TAG: def jam

Oct17

The Roots Leak “Make My” featuring Big K.R.I.T. (MP3)

It looks like The Roots decided not to wait until the Nov. 1 release date to unveil the first single from their 13th album, Undun. No sooner was the single announced, along with ?uestlove’s explanation of their concept album than Okayplayer posted up “Make My” ft. Big K.R.I.T.

The album is loosely based on “an existential re-telling of the short life of one Redford Stephens (1974-1999)” and at first listen, “Make My” seems to follow the melancholy subject matter.



The Roots "Make My" featuring Big K.R.I.T. by okayplayer …MORE

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Oct17

The Roots Explain The Concept Behind New Album, ‘Undun’

Last week it was announced that The Roots would be releasing their lucky 13th album, Undun, in December via Def Jam. Little was revealed about the record other than that it would be a “concept album.” Now, bandleader ?uestlove has revealed the topic of the record, the life of Redford Stevens, a man who died at the age of 25 in 1999. According to Questo:

“At this point in our career we’d like for our work to have a unifying theme, and an experiential quality,” says Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, 40. “We’ve been intentionally making our albums shorter in length so that they can be experienced as a continuous work. The music is band-oriented with an eye on the moody cinematic. As a DJ, I am the King of playlists, but I don’t want our albums to feel like a playlist or a mixtape for that matter. We want to tell stories that work within the album format and we want the stories to be nuanced and useful to people. undun is the story of this kid who becomes criminal, but he wasn’t born criminal. He’s not the nouveau exotic primitive bug-eyed gunrunner like Tupac’s character Bishop in Juice… he’s actually thoughtful and is neither victim nor hero. Just some kid who begins to order his world in a way that makes the most sense to him at a given moment… At the end of the day… isn’t that what we all do?”

The group also announced that the first single from Undun will be “Make My,” which features Big K.R.I.T. The single drops Nov. 1. Check the full tracklist for Undun after the jump.

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Oct12

The Roots Plan “Concept Album” For Holiday Release

When hip-hop mainstays The Roots became the house band for Jimmy Fallon’s late night TV show in 2009, it was a safe bet that the bands recorded output would slow down. But that assumption was proven false when the group released 2010’s How I Got Over, and quickly followed it up with Wake Up!, a collection of classic soul covers recorded with John Legend that same year.

Now, ?uestlove and Co. are preparing to release their 13th proper studio album, Undun, on Dec. 6 on Def Jam. Details are slim so far. The only thing known is that Undun will be a “concept album” and is widely rumored to include a guest spot by post-dubstepper James Blake. …MORE

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Oct26

Sha Money XL on Allindstrom.com (Part 4 of 4) (Video)

In the final part of our discussion with Sha, we talk about his position at Def Jam.  He talks about the importance of Def Jam’s earlier days to the culture and how he can help bring it back to those days.  He also makes it clear that hip hop is not over, and we just need to lower the cost of making albums to make it more profitable.

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Jul16

The-Dream – Love King (Review)



Since 2007, The-Dream (Terius Nash) has released three albums that have usurped seemingly unshakeable R&B lotharios, making memories of prior pop seem foggy and far off. Working in a genre that doesn't see as much top-status type turnover as its hyper competitive younger cousin, The-Dream has conquered based on the timeless combination of songwriting prowess (see: Beyonce's "Single Ladies," Rihanna's "Umbrella") and an angelic voice hidden behind an unassuming persona. And, thankfully, his latest and possibly last solo, Love King, isn't exactly a variation on that winning formula. Love King ...

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