The Roots: hip-hop gone serious

Artistic maturity comes after hard work, concentration, collaboration and re-invention. And that takes a long time to accomplish. I couldn't think of any other hip-hop act that embodies such extraordinary quality than The Roots. Over more than 20 years, they are the definitive hip-hop band. And they have become so by delivering, through all those years, savvy lyrics over sophisticated organic beats thanks to the technical proficiency of its musicians leaded by already-hip-hop-legend Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson. Their latest endeavor, How I got over (2010), feels like an authentic landmark throughout such artistic tenacity. Just listen to the superb piano chords on Walk alone, the sublime drums on Dear god 2.0 and the catchy chorus of the title track. Another impressive feature of this amazing record relies in the prominent participation of its guests: the amazing vocal trio from Dirty Projectors: Amber Coffman, Angel Deradoorian and Haley Dekle on A piece of light, the indie sensation Joanna Newsom on the irrestibly funky Right on and the neo-soul crooner John Legend on the inspiring The fire. The Roots have grown up, How I got over is how that sounds like.

This is the video for Dear God 2.0 featuring Jim James from My Morning Jacket