The Roots: "Things Fall Apart" (Pdf)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

The Roots: ‘Things Fall Apart’ By Bangi Ofon More members were added to the feelings of being vulnerable in rela- group, and today The Roots consist tionships. The Roots is an iconic hip- of 10 members. The only off-putting thing hop group that has dominated the The album, “Things Fall about the album is the songs’ hooks. rap/hip-hop scene for over 20 years. Apart,” sold more than 500,000 cop- It doesn’t seem to go with the rest of By infusing jazz and blues into their ies making it the group’s first break- the lyrics of the song, especially songs, The Roots have redefined hip through album. The combination of when dealing with serious themes -hop as a whole. live instruments such as the piano such as racism and inequality. Their lyrics raw and poign- and electric beats mixed in the studio The listener might get con- ant, frequently tell the story of the convey a powerful sound. fused and have a problem of misin- harsh realities of living as a black Although, most of their terpretation while trying to under- person in America. Some musical songs tend to center around issues stand the connotation of the song. experts define The Roots as a con- of racism and black culture, The All in all, “Things Fall Apart” scious rap group. Roots show a softer side of as artists is an intelligent, well-written and pro- Originally from Philadelphia, on the song “You Got Me,” a col- duced album dealing with issues of The Roots formed in 1987 by mem- laboration with artist Erikah Badu and racism and discrimination which still bers Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson rapper Eve. The song deals with trust resonate today 15 years after the and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter. issues in relationships and unwanted album’s release. .

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Roots101art & Writing Activities
Art & Writing Roots101Activities ART & WRITING ACTIVITIES 1 Roots-inspired mural by AIC students Speaker Box by Waring Elementary student "Annie's Tomorrow" by Annie Seng TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 2 Roots Trading Cards 3 Warm-ups 6 Activity #1: Also Known As 12 Activity #2: Phrenology Portrait 14 Activity #3: Album Cover Design 16 Activity #4: Musical Invention 18 Activity #5: Speaker Boxes 20 Activity #6: Self-Portrait on Vinyl 22 ART & WRITING ACTIVITIES 1 Through The Roots Mural Project, Mural Arts honors INTRODUCTION homegrown hip hop trailblazers, cultural icons, and GRAMMY® Award winners, The Roots. From founders Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter’s and Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson’s humble beginnings at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA), to their double digit recorded albums and EPs, to an endless overseas touring schedule, and their current position as house band on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” on NBC, The Roots have influenced generations of artists locally, nationally, and globally. As Mural Arts continues to redefine muralism in the 21st century, this project was one of its most ambitious and far-reaching yet, including elements such as audio and video, city-wide engagement through paint days, a talkback lecture series, and a pop-up studio. Working alongside SEFG Entertainment LLC and other arts and culture partners, Mural Arts produced a larger-than-life mural to showcase the breadth of The Roots’ musical accomplishments and their place in the pantheon of Philadelphia’s rich musical history. The mural is located at 512 S. Broad Street on the wall of World Communications Charter School, not far from CAPA, where The Roots were founded.
[Show full text]
Exposing Corruption in Progressive Rock: a Semiotic Analysis of Gentle Giant’S the Power and the Glory
University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Music Music 2019 EXPOSING CORRUPTION IN PROGRESSIVE ROCK: A SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS OF GENTLE GIANT’S THE POWER AND THE GLORY Robert Jacob Sivy University of Kentucky, [email protected] Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2019.459 Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Sivy, Robert Jacob, "EXPOSING CORRUPTION IN PROGRESSIVE ROCK: A SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS OF GENTLE GIANT’S THE POWER AND THE GLORY" (2019). Theses and Dissertations--Music. 149. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/music_etds/149 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Music at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--Music by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. Proper attribution has been given to all outside sources. I understand that I am solely responsible for obtaining any needed copyright permissions. I have obtained needed written permission statement(s) from the owner(s) of each third-party copyrighted matter to be included in my work, allowing electronic distribution (if such use is not permitted by the fair use doctrine) which will be submitted to UKnowledge as Additional File. I hereby grant to The University of Kentucky and its agents the irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free license to archive and make accessible my work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known.
[Show full text]
Fieldwork in Theology
Fieldwork in Theology Exploring the Social Context of God’s Work in the World Christian Scharen K Christian Scharen, Fieldwork in Theology Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2015. Used by permission. (Unpublished manuscript—copyright protected Baker Publishing Group) Scharen_FiedlworkTheology_LC_kf.indd iii 5/27/15 2:36 PM © 2015 by Christian Scharen Published by Baker Academic a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.bakeracademic.com Printed in the United States of America All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, pho- tocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Scharen, Christian, 1966– Fieldwork in theology : exploring the social context of God’s work in the world / Christian Scharen. pages cm. — (The church and postmodern culture) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8010-4930-9 (pbk.) 1. Theology—Methodology. 2. Pastoral theology—Fieldwork. 3. Bourdieu, Pierre, 1930–2002. 4. Postmoderninsm—Religious aspects—Christianity. I. Title. BR118.S325 2015 261—dc23 2015007078 Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Christian Scharen, Fieldwork in Theology Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, © 2015.
[Show full text]
From Jay-Z to Dead Prez: Examining Representations of Black
JBSXXX10.1177/0021934714528953Journal of Black StudiesBelle 528953research-article2014 Article Journal of Black Studies 2014, Vol. 45(4) 287 –300 From Jay-Z to Dead © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: Prez: Examining sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0021934714528953 Representations of jbs.sagepub.com Black Masculinity in Mainstream Versus Underground Hip-Hop Music Crystal Belle1 Abstract The evolution of hip-hop music and culture has impacted the visibility of Black men and the Black male body. As hip-hop continues to become commercially viable, performances of Black masculinities can be easily found on magazine covers, television shows, and popular websites. How do these representations affect the collective consciousness of Black men, while helping to construct a particular brand of masculinity that plays into the White imagination? This theoretical article explores how representations of Black masculinity vary in underground versus mainstream hip-hop, stemming directly from White patriarchal ideals of manhood. Conceptual and theoretical analyses of songs from the likes of Jay-Z and Dead Prez and Imani Perry’s Prophets of the Hood help provide an understanding of the parallels between hip-hop performances/identities and Black masculinities. Keywords Black masculinity, hip-hop, patriarchy, manhood 1Columbia University, New York, NY, USA Corresponding Author: Crystal Belle, PhD Candidate, English Education, Teachers College, Columbia University, 525 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA. Email: [email protected] Downloaded from jbs.sagepub.com at Mina Rees Library/CUNY Graduate Center on January 7, 2015 288 Journal of Black Studies 45(4) Introduction to and Musings on Black Masculinity in Hip-Hop What began as a lyrical movement in the South Bronx is now an international phenomenon.
[Show full text]
Rise up Sing out Shorts Announcement
May 18, 2021 DISNEY JUNIOR TEAMS UP WITH QUESTLOVE AND BLACK THOUGHT FROM THE ROOTS FOR NEW ANIMATED SHORT SERIES 'RISE UP, SING OUT,' FOCUSED ON RACE, RACISM AND SOCIAL JUSTICE -- Produced in Collaboration With Academy Award®-Winning Lion Forge Animation -- As kids and parents continue to navigate and understand the current issues happening in our country and around the world, Disney Junior—home to the #1 preschool network— announced today the new animated short series "Rise Up, Sing Out." Presenting important concepts around race, racism and social justice for the youngest viewers, the series consists of music-based shorts that are designed to provide an inspiring and empowering message about noticing and celebrating differences and providing a framework for conversation. The shorts are slated to premiere later this year across all Disney Junior platforms. The shorts will feature music by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter of the GRAMMY Award®-winning musical group The Roots, who are executive producing through their Two One Five Entertainment production company alongside Latoya Raveneau (Disney+'s highly anticipated "The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder"), who also serves as executive producer. The Conscious Kid, an organization dedicated to equity and promoting healthy racial identity development in youth, is consulting on the series and will develop a viewing companion guide for parents. "Rise Up, Sing Out" is produced in collaboration with Academy Award-winning animation studio Lion Forge Animation ("Hair Love") for Disney Junior. Photo credit for Black Thought and Questlove: @iamsuede Photo credit for Latoya Raveneau: Megan Raveneau Photos are available here.
[Show full text]
Finding Aid to the Historymakers ® Video Oral History with James Poyser
Finding Aid to The HistoryMakers ® Video Oral History with James Poyser Overview of the Collection Repository: The HistoryMakers®1900 S. Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60616 [email protected] www.thehistorymakers.com Creator: Poyser, James, 1967- Title: The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with James Poyser, Dates: May 6, 2014 Bulk Dates: 2014 Physical 7 uncompressed MOV digital video files (3:06:29). Description: Abstract: Songwriter, producer, and musician James Poyser (1967 - ) was co-founder of the Axis Music Group and founding member of the musical collective Soulquarians. He was a Grammy award- winning songwriter, musician and multi-platinum producer. Poyser was also a regular member of The Roots, and joined them as the houseband for NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Poyser was interviewed by The HistoryMakers® on May 6, 2014, in New York, New York. This collection is comprised of the original video footage of the interview. Identification: A2014_143 Language: The interview and records are in English. Biographical Note by The HistoryMakers® Songwriter, producer and musician James Jason Poyser was born in Sheffield, England in 1967 to Jamaican parents Reverend Felix and Lilith Poyser. Poyser’s family moved to West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania when he was nine years old and he discovered his musical talents in the church. Poyser attended Philadelphia Public Schools and graduated from Temple University with his B.S. degree in finance. Upon graduation, Poyser apprenticed with the songwriting/producing duo Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Poyser then established the Axis Music Group with his partners, Vikter Duplaix and Chauncey Childs. He became a founding member of the musical collective Soulquarians and went on to write and produce songs for various legendary and award-winning artists including Erykah Badu, Mariah Carey, John Legend, Lauryn Hill, Common, Anthony Hamilton, D'Angelo, The Roots, and Keyshia Cole.
[Show full text]
Metric Ambiguity and Flow in Rap Music: a Corpus-Assisted Study of Outkast’S “Mainstream” (1996)
Metric Ambiguity and Flow in Rap Music: A Corpus-Assisted Study of Outkast’s “Mainstream” (1996) MITCHELL OHRINER[1] University of Denver ABSTRACT: Recent years have seen the rise of musical corpus studies, primarily detailing harmonic tendencies of tonal music. This article extends this scholarship by addressing a new genre (rap music) and a new parameter of focus (rhythm). More specifically, I use corpus methods to investigate the relation between metric ambivalence in the instrumental parts of a rap track (i.e., the beat) and an emcee’s rap delivery (i.e., the flow). Unlike virtually every other rap track, the instrumental tracks of Outkast’s “Mainstream” (1996) simultaneously afford hearing both a four-beat and a three-beat metric cycle. Because three-beat durations between rhymes, phrase endings, and reiterated rhythmic patterns are rare in rap music, an abundance of them within a verse of “Mainstream” suggests that an emcee highlights the three-beat cycle, especially if that emcee is not prone to such durations more generally. Through the construction of three corpora, one representative of the genre as a whole, and two that are artist specific, I show how the emcee T-Mo Goodie’s expressive practice highlights the rare three-beat affordances of the track. Submitted 2015 July 15; accepted 2015 December 15. KEYWORDS: corpus studies, rap music, flow, T-Mo Goodie, Outkast THIS article uses methods of corpus studies to address questions of creative practice in rap music, specifically how the material of the rapping voice—what emcees, hip-hop heads, and scholars call “the flow”—relates to the material of the previously recorded instrumental tracks collectively known as the beat.
[Show full text]
Understanding Black Feminism Through the Lens of Beyoncé’S Pop Culture Performance Kathryn M
Seattle aP cific nivU ersity Digital Commons @ SPU Honors Projects University Scholars Spring June 7th, 2018 I Got Hot Sauce In My Bag: Understanding Black Feminism Through The Lens of Beyoncé’s Pop Culture Performance Kathryn M. Butterworth Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.spu.edu/honorsprojects Part of the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, and the Race, Ethnicity and Post- Colonial Studies Commons Recommended Citation Butterworth, Kathryn M., "I Got Hot Sauce In My Bag: Understanding Black Feminism Through The Lens of Beyoncé’s Pop Culture Performance" (2018). Honors Projects. 81. https://digitalcommons.spu.edu/honorsprojects/81 This Honors Project is brought to you for free and open access by the University Scholars at Digital Commons @ SPU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Projects by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ SPU. I GOT HOT SAUCE IN MY BAG: UNDERSTANDING BLACK FEMINISM THROUGH THE LENS OF BEYONCÉ’S POP CULTURE PREFORMANCE by KATHRYN BUTTERWORTH FACULTY ADVISOR, YELENA BAILEY SECOND READER, CHRISTINE CHANEY A project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the University Scholars Program Seattle Pacific University 2018 Approved_________________________________ Date____________________________________ Abstract In this paper I argue that Beyoncé’s visual album, Lemonade, functions as a textual hybrid between poetry, surrealist aesthetics and popular culture—challenging the accepted understanding of cultural production within academia. Furthermore, Lemonade centers black life while presenting mainstream audiences with poetry and avant-garde imagery that challenge dominant views of black womanhood. Using theorists bell hooks, Stuart Hall, Patricia Hill- Collins and Audre Lorde, among others, I argue that Beyoncé’s work challenges the understanding of artistic production while simultaneously fitting within a long tradition of black feminist cultural production.
[Show full text]
Neuhoff, Laura-Brynn.Pdf (929Kb)
“THE BIGGEST COLORED SHOW ON EARTH”: HOW MINSTRELSY HAS DEFINED PERFORMANCES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN IDENTITY FROM 19TH CENTURY THEATER TO HIP HOP A Senior Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of Georgetown University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in American Studies By Laura-Brynn Neuhoff Washington, D.C. April 26, 2017 “THE BIGGEST COLORED SHOW ONE EARTH”: HOW MINSTRELSY HAS DEFINED PERFORMANCES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN IDENTITY FROM 19TH CENTURY THEATER TO HIP HOP Laura-Brynn Neuhoff Thesis Adviser: Marcia Chatelain, Ph.D. ABSTRACT This senior thesis seeks to answer the following question: how and why is the word “minstrel” and associated images still used in American rap and hip hop performances? The question was sparked by the title of a 2005 rap album by the group Little Brother: The Minstrel Show. The record is packaged as a television variety show, complete with characters, skits, and references to blackface. This album premiered in the heat of the Minstrel Show Debate when questions of authenticity and representation in rap and hip hop engaged community members. My research is first historical: I analyze images of minstrelsy and reviews of minstrel shows from the 1840s into the twentieth century to understand how the racist images persisted and to unpack the ambiguity of the legacy of black blackface performers. I then analyze the rap scene from the late 2000-2005, when the genre most poignantly faced the identity crisis spurred by those referred to as “minstrel” performers. Having conducted interviews with the two lyricists of Little Brother: Rapper Big Pooh and Phonte, I primarily use Little Brother as my center of research, analyzing their production in conjunction with their spatial position in the hip hop community.
[Show full text]
Biographical Description for the Historymakers® Video Oral History with James Poyser
Biographical Description for The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History with James Poyser PERSON Poyser, James, 1967- Alternative Names: James Poyser; Life Dates: January 30, 1967- Place of Birth: Sheffield, England Work: Philadelphia, PA Occupations: Producer; Musician; Songwriter Biographical Note Songwriter, producer and musician James Jason Poyser was born in Sheffield, England in 1967 to Jamaican parents Reverend Felix and Lilith Poyser. Poyser’s family moved to West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania when he was nine years old and he discovered his musical talents in the church. Poyser attended Philadelphia Public Schools and graduated from Temple University with his B.S. degree in finance. Upon graduation, Poyser apprenticed with the songwriting/producing duo Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Poyser then established the Axis Music Group with his partners, Vikter Duplaix and Chauncey Childs. He became a founding member of the musical collective Soulquarians and went on to write and produce songs for various legendary and award- winning artists including Erykah Badu, Mariah Carey, John Legend, Lauryn Hill, Common, Anthony Hamilton, D'Angelo, The Roots, and Keyshia Cole. He was credited as writer/producer for multiple songs on Erykah Badu’s debut album, Baduizm; has writer, producer and musician credits on Lauryn Hill’s multiple Grammy-winning album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill; was a musician on Adele’s acclaimed album, 21; and served as executive co-producer and writer on Al Green’s Lay it Down. He was also the executive producer on Badu's highly celebrated albums, Mama's Gun and Worldwide Underground. He is an active session musician and has contributed to the works of other artists such as Norah Jones, Eric Clapton, Joss Stone, Ziggy Marley, Macy Gray and Femi Kuti.
[Show full text]
BLACK THOUGHT and BLACK REALITY Lou Turner
BLACK THOUGHT AND BLACK REALITY A Critica~ Essay By Lou Turner I . Bwak Revolt vs. Bwck Studies It doesn't take a Black studies course in sociology to decipher what the May explosion in Miami revealed about the nature of the crisis in America, nor, in 1980, what relationship Miami has to the resurgence of Black mass revolt in South Africa during the June 16 anniversary of the 1976 Soweto rebellion. Yet, an earlier protest this year involving American Black youth at Harvard University demonstrating against the latest reorgani zation of the Black Studies Department very nearly appears to be in another world, separated from the economically depressed reality Black youth of Miami and Capetown, South Africe have shown they have every intention of transforming.! What drives the world of Black academia to face the Black reality of the ghetto is the inescapable totality of crises which demands that thought and activity not be kept in separate realms. Whether the crisis is spelled out as Carter's drive to war, the racist balance-the-budget-on-the-backs-of-the-poor hysteria, the imposition of an unprecedented draft registration in peace time or the struggle c;~ver the direction of Black studies, the crisis i s so deep that Black thought cannot be separated in an ivory tower from Black reality. The truth is that theory has been running a losing race with the reality that the mass of Black Americans live and vith the deep undercurrent of revolt that runs very near the surface of American society. Thus, the current debates over the inter pretation of Black history and culture in Black studies would seem far afield from the race and class struggles of Miami and South Africa were it nor for the fact that social upheavals com pel consciousness to break with its old categories of thought and create new ones, more intrinsically rooted in reality.
[Show full text]
Abstract One Love: Collective Consciousness in Rap and Poetry
Abstract One Love: Collective Consciousness in Rap and Poetry of the Hip-Hop Generation by Austin Harold Hart April, 2012 Thesis Director: John Hoppenthaler Major Department: English (Literature and Poetry) This study aims to offer an understanding of hip-hop culture through which three concepts are elucidated: (1) the existence and dimensions of a collective consciousness within rap and poetry of the hip-hop generation (Allison Joseph, A. Van Jordan, Terrance Hayes, Major Jackson, Taylor Mali, and Kevin Coval); (2) a poetics of rap—to parallel the influence seen/suggested among the selected poets; and (3) an analysis of the manner(s) in which the poetry of these more serious, academic artists reflects an influence of hip-hop culture. My thesis suggests that these poets are indeed influenced by the culture in which they grew up, and in their verse, this influence can be seen through linguistic playfulness, sonic density, layered meaning and usage through form and content, and the connection to a larger cultural, collective consciousness fed by specific social bodies. Poetic analysis, as well as studies of vernacular and oral traditions, has allowed me to explore these concepts and theories from a wider spectrum, and with regard to the work of the poets, an original perspective. Providing a deeper understanding of artists, their identities, places, and dreams within their work, this study begins to offer some insight into notions of the ways in which individuals might participate in cultural conservation. One Love: Collective Consciousness
[Show full text]