Tag: The Roots

Afropunk Festival Returns To Brooklyn, The Roots And Burna Boy To Headline

Post author By Kimberly Stelly
Post date June 16, 2022

The Afropunk festival is making its triumphant return this year in Brooklyn, New York. The lineup includes Burna Boy, The Roots, Isaiah Rashad, Tierra Whack, Lucky Daye, and Freddie Gibb. This is the first fest in Brooklyn since 2019 due to COVID-19-related complications. The official Afropunk accounts announced the lineup two days ago via social media.

WE’RE BAAACK! AFROPUNK Brooklyn returns September 10th – 11th in Commodore Barry Park.

For exclusive access to the AfroPunk Presale on Thursday, June 16th at the Presale price text “AFROPUNK” to (718) 550-6268 before the price increases for the general on-sale tickets. pic.twitter.com/RWxDUW4mT7

— AFROPUNK (@afropunk) June 14, 2022

Last year, the festival took place in Atlanta. There were two stages and the lineup included Tems, Rico Nasty, T.I., and Smino. Wale closed out night two with guest Rick Ross. Like other big festivals in the U.S., it was streamed live via Twitch for people who couldn’t attend the event in person.

A Condensed History Of The Afropunk Festival

The Afropunk Festival took place in 2005. It was born out of the need for a safe space for alternative black art and fashion. The term itself spawned from a 2003 James Spooner documentary of the same name. Previous performers include Janelle Monáe, Solange, FKA Twigs, and Yung Baby Tate. What once began in New York slowly spread internationally. Since its inception, there have been Afropunk festivals in London, Paris, and Atlanta. However, though it’s considered a safe haven for Black creatives, things haven’t always gone smoothly. People criticized the festival in recent years over management concerns and employee treatment. In 2018, The editor-in-chief Lou Constant-Desportes resigned because of alleged mistreatment and performative activism.

“When the editorial content was too ‘radical’ or unapologetic for their taste, we were asked to tone it down, our independence was compromised.”

Regardless of the criticism, however, the festival is still a popular event sure to sell many tickets given the star-studded lineup. Pre-sale tickets go on sale Thursday, June 16 and regular tickets go on sale the following day. The festival takes place this September 10 and 11 at Commodore Barry Park in Fort Greene.

Written by Kimberly Stelly | Instagram | Twitter

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Tags Afropunk, brooklyn, burna boy, music festival, The Roots

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Jay-Z Says His Album, ‘In My Lifetime Vol 1’, “Haunts Me”

Post author By Antoinette Ford
Post date January 17, 2022

Source: Getty

Jay-Z is at the peak of his G.O.A.T status, so what is the talk regarding his album, In My Lifetime: Vol. 1? Questlove, drummer of the elite hip-hop group “The Roots”, brought on the stately topic . Questlove incited that the album contained some of his “best moments.”

Agreed . More so, I know what could have been, so it haunts me … streets is watching was the first song made ! https://t.co/Nh7rwZ8gZ4

— Mr. Carter (@sc) January 16, 2022

https://twitter.com/JamaalBowmanNY/status/1482792438225903623?s=20

In My Lifetime: Vol. 1

Source: Discogs

In My Lifetime: Vol. 1 is Jay-Z’s second studio album. Released in 1997, the album features timeless songs by one of the greatest artists. Introduced as a “much more personal” album, Jay shared that it was a more detailed and more in depth body of work. He let on his approach to enlisting different producers than the ones on his first album, Reasonable Doubt. With producers like Teddy Riley, Sean “Puffy” Combs, and Stevie J, this album was one he was increasingly proud of. Enjoy this clip of Hov’s sit-down with MTV.

Jay-Z ranks his own albums

Hov commemorated his 44th birthday (Dec. 4, 2013), by ranking his albums on Life+Times, titling it, “The Scoreboard.” The album of topic surprisingly came in at No. 7.

1. Reasonable Doubt (Classic)
2. The Blueprint (Classic)
3. The Black Album (Classic)
4. Vol. 2 (Classic)
5. American Gangster (4 1/2, cohesive)
6. Magna Carta (Fuckwit, Tom Ford, Oceans, Beach, On the Run, Grail)
7. Vol. 1 (Sunshine kills this album…fuck… Streets, Where I’m from, You Must Love Me…)

The considerably undervalued album peaked at No. 3. Spin magazine called it Jay-Z’s “forgotten Masterpiece” following the list circulating.

Mr. Carter shared “Street Is Watching” was the first song he made. Watch the video which is available on YouTube.

His claims to putting out his last album has been a reoccurring theme dating back to his first album release. However we have gotten music from Hov even recently in 2021. Currently, he is the most Grammy nominated artist of all time. His extended discography has even landed him in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He gives truth to the saying, “you are your own worst critic.”

Want more Jay-Z? Check out Hov and his Roc Nation team here.

Written by Antoinette Ford

Tags drummer, FMhiphop, hip hop daily news, Hip Hop News, Jay-z, questlove, Roc nation, The Roots

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The Roots’ Bassist, Leonard “Hub” Hubbard Dead At 62

Post author By Justin Acosta
Post date December 17, 2021

The Roots’ long-time bassist, Leonard “Hub” Hubbard, has passed away. According to ABC6 Philadelphia, he had been fighting cancer for longer than a decade. During which, he was forced to stop touring. Hub responded well to the treatment, at first.

Hub was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2007, a type of blood cancer. It forms in a plasma cell, which is a type of white blood cell. Cancerous plasma cells gather in the bone marrow and crowd out the healthy blood cells. Rather than produce helpful antibodies, the cancer cells instead produce abnormal proteins that can cause further complications.

His wife, Stephanie Hubbard, drove him to Lankenau Hospital on December 15 after he suddenly couldn’t move. She wasn’t allowed to stay with him in the hospital because of COVID-19. Hours later, she got a call saying that he had passed away.

“They told me what had happened, that he had passed,” she said tearfully. “I went to the hospital and was able to sit with him.” In a post from the reporter Christie Ileto, Hubbard added, “It happened quickly. He didn’t suffer a lot.” Hubbard was mostly surprised instead, saying he was “upbeat” and “mobile” the previous day.

The Roots did a tribute to Hub on Instagram. They had a photo of him and a caption that read “It is with the heaviest of hearts that we say goodbye to our brother Leonard Nelson Hubbard. May your transition bring peace to your family to your friends to your fans and all those who loved you. Rest in Melody, Hub.”

Written by Justin Acosta

Twitter: @hahalacka