Beloved R&B singer D’Angelo has died at the age of 51 after battling prostate cancer, according to his family. The musician, whose real name was Michael Archer, had backed out of a June performance at the Roots Picnic in Philadelphia “due to a longer-than-expected surgical recovery” without revealing specifics. “We are heartbroken to announce that […]
For decades, having a signature guitar was reserved for classic rock legends — the Claptons, the Hendrixes, the Pages, the SRVs and EVHs. But that’s no longer the case. From pop-punk to heavy metal, alt-country to neo-soul, modern artists of all genres and backgrounds are getting signature guitars from companies big and small. Among the […]
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Todd Rundgren has enlisted The Roots, Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo, Sparks, The Lemon Twigs, Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen, Crowded Houses’ Neil Finn, guitar legend Steve Vai and artist/producer Thomas Dolby for his new album, Space Force. The project will be released Oct. 14 on Cleopatra Records. The first single, “Puzzle” […]
The Flaming Lips, The Roots, Haim, and Khruangbin are among the artists confirmed for The Big Climate Thing, a new three-day festival taking place Sept. 16-18 at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium just outside Manhattan. Sheryl Crow, Gary Clark Jr., Courtney Barnett, and Princess Nokia are also on the bill for the event, which is dubbed […]
A long-rumored collaboration between producer Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) and The Roots rapper/lyricist Black Thought (Tariq Trotter) that has been in the works for more than a decade will finally see the light of day this summer. The pair’s album, Cheat Codes, is due Aug. 12 from BMG and is led by its first single […]
Singing like a 19th-century pirate is one of the latest and oddest TikTok trends, and Jimmy Fallon and The Roots jumped on board (arggg) with their version of Olivia Rodrigo‘s viral hit “Driver’s License” in the style of a sea shanty. For the unfamiliar, a sea shanty is a traditional folk song once commonly sung […]
The Roots co-founder Malik B. died earlier on Wednesday at the age of 47. After his cousin, Don Champion, delivered the news, tributes from the music community began to pour in, but none were as powerful as those from his former Roots bandmates. Black Thought and Questlove remembered Malik B. — who was in the […]
Malik B, a founding member of The Roots and a celebrated Philadelphia emcee, has died at the age of 47. His death was initially reported Wednesday on Twitter by his cousin Don Champion and later confirmed by the Roots themselves. A cause of death was not given. Mourning my beloved cousin today. He was so talented […]
Quarantine is causing everyone to question…well, everything. That includes reworking classic songs to reflect these times. On The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, Billy Idol showed up to perform a “social distancing remix” of his classic ’80s power anthem “Dancing With Myself.” The song has certainly taken on new meaning in recent months, that’s […]