My Roots
I have two older brothers with whom there is a significant age gap.
My eldest brother is 14 years older, and my second brother is 12 years older. By the time I was old enough to understand things, my brothers were basically never home. On weekends, I could tell immediately when my brother was home. That was because loud hip-hop would be blasting from the second floor where he was.
For me, the foundational experience (roots) of music is the hip-hop that I heard coming from that second floor.
Friday, December 27, 2024, Toyosu PIT
As Christmas ended and the world moved toward the New Year, they arrived from America.
The Roots.
Questlove, a master producer who absolutely cannot be left out when talking about the American hip-hop/R&B scene of the 90s and 00s.
Common's "Like Water for Chocolate" and D'Angelo's "Voodoo," released in 2000, are masterpieces that have carved their names into history, and it was Questlove who produced them.
The Roots were formed with that Questlove and rapper Black Thought at the center.
Their collaboration with Erykah Badu, "You Got Me," also won a Grammy Award in 2000.
They are truly, without a doubt, a legendary hip-hop band.
I also love and have been greatly influenced by the work of The Roots, as well as the production unit known as the "Soulquarians"—Questlove, J Dilla, and D'Angelo—and the "Native Tongues" collective that was close to the Soulquarians, centered around A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and the Jungle Brothers.
And now, they are coming to Japan.
This year, Nas came to Japan and it was a hot topic.
Kanye West was in Japan watching pro wrestling and it was a hot topic.
The Roots are coming to Japan. It hasn't been that much of a hot topic.
So what? Whether it's a hot topic or not has nothing to do with me.
Only those who know, know. The meaning and the greatness of The Roots performing in Japan.
7:00 PM. The dream time began almost exactly on schedule.
Once the live show started, it went by in a flash. Above all, it was non-stop. No MCing. Black Thought kept rapping for over two hours, and Questlove kept drumming for over two hours.
Black Thought's articulation is amazing...
I could hear every single rap clearly...
I had a strong impression of Questlove as a producer, but he was also a top-tier drummer.
Honestly, there is a possibility that you might never be able to see rappers and hip-hop groups of this generation again if you miss "now."
Last year, De La Soul rapper Trugoy the Dove passed away.
I can no longer see De La Soul with the full lineup, which I had hoped to see someday.
That's why I didn't want to miss The Roots this time, and I wanted to see them at all costs.
In the end, I'm glad I saw them.
I've been thinking about something lately.
What is hip-hop?
It's a personal opinion, but I feel like in Japan right now, hip-hop equals being bad, or how good or bad one is at freestyle rapping.
I feel like these two things have become the public image.
But is that hip-hop?
Maybe that "is also" hip-hop.
But the hip-hop that I love as music is the hip-hop I was bathed in that day.
A mysterious music that is rock, soul, funk, jazz, blues, and reggae, and yet none of those things.
Stylish, laid-back, unpretentious—like the interesting older brothers in the neighborhood.
I thought, that is hip-hop.
Thank you!!! The Roots!!!