Sunday, June 8, 2008

" Falling Up, 'Rising Down' "



For the last fifteen years The Roots have been viewed as pioneers of the Hip-Hop industry. With fresh, jazzy, and diverse sounds through live instrumentation Black Thought, ?uestlove, F Knuckles, Kamal, and Captain Kirk serve as true inspiration and talent within the music industry.



Recently nine days before the release of their eight studio album,"Rising Down," The Roots performed in eight city parks across the country as a way to celebrate Earth Day. Earth Day Network president Kathleen Rogers said this of the Earth Day event: "We're combining music with compelling speech to raise awareness of the problem of global warming and inspire people to action."





The Roots began raising awareness since their inception, especially with the titles of their albums. The Roots' fourth LP entitled "Things Fall Apart" was named after a Chinua Achebe novel of the same title. Achebe's novel is said to be a staple read by both African and American schools. "It is seen as the archetypal modern African novel in English, and one of the first African novels written in English to receive global critical acclaim." The Roots have continued to raise awareness even today by releasing "Rising Down" on the sixteenth year anniversary of the Rodney King riots of 1992.


For the eighth day of 'Black Music Month' check out The Roots' video "Rising Up" feat, Chrisette Michele.