Sykonee's 'Sportsing' Surveys: THE ROOTS

Right, The Roots. This took a lot longer than I was planning, and not because this was some impossibly large discography. Oh, I thought there might be more out there than just their mainline records. After all, when you're billed as one of the most successful live hip-hop bands on the planet, you'd expect a tonne of live albums. Only one has seen an official release though, but that's neither here nor there. No, the reason it took me some 2.5 months to complete this survey is because, um... I didn't do much 'sportsing' for over a month there. Look, when one comes down with a heavy case of 'Mopevember', coupled with literally cracking a molar such that I had to get a crown for it, such things tend to throw one's regular physical regiment out of wack.

What's not wack, however, is The Roots. I first come into contact with them when their charming What They Do video was making the rounds, taking the piss out of all the rap music cliches that were prevelent in the '90s (hehe, 'butt cramp'...). Clearly these chaps were on a more 'conscious' level than their peers, but I was still a few years away from truly getting bit by the hip-hop bug. When it finally did, some of their eye-catching items like Phrenology and Game Theory got me more curious, but never did I pull that trigger. I really have no excuse to put them off any longer though, so time to go whole hog on their discography!













That took a few more unexpected turns than I, erm, expected. Like, they started out pretty much as I figured, but even early on, they were throwing curveballs left and right. Them getting thick into the genre daliances, however, really took me surprise, and I love they were willing to do that, especially at the height of their popularity. Or at least, the height of their initial popularity. I sense they've become an altogether different kind of popular now, the kind that even middle America is comfortable with. Seems somewhat antithetical to their original manifesto, but eh, brothers gotta' get paid.

As for what's next for surveying, think I'll be killing two birds with one stone, even if the music I'll be listening to will be only suitable for the most meditative of 'sportsing' activities.