Anyone who’s been waiting for an appropriate musical statement of political rage for these times might finally get it on April 29, when The Roots release Rising Down, the group’s eight album. From the tracks we’ve heard so far, the sound seems to jump back to the raw sounds of Tipping Point, an album that seemed to be controversial among fans but one we loved. Cameos galore, too: Mos Def, Peedi Crack, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Common, and quite a few from thoroughly ungooglable rapper P.O.R.N. According to the press release, “The title comes from William T. Vollmann’s treatise on violence entitled “Rising Up and Rising Down,” and the release date falls on the 16th anniversary of the Los Angeles riots sparked by the acquittal of the police officers accused of beating Rodney King.” Chingy this is not; but on the other hand, Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy does guest on “Birthday Girl.” (See video below.) But Ahmir puts a finer point on it:

The Roots co-founder ?uestlove states, “This is probably our most
political album to date dealing with addiction, nihilism, hypocritical double standards in the prison system and overall life in Philadelphia. I’d say it’s more mature and intense than all of our efforts but not a ‘downer’ as most people expect us to do.”

So is this The Roots’ version of There’s A Riot Goin’ On? Could be. We’ll try to get some mp3s up soon, but in the meantime, click after the jump for the press release, tour dates and three videos for new tracks from the album.

The Roots: “75 Bars (Black’s Reconstruction)”

The Roots: “Get Busy (Feat. Dice Raw, Peedi Crakk & DJ Jazzy Jeff)”

The Roots: “Birthday Girl (Feat. Patrick Stump)” [Unofficial]

THE ROOTS GET POLITICAL ON RISING DOWN;

FOLLOW-UP TO CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED GAME THEORY
SET FOR APRIL 29TH RELEASE ON DEF JAM RECORDINGS

LEAD TRACKS “75 BARS” & “GET BUSY” HEATING UP THE BLOGS
AS BAND PREPARES TO DROP FIRST SINGLE “BIRTHDAY GIRL” FEAT. PATRICK STUMP

NEW YORK, NY (March 17, 2008) - Grammy award winning hip-hop
trailblazers The Roots are set to release Rising Down on April 29th
via Def Jam Recordings. Known for their prolific lyrics and live
instrumentation, the Legendary Philadelphia crew is composed of Tariq
“Black Thought” Trotter (vocals), Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson (drums),
Kamal Gray (keyboards), Frank Knuckles (percussion), Kirk “Captain
Kirk” Douglas (guitar) and Owen Biddle (bass). Garnering critical
praise throughout their career, The Roots have firmly established
themselves as a band with uncompromised artistic control and
integrity. With Rising Down, the band’s 10th album release, The Roots
continue to take bolder steps adding new depths and range to their
repertoire.

The Roots co-founder ?uestlove states, “This is probably our most
political album to date dealing with addiction, nihilism, hypocritical
double standards in the prison system and overall life in
Philadelphia. I’d say it’s more mature and intense than all of our
efforts but not a ‘downer’ as most people expect us to do.”

The political nature of Rising Down is not only heard within the
music. The title comes from William T. Vollmann’s treatise on violence
entitled Rising Up and Rising Down, and the release date falls on the
16th anniversary of the Los Angeles riots sparked by the acquittal of
the police officers accused of beating Rodney King.

Standout tracks include: “Criminal” a reflection of life on the
streets and unjust persecution, “I Will Not Apologize” a tribute to
Fela Kuti that discusses keeping dignity in the music biz and “I Can’t
Help It” a look at addictions and urges that compel us all. The
pop-infused first single- “Birthday Girl”- features Fall Out Boy
frontman Patrick Stump. Additional guests on the album include Common,
Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Saigon, Dice Raw, Chrisette Michele and more
(see track listing below).

Director Rik Cordero recently shot a video for the track “75 Bars
(Black’s Reconstruction)” in New York City. The hard-hitting track,
recorded in one take, features Black Thought rapping 75 bars straight.
Check out the video here:
http://videos.onsmash.com/v/qttzjQ74zTJtWZ4P. A video for “Get Busy”
was also shot by Cordero and finds The Roots taking over an office
space. The song revisits golden-era, East Coast hip-hop with the
return of the boom-bap and synths to add the modern edge. The video
can be streamed here: http://videos.onsmash.com/v/b6lVAXc7ldjfdHNt.

Rising Down track listing:

The Pow Wow
Rising Down- feat. Mos Def and Styles P
Get Busy- feat. Dice Raw, Peedi Crack and DJ Jazzy Jeff
@15
75 Bars (Black’s Reconstruction)
(Time Up)
Criminal- feat. Saigon and Truck North
I Will Not Apologize- feat. P.O.R.N. and Dice Raw
I Can’t Help It- feat. Malik B and P.O.R.N.
Singing Man- feat. Truck North and P.O.R.N.
Up There (Unwritten)- feat. Mercedes Martinez
Lost Desire- feat. Talib Kweli and Malik B
The Show- feat. Common
Rising Up- feat. Chrisette Michelle and Wale
Birthday Girl- feat. Patrick Stump

The Roots recently returned from Southeast Asia and have confirmed
a slew of US tour dates this year including several festivals and
universities. Dates confirmed include:

March
29- Millikin University- Decatur, IL
30- Kool Haus- Toronto, ON

April
5- University of Texas- Austin, TX
7- Indiana University- Bloomington, IN
9- Higher Ground- Burlington, VT
11- Pickle Barrel- Killington, VT
12- Northeastern University- Boston, MA
16- Purdue University- West Lafayette, IN
17- Carnegie Mellon University- Pittsburgh, PA
18- Webster University- St. Louis, MO
20- Green Apple Festival- Washington, DC
23- Duke University- Durham, NC
24- The Music Farm- Charleston, SC
25- Amos- Charlotte, NC
26- Tigerfest Towson University- Towson, MD

May
3- Jazz & Heritage Festival- New Orleans, LA
4- House of Blues- New Orleans, LA

August
8- All Points West- Jersey City, NJ

* all dates subject to change

www.theroots.com

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 19th, 2008 at 12:00 pm.