LOUD: "You Got Me" The Roots ft.. Erykah Badu & Eve (7/31)
It seems fitting that I have to go back to “The Roots” when we talk about a hip-hop jam of the day. Because these guys take the concept of music and art to another level – using live instrumentation as a hip-hop bound, for a smooth fusion of jazzy and eclectic style that cannot be mimicked by beat equipment. It is this collaboration of artistic talent that makes The Roots pioneers in the game, although underrated and overlooked in my opinion. Styles embodied by popular groups such as Gym Class Heroes today are a continuation of this pioneered style by the Roots.
This song is: Lyrical. Unique. Original. Dope.
The band has had members come and go such as Malik B (MC), Scott Storch (Keyboards), Josh "Rubberband Man" Abrams (Bass), Ben Kenney (Guitar), and Kyle "Scratch" Jones (beatbox). The current crew consists of Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter (MC), Amir "?uestlove(Quest-love)" Thompson (Drums), Lennard "Hub" Hubbard (Bass), James "Kamal" Gray (Keyboards), "Captain" Kirk Douglas (Guitar), Frank "Knuckles" Walker (Extra Percussion).
How can you not like the song “You Got Me”. The song speaks of an inseparable bond between two lovers, summarized in the hook sang smoothly by Erykah Badu. Of course Black Thought drops some very clean verses, but my favorite highlight in this song is the seamless collaboration of The Roots, Erykah Badu and…the First Lady of the Ruff Ryders Camp herself, Eve. It all just flows together so well. Eve’s verse is nice and showed off that female confidence that would be the staple of her own singles to come later that year such as “Love Is Blind”, “Gotta Man”, and “What Ya’ll Want”.
The song speaks volumes to their versatility as artists and their skill as musicians (the beat switch at 3:30 is some ridiculous sticking by ?uestlove).
In hip-hop, I can always find an appreciation for artists that put things together that “sound good” without knowing why but has an understanding of the musical concepts that explains why these melodies and chords and rhythms do sound good together. Knowledge of musical theory, musical composition, and musical notation is the root of all popular music. The Roots are better for it, which is why this smooth narration of a “Philadelphia love” is the track of the day.
Seriously one of my all-time favorite songs....I could put this song on repeat for the whole day...and still sing along like Im hearing it for the first time.