method Man appeared together on Sway In The Morning in promotion of their new HBO show, "The Deuce". I don't even want to describe it in great detail, because it is truly some shit you need to see for yourself. The thing I do want to talk about is Black Thought, one of the best emcees (and performers) ever!
This man never even wastes a bar. You'd be hard pressed to present more than 10 bad Black Thoughts lines. Black does two exquisite rounds in this Cypher, and not to diminish Method Man at all, but it's truly an incredible thing to see.
Outside of the content - how dope is it to see Method Man and Black Thought cypher together on a radio show in 2017? The back and forth alone is classic material and I sincerely hope someone has a grainy home recording of the audio - a true bootleg gem...
...you know, if bootleging was still a thing, and you had to record the radio with a tape deck and couldn't just enter this url into one of those youtube ripping sites and then just like have the audio to do whatever you want with it...
The 7th Annual Roots Picnic Recap
Photos by Seher Sikandar for OkayPlayer
Just this past week The Roots threw their 7th annual Roots Picnic, and to no surprise the event received rave reviews across the board. The music festival channeled an amazing line-up that featured Snoop Dogg, The Roots (of course), Janelle Monáe, Erykah Badu, The War on Drugs, Action Bronson, Jhené Aiko, and A$AP Ferg, to name a few. It was noted that the vibe this year was a bit different too, and some say it was better than ever. The pier at Penn’s Landing got a new look, it's concrete was replaced with sand for a beach party vibe, and it's backdrop framed amazing views of the Ben Frankin Bridge and the Philly skyline. A great view, vibe, and good music... what more do we need out of a superb music festival?
Although we wish we were there, the pictures captured by OkayPlayer photographer Seher Sikandar are really fun to see. The energy and musical collaborations captured in these photos prove that the picnic only gets better and better every year. Check out some of our favorites and find more here.
[Via OkayPlayer]
Behind The Scenes Look at The Roots' New LP Cover Shoot
Photos by Mel D. Cole
The Roots have a highly anticipated new album coming out, titled "&TYSYC", and with that comes the excitement of creating brand new cover art. The group already has some of the most popular and recognizable album covers in the Hip Hip today, so we were happy to find that photographer Mel D. Cole was on the scene to capture a behind-the-scenes look at The Roots new LP cover shoot.
At first glance, it seems the group decided to go with a dapper look for the new cover, keeping it simple yet classy, wearing suits and ties with a solid background. Check out the photos below and be sure to check out more of the photographer's music photo work here.
[Via okayplayer]
[Video] Broken Bells Perform on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Broken Bells, the collaborative effort of DJ Danger Mouse and The Shins' James Mercer made music industry waves back in 2009 when the pair released their self-titled project that mixed sultry, smooth aesthetics with Mercer's gentle vocals to create a sublime album that can be listened back to front at almost any time of the day. Quiet since then, Danger Mouse and Mercer have been slowly building a mountain of anticipation for their announced 2014 release, After The Disco, which they teased over the past couple of months. The project is due out on February 4 and in continuing promotion, the duo visited "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" to play "Holding On For Life" and "After The Disco". Check out performances of both, streaming below and keep it locked for the latest on Broken Bells.
"Holding On For Life"
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"After The Disco"
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[Video] Disclosure & Sam Smith Perform "Latch" Live on Fallon
English dance music duo Disclosure made their North American television debut last night, performing their song "Latch" with crooner Sam Smith on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon while in New York City as part of their current tour. The pair proved why they have been vaulted to the forefront of the new music scene in America over the past year, performing with a uniquely interesting stage set-up that I haven't seen on Late Night before, complete with a laser face that mimicked Smith's facial movements as he sang. Disclosure is just the latest in a long line of talented British dance acts and shows why in the video below. Sam Smith absolutely kills on the live vocals, taking the typical electronic set up a notch with the decidedly live addition. Check it all out below.
[Video] Big Sean, Kid Cudi Perform on Jimmy Fallon
G.O.O.D. Music was in the building with Late Night with Jimmy Fallon yesterday as Big Sean and Kid Cudi stopped by to do their thing with house band The Roots. Sean, on tour in support of his latest album Hall of Fame, stopped by the set of the show to perform his song "First Chain" with Cudi. Check out the video from the performance below.
[Video] Mick Jenkins: "The Roots"
Chicago up and comer Mick Jenkins dropped the latest video from his recent project, Trees & Truths, today-unveiling a 119 Productions directed joint for his song, "The Roots". The video follows the songs lead as Mick laces urban tales that emanate from the Chicago streets. Jenkins has slated early 2014 as our next chance to get some fresh tracks, until then enjoy the video below.
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[Video] The Avett Brothers on Jimmy Fallon
The Avett Brothers visited Jimmy Fallon and The Roots yesterday to perform their single "Vanity" with Soundgarden front man Chris Cornell. The performance was a precursor to the band's upcoming album, Magpie and the Dandelion, which was recorded at the same time as Avett Brother's 2012 release The Carpenter, is due out on October 15.