The Roots 'How I Got Over' NYC Listening Session Report

The Roots How I Got Over on Island/Def Jam/Okay Player arrives June 22.

In attendance, L.A. Reid, Zoe Kravitz and the rest of The Roots crew. Check out the photo links after the article.

via the Boom Box

Last night, New York City was blessed by the legendary Roots crew beyond their nightly in-house band duties for 'Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.' The hip-hop band was hosting their first listening session at Legacy Studios for their ninth full-length studio album, 'How I Got Over,' an album reminiscent of 2002's 'Phrenology' with obvious natural progression.

"Contemporary" is the word that comes to mind when first hearing 'How I Got Over.' Not to suggest they've gone adult contemporary, but rather, it's the inevitable growth of a band who, after originally busting on to the scene with their crossover success, is now relishing in the collective genius of the entire group. Even friend and co-worker Jimmy Fallon was in attendance to support the Roots, eagerly awaiting to see what the select few in the media thought of their latest effort. 'How I Got Over' will undoubtedly be well-received, probably more so than 'Phrenology,' as the landscape of hIp-hop has significantly changed since then.

Here is the general rundown of 'How I Got Over':

1. 'Walk Alone' (feat. Truck North, Porn, Dice Raw, Mercedes Martinez):
This opening track follows a smoothed out intro and keeps the melodic momentum going in this neo-soul cut with former Jazzyfatnastees front woman Mercedes Martinez.

2. 'Dear God 2.0' (feat. Jim James, MOF):
This lead single is a reinvention of the Monsters of Folk classic 'Dear God,' only slightly darker and more intense than the original.

3. 'Radio Daze' (feat. Blu, Porn, Dice Raw, Mercedes Martinez):
A mellow Bass-heavy movement with Blu as the official scene stealer.

4. 'Now Or Never' (feat. Phonte Coleman, Dice Raw):
Modestly mature track with the quietly desperate hook, "Gotta get my shit together / it's now or never".



5. 'How I Got Over' (feat. Dice Raw):
The first leaked track and video off 'How I Got Over,' is jungle-tinged with jazz sensibility.

6. 'The Day' (feat. Blu, Phonte Coleman, Patty Crash):
This track resembles the 'Phrenology' cut 'Sacrifice' featuring Nelly Furtado, but with Blu's opening verse setting the stage for the whole song, as new school Roots affiliate Patty Crash provides a soulfully edgy hook.

7. 'Right On' (feat. Joanna Newsom, Sugar Tongue Slim):
Andy Samberg's girlfriend, pianist and singer/songwriter Joanna Newsom assists this thumping track with newcomer Sugar Tongue Slim, who sounds like a cross between Cypress Hill and the Pharcyde.

8. 'Doin It Again' (feat. John Legend):
A signature Roots sounding track, where John Legend sings the hook in a slightly rockier way than we're used to.

9. 'The Fire' (feat. John Legend, Rick Friedrich):
This keys-heavy closing track screams 'victory!' in its uplifting and triumphant production.

Bonus Cut #1:
A cypher meets posse cut amidst DJ scratched production, like the soundtrack to a schoolyard.

Bonus Cut #2:
Sugar Tongue Slim is on the hook and lends a verse to this song probably titled 'Hustler,' since STS repeats it throughout the cut along with "I hope my baby girl grows up to be a hustler."

Photo links:
Wire Image

John Legend 'Wake Up Sessions' Album With The Roots Close To Being Finished

via MTV

John Legend is a pretty lucky guy. He sang the national anthem at the World Series and joined Stevie Wonder onstage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th anniversary concert last fall — on the same day.

The piano-playing crooner will follow those achievements with the release of his next album, Wake Up Sessions, with the Roots. According to Legend, he's been a fan of the Philadelphia band since his college days, when he was a student at the University of Pennsylvania.

"We're, like, 99 percent done. We've done all the recording, and now we're mixing half the album, and it's coming out in September," the singer told MTV News. "I'm very excited about it. It's gonna be a very interesting, very cool album. And like I said, I'm a big fan of the Roots. I'm excited to be able to put out an album with the Roots. This is a group I've been following since I was a kid at UPenn. I would go to open mics and watch them host the open mics, wishing I could be onstage with them, and now I'm in the studio with them making this album, and it's pretty exciting."

Legend and the Roots joined forces last month to perform at a 40th-anniversary Earth Day event. Wake Up Sessions is the follow-up to Legend's 2008 album, Evolver, which featured the Andre 3000-assisted "Green Light."

DJ Krush: Famed Japanese Hip Hop DJ, Producer Japan Times Interview

Japan Times: What do you feel has been your greatest achievement over the course of your 20-year career?

DJ Krush: There were a lot of difficulties, but I think the greatest achievement is that I've actually continued! I've never been able to speak English, but using my music there are people all over the world that are waiting for me. That is truly something incredible. In this way, I feel there are no boundaries — that there is a common empathy. And when I go to a country and my fans tell me, "We were waiting!" — when I hear this — I'm really glad that I'm doing this.

Japan Times: What exactly inspired you when you first saw "Wild Style"?

DJ Krush: I really liked music, and was in a band in junior high school, but I couldn't find the type of music I really wanted to do. In "Wild Style," things are utilized that you can find at home, like a turntable and records, and my father had records, so it seemed like something I could do straight away. And also, I could get a real feeling of the street off it.

Japan Times: How did you "become" a DJ? Obviously you weren't taught . . .

DJ Krush: There was absolutely no information in those days, and now there are things like DJ school! There was nothing like that back then, so I bought the video and watched a DJ scratching on repeat. I tried to figure it out like that and that was how I learned. At the time you couldn't buy the kind of mixers that they were using in the film, so I ended up buying a totally different mixer, which I remember really struggling with.

Japan Times: And were you doing hip-hop from the start?

DJ Krush: I was listening to 1970s and '80s funk and rock, and then slowly incorporating hip-hop.

Japan Times: How long did it take for you to develop your own DJing style?

DJ Krush: I'm still looking for it, even though I've been DJing for 20 years now.

Japan Times: How has the Japanese hip-hop scene developed over the years?

DJ Krush: I'm not really all that interested in the mainstream scene which is saturated with commercialism, but I really get the impression that there has been an increase in DJs and talented young people who want to manifest their own individuality and who have developed their own originality. Initially, hip-hop was a culture that was born in America, right? So the scene was imitating that. As the years went on, people started developing a sense of originality, an individuality that only they had. Not only DJs, but also rappers who were rapping in Japanese. I saw an increase in young people reflecting on things that were actually happening in their own country, not just copying gangs with guns.

Japan Times: You tour a lot with DJ Kentaro, but who are the other notable up-and-coming DJs in Japan.

DJ Krush: Oh, there are many now, but Kentaro won the DMC DJ championships (in 2002, aged 20), so I really think he has a certain groove that only he is capable of. I think Japanese are quite talented, so I really hope from now on that there are young people who want to participate on an international level.

Japan Times: Is your music more popular overseas than locally?

DJ Krush: I go overseas a lot, so maybe the level of recognition is higher overseas.

Japan Times: Why is that?

DJ Krush: I really feel the way that the crowd that accepts you abroad is slightly different than in Japan. They decide what they like and what they think is good for themselves, whereas in Japan, they don't make their own decisions; it's more like someone tells them it's good. If it's on TV that a CD is good, or if everyone says that it's good, they go out and buy it; they don't make their own selections.

Japan Times: People who meet you say you are really modest. Is it important to keep a humble attitude?

DJ Krush: Yeah, I don't really like the "me, me" attitude, and I can't really understand it. I wonder why people end up like that? Before that happens, I really think I have so much to do because people are really watching. I just think that I have a long way to go and that I haven't become the king yet.

Japan Times: Is it necessary to not feel satisfied as an artist?

DJ Krush: I really feel grateful to a lot of people that I have been able to come this far. For me to be able to go all over the world is really something I'm happy about, and there is more depth to music — it's so vast and free. So there is still a lot to pursue.

Read the full DJ Krush Interview here:
Japan Times - DJ Krush spins some tales