Black Thought News

Brendon Urie joins Jimmy Fallon and The Roots to perform a social-distancing remix of Queen and David Bowie's hit 'Under Pressure' with instruments found at home while in quarantine.

2x GRAMMY® Award-nominated rapper Joyner Lucas has announced the release of a triumphant new single from the album ADHD, now confirmed for a March 27 release via Twenty Nine Music Group. “Lotto” is available today at all DSPs and streaming services. The song sees the Worcester, MA-based artist furthering his ongoing ADHD project, a deeply considered, comprehensive piece of work being released individually up to this point to allow each song its own unique power and space before becoming part of a complete album.

The New Group will launch its 2020-2021 Season with Black No More, featuring Book by John Ridley (Oscar winner 12 Years a Slave), Music and Lyrics by Tarik Trotter (Black Thought of The Roots), Choreography by Bill T. Jones (Spring Awakening, Fela!) and Music Supervision, Orchestrations and Vocal Arrangements by Daryl Waters (Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk).

Live Nation Urban & The Roots team up to present the thirteenth annual “Roots Picnic” Saturday, May 30, 2020 in Philadelphia, PA. This year the Picnic will take place at the Mann at Fairmount Park, for the second consecutive year.

“Late Night with Seth Meyers” is home to A-list celebrity guests, memorable comedy and topical monologue jokes. It is hosted by Emmy Award-winning writer Seth Meyers, who was one of 2014's TIME 100 Most Influential People and named to Variety's 2016 New Power of New York list. Previously, Meyers served as head writer on “Saturday Night Live” and anchor on the show's wildly popular “Weekend Update.” “Late Night with Seth Meyers” was nominated in 2017 for both an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series and a Writers Guild Award.

Producers Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein have announced the start of production on Black Woodstock, a feature documentary about the Harlem Cultural Festival directed by Ahmir a?oeQuestlovea?? Thompson. This film marks Thompson's feature directorial debut and focuses on the 1969 outdoor festival in Harlem's Mount Morris Park. The festival featured dozens of  extraordinary performances by artists including Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, Nina Simone, B.B. King, the Staple Singers, the 5th Dimension, David Ruffin, Mahalia Jackson and Gladys Knight and the Pips. The Harlem Cultural Festival took place the same summer as the famed Woodstock festival, and boasted an attendance on par with that concert 100 miles away.  Over 300,000 people attended, yet it received virtually no coverage from the mainstream media. The 40 hours of never-seen-before footage was originally shot by the late television pioneer Hal Tulchin, but has remained in storage for the past 50 years, keeping this incredible event in America's history lost - until now. 

On loan from Brooklyn rock band The Slim Kings, singer/songwriter/guitarist Michael Sackler-Berner's new video does not rock. It doesn't folk-rock either, as fans of his solo work might expect - it swings. In MSB's dreams, it's Bennett, Sinatra, or Martin, but there's a punk side to the track because he's not a crooner by trade. It is tailor-made for people who think Bublé is cheese, but dig young gents singing and writing tunes for Big Band. Pop and jazz fans alike will latch onto this “Autumn in New York” release by the Big Apple native.

Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson and Tariq 'Black Thoughta?? Trotter talk about how they first met, covering music history in Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America and Questlove's obsession with horrible music.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents The Roots with A Christian McBride Situation on Saturday, November 16, 2019 at 8:00 p.m.

Questlove and Black Thought from Grammy-winning band The Roots join the 3rd hour of TODAY to talk about their new AMC documentary series, “Hip Hop: The Songs that Shook America.”

In honor of its 20th anniversary, The Roots' breakthrough fourth album Things Fall Apart is available once again via Geffen/Urban Legends. This melancholy gem of 2000s alternative hip-hop, originally released on MCA Records in 1999, has been freshly remastered and repressed in two lavish physical configurations, a standard black 3LP, a limited-edition crystal-clear 3LP as well as a digital collection, all to be released September 27.

Events have been announced for October at National Sawdust. See the full lineup below!