Many of their shows have been reviewed on this list already, so I'll keep
this short. Basically, the Roots do the live hip hop thing
extraordinarily well, utilizing a Fender Rhodes, electric and acoustic
basses, a drummer and two MCs, Black Thought & Rahzell (sp?) the Godfather
of noise (who also doubles on human beat box). Most notably, they do not
use turntables at all during the set.
This setup allows the Roots to make their shows a dynamic, 2 hour
experience where nothing can be expected besides an amazing time. The
songs resemble the album - without having to be recorded on DAT first -
yet improvisation reigns throughout the show. Furthermore, the live setup
allows the Roots to host a variety of musicians; last night featured
Vernon Reid, a trumpeter, a trombone player, plus guest rappers the Souls
of Mischief and even the Cold Crush Crew. In addition, the Roots have
gotten more experimental since I last saw them, throwing in a quirky
10-minute drum solo and a huge distorted bass solo into the mix. The size
of the venue (300ish people) also allowed them to implore the crowd to get
quiet with success, with the end result being that they could build tight,
minimalist grooves up to speaker and mind blasting jams over extended
periods of time.
The highlight of the show, however, remains Rahzell the Godfather of noise,
who did a 30 minute beat box extravaganza, claiming to be the "Super DJ
with no turntables". Employing only a microphone and an effects box for
delays and reverb, the guy can explode your skull with beats and scratches
and even a falsetto that would make many *women* jealous. A friend
commented to me that Rahzell had to have no life in order to gain the
vocal control necessary to make these sounds with his mouth; almost in
reply, Rahzell told the crowd that learning to beat box gets you all the
ladies, and over a tremendous box'd beat he even simulated the groans to
prove it.
Go see them before you die and decide.
The Roots play one more night at the Knitting Factory tonight, doors were
at 9 last night and probably are tonight as well.
Jay B