The Roots' original lineup included Black Thought (MC vocals) and Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson (drums), who were classmates at the Philadelphia High School for Creative Performing Arts. As they began to play at school and on the streets, they added another MC named Malik B., bassist Leonard Hubbardand keyboardist Scott Storch. Another MC, Dice Raw, frequently made album appearances with the group from 1995 to 1999 before leaving to record a solo album. Scott Storch also left to pursue career as a producer following the Do You Want More?!!!??! album, He produced songs such as Still D.R.E. by Dr Dre. The Roots filled his void with another keyboardist, Kamal who is still a member. A beatboxer named Rahzel also joined the group and contributed from 1995-1999. Alongside Rahzel was vocal turntablist, Scratch who greatly contributed to The Roots' sound, most notably in live concerts. He left the group in 2003. Malik B. left the group in 2000. A guitarist, Ben Kenney, enjoyed a short stint with the group and contributed to their Phrenology album, but left to join Incubus. A percussionist, Knuckles, was added in 2002 and guitarist, Kirk Douglas (a.k.a. "Captain Kirk") repleaced Kenney. A vocalist, Martin Luther toured with The Roots in 2003 and 2004 and contributed to their album The Tipping Point. The current members of The Roots are Black Thought (MC vocals), ?uestlove (drums), Hub (bass), Kamal (keyboard), Knuckles (percussion), and Captain Kirk (guitar).
The Roots' debut album, Organix released in 1993, was actually a live recording from a concert in Germany that the Roots sold at their shows. The album earned enough industry buzz to earn the Roots offers from major record labels, and they signed with DGC records, which at the time was better known for its grunge music releases.
The Roots' first album for DGC, Do You Want More?!!!??! (recorded live without the use of samples), was a moderate hit on alternative radio. Their 1996 release Illadelph Halflife was the group's first album to crack the Top 40 on Billboard's album chart, spurred in part by MTV's airplay of the video for "What They Do", a parody of rap video clichés such as the "beatdown shot," and "Clones" which was their first to single to reach the top five on the rap charts.
In 1999, The Roots released Things Fall Apart (named after a novel by Chinua Achebe), their breakthrough album. The track "You Got Me", duet with R'n'B singer Erykah Badu, earned them a Grammy award for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group.
In 2000, Dice Raw left the group to record his solo debut album, Reclaiming the Dead.
The Roots' reputation as a hip-hop live band made Jay-Z call on them for his MTV Unplugged album in 2002. The album featured good recreations of many of his great songs, played by the band with a little help from female vocalist Jaguar Wright.
2002's Phrenology introduced a more mainstream sound for the Roots, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. The album's sales were boosted by radio and TV airplay for two duets on the album, "Break You Off" (featuring Musiq Soulchild) and "The Seed 2.0" (featuring Cody ChestnuTT). The video for "The Seed 2.0" earned a nomination for the MTV2 Award at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. "The Seed" was also featured on the soundtrack to the Mandy Moore movie Chasing Liberty. Phrenology was certified gold (signifying U.S. sales of at least 500,000 units) in June 2003.
The Roots' 2004 release, The Tipping Point, took its name from a 2000 book by Malcolm Gladwell. The album earned two more Grammy nominations: one for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for the track "Star", and another for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group for the track "Don't Say Nuthin'". The album was an immediate hit, debuting at #4 on the Billboard album chart and selling over 100,000 copies in its first week of release.
On November 15, 2005 The Roots released two compilation albums, Home Grown! The Beginner's Guide To Understanding The Roots, Volumes 1 & 2. These two separately sold discs are a compilation of past hits, live performances, and rare remixes compiled by ?uestlove himself. They also feature 70 pages of liner notes written by ?uestlove. These two albums marked the Roots' last releases on Geffen Records.
The Roots' album, Game Theory, was released on August 29, 2006. The album, which features a track that samples the song "You and Whose Army" by Radiohead, was released on Jay-Z's Def Jam.
The Roots next album 'Rising Down' was released on April 29th 2008. Features tracks with Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Saigon, and other greats.
The Make Me Songfacts reports that The Roots' eleventh album, undun, is their first concept album. It tells the story of a man called Redford Stephens who died in 1999 at the age of 25. We hear Redford retelling his life post-mortem and attempting to deconstruct what led to his undoing.
The Roots are also the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon airing first on March 2nd, 2009.
Radio Daze feat. Blu
The Roots Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the radio daze kept us in the dark
And the satellite age brings us to the light
Some feeling the pinch, some feeling the bite
They ain't ready to talk, they're ready to fight
Never leave you alone
(Never, never leave you alone
Never, never leave you alone)
(Never, never leave you alone
Never, never leave you alone)
Yo, so what you searching for? From birth
Born hurting and yearning for certain somethings
Lurking and murk them, got them turning this
Bed into a coffin, burning over passions in this passion
Or more or less over what the pastor passed us
'Cause, see, the past tense it never really passes
Phases that trap us and cage us like classes
Fogging my glasses, lost in a mass mess
Task-less dilemma to match somebody's status
And I'm average as fuck, no car cats gassing me up
Passing bucks like a casual blunt
Granted, hustling habits on the stumble, the mansion while
Bums pass, asking for a buck for some bagged bricks
Bad shit going down on the daily
While bad chicks pass in a Mercedez, damn
They say he's the bastard for chasing them
Maybe it's the patterns that make me that made me crazy
[Chorus]
Life is fiction, competition, and contradiction
Petty perceptions, window dressing for misdirection
Love is a lotto; I know I know you know what I know
Hope is so hollow--that's why winos follow the bottle
And people pressure make death a hidden treasure
A girly pleasure, lonely language inside a letter
It's now or never--move it, move it, love it, or lose it
'Fore it's recruited, then included inside the stupid
It's things of nature; paid a player and say your prayers
Naysayers, the haters, the major players, the beggars
You 'bout it, 'bout it; don't allow it to pop without it
Then those who doubt it do or die the death of cowards
The world is yours and the world we can't afford
So ignore the law; start a fire; then start a war
If you're sick and tired of your access denied
Free will died long before Glydes and i-Pod
[Chorus]
[Black Thought]
Yo, it's too much strain, phenomenal gain
I'm going through things, headaches, abdominal pain
Tryna numb it with that kettle like I'm from the Ukraine
Check the blue flame; lighter running out of butane
What's up with my destructive urge that's unproductive?
Choices I'm stuck with, now starting to fuck with
Contaminating family and close friends
Telling me to stop burning the candle at both ends
Ain't like I'm on a coke binge, hanging in dope dens
Or life is just a pool of Patron I'm soaked in
The darker the covenant-slash-train-wreck for you to rubberneck
You ain't felt the true pain yet so you be loving that
Hit me up at black dot gov like the government
Banana Republican, alien intelligence
Kill switch, real pissed, thinking of some ill shit
The stone the builder refused he need to build with
Got immunized for both flus; I'm still sick
Via satellite, radio, the realness
[Dice Raw]
And the radio daze kept us in the dark
And the satellite age brings us to the light
Some feeling the pinch, some feeling the bite
They ain't ready to talk, they're ready to fight
And the radio daze
And the radio daze
And the radio daze
The lyrics of The Roots’ “Radio Daze” is a commentary on the current state of society and how technology is changing the way we interact with the world. The song is about how we are constantly bombarded with noise from the radio and our addiction to technology. The chorus repeats “never leave you alone” to underscore the idea that our devices are always with us and we are never truly disconnected from the world.
The first verse is a commentary on how we are conditioned to constantly search for something, whether it be material possessions or validation from others. The second verse explores the themes of love, hope, and pressure, and how they are all interconnected. The third verse is a personal reflection by Black Thought about the pressures he feels as an artist and how they can negatively impact his personal life. The final chorus reminds us that we are still in the “radio daze,” constantly bombarded with information and not fully ready to confront the issues we face.
Overall, “Radio Daze” is a thought-provoking commentary on modern society, technology, and the human condition.
Line by Line Meaning
And the radio daze kept us in the dark
The radio era left us uninformed and unaware of important information
And the satellite age brings us to the light
The modern era of advanced communication technology brings us access to more knowledge and the ability to be informed
Some feeling the pinch, some feeling the bite
Some are feeling the effects of hardship more severely than others
They ain't ready to talk, they're ready to fight
Some are not willing to discuss or compromise, but are rather prepared to engage in conflict
Never leave you alone
To always be there for someone, to never abandon them
Yo, so what you searching for? From birth
What are you seeking in life from the moment you are born?
Born hurting and yearning for certain somethings
We are born with pain and desire for specific things
Lurking and murk them, got them turning this
The pain and desire can cause us to become deceptive and cause others to lose focus
Bed into a coffin, burning over passions in this passion
Our passions can consume us to the point of death, like a bed becoming a coffin and burning with desire
Or more or less over what the pastor passed us
Our focus can be on what our religious leaders have taught us
'Cause, see, the past tense it never really passes
The things that have happened to us in the past continue to affect us and never truly go away
Phases that trap us and cage us like classes
Life stages can keep us stuck and limited in our options
Fogging my glasses, lost in a mass mess
Feeling confused and overwhelmed, everything is a blur
Task-less dilemma to match somebody's status
Feeling conflicted about what tasks to take on to match someone else's social status
And I'm average as fuck, no car cats gassing me up
I am a normal person, not elevated by anyone hyping me up or giving me special treatment
Passing bucks like a casual blunt
Passing responsibility off like it's no big deal
Granted, hustling habits on the stumble, the mansion while
Being granted opportunities to succeed but still struggling and stumbling along the way
Bums pass, asking for a buck for some bagged bricks
Homeless people beg for money to buy drugs
Bad shit going down on the daily
Terrible events occur frequently
While bad chicks pass in a Mercedez, damn
At the same time, attractive women drive by in luxury cars
They say he's the bastard for chasing them
He is criticized for pursuing these women
Maybe it's the patterns that make me that made me crazy
Perhaps it is the repetition of the same actions that has driven him to madness
Life is fiction, competition, and contradiction
Life can be a made-up story, with competition and inconsistency
Petty perceptions, window dressing for misdirection
Our perceptions can be superficial and used to mislead us
Love is a lotto; I know I know you know what I know
Love is a gamble, everyone knows it
Hope is so hollow--that's why winos follow the bottle
Hope can be worthless, leading some to turn to alcohol for comfort
And people pressure make death a hidden treasure
People's expectations can make death seem like a desirable outcome
A girly pleasure, lonely language inside a letter
Receiving a love letter can be a source of enjoyment, but it's ultimately a lonely form of communication
It's now or never--move it, move it, love it, or lose it
Take advantage of the present moment, either act on something or let it go
'Fore it's recruited, then included inside the stupid
Before something becomes popular and taken up by the masses in a foolish way
It's things of nature; paid a player and say your prayers
Things happen naturally, regardless of money or prayer
Naysayers, the haters, the major players, the beggars
The critics, the powerful, the needy are all present in life
You 'bout it, 'bout it; don't allow it to pop without it
If you're serious about something, don't let it go unnoticed
Then those who doubt it do or die the death of cowards
Those who doubt will either give up or face failure
The world is yours and the world we can't afford
The world is available to us, but we may not be able to afford it
So ignore the law; start a fire; then start a war
Rebel against authority and cause chaos
If you're sick and tired of your access denied
If you're frustrated by being rejected from something
Free will died long before Glydes and i-Pod
The freedom to choose has been limited for a long time, far before the advent of technology like the Glyde or iPod
Yo, it's too much strain, phenomenal gain
Life is causing too much stress, but there are still moments of success
I'm going through things, headaches, abdominal pain
Experiencing physical and emotional difficulties
Tryna numb it with that kettle like I'm from the Ukraine
Trying to cope with these difficulties through drinking like someone from Ukraine, where vodka is popular
Check the blue flame; lighter running out of butane
Check the blue flame on the lighter, which may be running low on fuel
What's up with my destructive urge that's unproductive?
Why do I have a desire to cause harm that doesn't lead to anything positive?
Choices I'm stuck with, now starting to fuck with
Feeling trapped by the choices made, and it's starting to cause problems
Contaminating family and close friends
These problems are affecting those closest to him
Telling me to stop burning the candle at both ends
Advised to stop overworking oneself
Ain't like I'm on a coke binge, hanging in dope dens
I am not using drugs excessively or living a dangerous lifestyle
Or life is just a pool of Patron I'm soaked in
My life isn't just a hedonistic indulgence in luxury tequila
The darker the covenant-slash-train-wreck for you to rubberneck
The more disastrous the situation, the more people will be interested in watching it unfold
You ain't felt the true pain yet so you be loving that
You haven't experienced real pain, so you enjoy watching others suffer
Hit me up at black dot gov like the government
Contact me like you would the government
Banana Republican, alien intelligence
A reference to the political term banana republic, and the idea that extraterrestrial intelligence may be present on Earth
Kill switch, real pissed, thinking of some ill shit
Feeling angry and considering harmful actions
The stone the builder refused he need to build with
The rejected or overlooked can still be a valuable asset
Got immunized for both flus; I'm still sick
Despite taking preventative measures, still feeling unwell
Via satellite, radio, the realness
The truth is broadcasted through different media channels
And the radio daze
The confusion and misinformation of the radio era
And the radio daze
The confusion and misinformation of the radio era
And the radio daze
The confusion and misinformation of the radio era
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: AHMIR K. THOMPSON, GREG SPEARMAN, JEREMY JAMES GRENHART, JOHN BARNES, KARL B. JENKINS, RICK FRIEDRICH, TARIK L. COLLINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mike Ball
on Proceed V (Da Beatminerz remix)
So after purchasing “Do You Want More” the day it dropped, my guy the upped me from jump (pass the popcorn obvi) found this join on a European release and pressed play…the rest is history. But there in lies my question…what IS the history, the story on how, where, when, this was created? I need to know for context. Drop a link if there is one out there PLEASE! V 5 is a masterpiece!