Flames Central

219 8th Avenue SW

Calgary

July 17, 2008, Thursday - Doors 8:00 PM

Buy Tickets online: CA $59.95

For more information Call at 403-935-2637
Or E-mail Darcy Chalifoux at darcy@flamescentral.com

THE ROOTS

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Click HERE to listen them Now.

The Roots are an influential Grammy Award-winning American band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for a having a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip-hop which includes live instrumentation. Their debut album was released in 1993 and they have collaborated with a wide range of artists from different genres, including Roy Ayers and Cody Chesnutt. The Roots have garnered critical acclaim and influenced many rap and R&B acts.

The group's original lineup was formed in Philadelphia around 1987. They began to do shows around Philly and in 1992 or 1993 left to perform in Europe. They rented out a flat in London and performed in Europe for approximately one year. In order to sustain themselves financially, The Roots released what would be known as their debut album: Organix. The album went on to sell about 150,000 copies. Following the release of Organix, several major record labels offered deals and the band signed with DGC Records, which at the time was better known for its grunge music releases. With their new record deal, the quintet headed back to the states.

Despite being ignored by the hip-hop fanbase, The Roots' first album for DGC, Do You Want More?!!!??! , was a moderate hit among alternative music fans, partially due to the group's appearance at Lollapalooza. Also lauded for its jazziness, the album was equal parts jazz improv/instrumentation and beat box. It featured the songs "Distortion to Static" and "Proceed".

The 1996 release Illadelph Halflife was the group's first album to crack the Top 40 on the Billboard 200 chart, spurred in part by MTV's airplay of the video for "What They Do" (a parody of rap video clichés) and "Clones," which was their first single to reach the top five on the rap charts. "What They Do" was also the group's first single to hit the Top 40 of Billboard's charts, reaching a peak of #34. While continuing on the path of live instrumentation, the album's sound was somewhat darker. It was also The Roots' first album to include prominent guests, such as Common on "UNIverse At War", D'Angelo and Erykah Badu on "Hypnotic" and Q-Tip on "Ital (The Universal Side)."

The group released Things Fall Apart in 1999 (named after Things Fall Apart, a novel by Chinua Achebe). This was their breakthrough album, peaking at #4 on the Billboard 200 charts and earning a gold record, signifying U.S. sales of at least 500,000 units. The track "You Got Me," duet with R&B singer Erykah Badu and Eve peaked inside the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and earned them a Grammy award for Best Performance By A Duo Or Group. Like "Illadelph Halflife", TFA was not quite as jazzy as previous works, instead incorporating more neo soul influences. First-time cameos on TFA for Philly natives Beanie Sigel and Eve helped to earn them major record deals later (with Roc-A-Fella and Ruff Ryders, respectively). After this album, Dice Raw left the collective to record his solo debut album, Reclaiming the Dead. The group's popularity continued to rise through the album. With a Grammy under their belts, they were able to perform an extended set at the now infamous "Woodstock '99".

A hectic time ensued for The Roots; several members left; including long time member Malik B. Their popularity increased with their sales and a spot backing Jay-Z for his live MTV Unplugged album. With heightened popularity came mounting pressure. The Roots released Phrenology (named after the pseudoscience of Phrenology) in 2002. Despite not charting as high as Things Fall Apart, reaching a peak of #28 on the charts, Phrenology was commercially successful, eventually going gold, and earning a Grammy nomination for Best Album. At the time, however, there came rumors that the Roots were losing interest in their signing with MCA. During this time the band also backed Jay-Z for his 2003 farewell concert in Madison Square Garden, and appeared in the accompanying "Fade to Black" DVD.

After Phrenology, Ben Kenney and Scratch both left the group. Their major label deal with Geffen began to sour as pressures were mounted on the group to sell more records. This culminated with the release of 2004's The Tipping Point, which took its name from a 2000 book The Tipping Point 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'." It debuted at #4 on the Billboard album chart, selling over 100,000 copies in its first week of release, but failed to go gold. Subsequently, the group left the label after the album's release. Contractual obligations resulted in the release of Home Grown! The Beginner's Guide To Understanding The Roots, Volumes 1 & 2 in 2005, a two-disc compilation album.

Game Theory was released August 29, 2006, on Def Jam records. ?uestlove describes the album as being very dark and reflective of the political state in America. The first single from the album, "Don't Feel Right", appeared on the internet in May 2006, and is available for free download on several web sites. Various guest appearances had been rumored, but Scratch Magazine confirmed only two: Peedi Peedi and Malik B. The late J Dilla also produced one song on the album. The album's first video, titled "The Don't Feel Right Trilogy", premiered on August 21, 2006, and features three songs, "In the Music", "Here I Come" and "Don't Feel Right". Despite critical acclaim and a Grammy nomination, Game Theory has sold significantly less than the band's previous releases.

The Roots' eighth studio album (10th overall), Rising Down, was released on April 29, 2008, the 16-year anniversary of the Rodney King riots of 1992. In the weeks before the album's release, the original first single "Birthday Girl", a radio-friendly collaboration with Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump was removed from the album reportedly because it didn't fit in with the album's tone. It remained as a digital download available from iTunes as a bonus track, as well as on international releases. Picking up where Game Theory left off, the album maintains a dark and political tone, with Black Thought and several guests venting about the ills of society today. The album's guests include Chrisette Michele, Common, Mos Def, Saigon, Styles P, Talib Kweli, and Wale; it also features Philly favorites Dice Raw, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Peedi Crakk, P.O.R.N., and Truck North, as well as former member Malik B. Rising Down features the Roots incorporating a more electronic and synth-heavy feel into their sound. Rising Down was released to critical acclaim, garnering an overall score of 80 on Metacritic. The album's first single was "Rising Up" featuring Chrisette Michele and D.C. rapper Wale. More about The Roots...