Rising Down...

Yo, yo
Lost generation, fast paced nation
World population confront they frustration
The principles of true hip-hop have been forsaken
It's all contractual and about money makin
Pretend-to-be cats don't seem to know they limitation
Exact replication and false representation
You wanna be a man, then stand your own
To MC requires skills, I demand some shown
I let the frauds keep frontin
And roam like a celluar phone far from home
Givin crowds what they wantin
Offical hip-hop consumption, the 5th thumpin
Keepin ya party jumpin with an original somethin
Yo, I dedicate this to the one dimension-al
No imagination, excuse for perpetration
My man came over and said, "Yo we thought we heard you"
Joke's on you; you heard a bitin-ass crew but um..

The Roots (What They Do)

They did it again. Every time that I think it can't get better...it does. Yesterday, The Roots, a.k.a. The Legendary Roots Crew, the influential, Grammy Award-winning American hip hop band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, famed for a heavily jazzy sound and live instrumentation, dropped their 10 cd. They first debuted in 1993. And to this day...they are hotter than they've ever been.

I've always been a fan of this group. One of the things that has impressed me about them is that despite the fact that they don't sell a ton of records, their music has gotten better with time. They aren't one of those acts that are here today...and gone tomorrow. You can see the growth in their music. Their latest cd, Rising Down, is another critically acclaimed cd and it's on FIYAH!!!. The band tours extensively, and their live sets are frequently hailed as the best in the genre. Recently, the band played a concert in NYC's Radio City Music Hall with Common, Nas, Talib Kweli and Big Daddy Kane. They also backed Jay-Z a third time, for his Reasonable Doubt Concert, a celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the release of his first album.

The Roots have been featured in three movies: Dave Chappelle's Block Party; both performing album songs and playing as a backing band for other artists, Spike Lee's Bamboozled, and Marc Levin's Brooklyn Babylon, in which Black Thought plays the protagonist, Solomon, and former band member Rahzel narrates. Black Thought and ?uestlove were both featured in the movie "Brown Sugar," and Black Thought also made an appearance in the film "Love Rome" as Tariq Trotter.

For me, they don't disappoint me. Each time that they come out...it's a banger. Never a dull moment.

WHo does that for you? What artist just keeps getting better and better each time that you see them perform. And it doesn't have to be a music artist. Maybe it's an athlete like MJ? Maybe it's an actress like Sanaa Lathan? WHo does IT for you? Who makes you say..."damn, they keep getting better each time and they never disappoint me."

Holla at me!