Live-Band Rap
tagStarted 1993Peak 1999-2010Last big hit still active
Located in 1 route
Hip-hop performed and recorded by a full instrumental ensemble instead of samplers: live drums, fingered bass, keys, horns and guitar swing under the emcee. Warmer, looser and improvisational, it favors pocket grooves, jazz-soul-funk chords and human dynamics that breathe, drift and build like a band jamming behind the rhyme.
History
The Roots, formed 1987 in Philadelphia, made it a lasting movement, peaking with 1999's 'Things Fall Apart' and 'You Got Me.' Boots Riley's The Coup, Pharrell's N.E.R.D, Gym Class Heroes and Canada's BadBadNotGood widened the lane. The Roots' 2009 move to late-night TV cemented rap's first full-time live band in the mainstream.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Roots
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Things_Fall_Apart_(album)
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/the-Roots