interviews.
As we should all know by now, Hip Hop is not dead; it's merely in need of a lengthy history lesson in hopes of gaining more respect for its roots, and some direction to guide it in a positive path for the future. Enter Pacific Division.

stories.
On Monday The Roots taped a special VH1 Soul Sessions show in mid-town Manhattan set to air June 4th. Afterward, ?uesto got down on the drums in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Peep the photos and read the behind-the-scenes story.

interviews.
P.O.R.N. [Acronym to be explained later] and Truck North are proteges of The Roots' school, and what some insiders would consider the Last of the Mohicans of that school. In addition, they comprise half of The Money Making Jam Boys [with Black Thought and Dice Raw].

stories.
What do you get when you mix street corner doo-wop with a touch of Bill Withers’ melancholy romance and sprinkle in some of The Five Heartbeats harmony? Well, Raphael Saadiq's new album, of course.

stories.
We find ourselves inside some sort of a restaurant, but it is empty. A sharp turn lands us into the kitchen. We keep walking past some of the clean up crew who look at us oddly but don't say anything. We follow a narrow corridor until what appears to be a crossroads. Suddenly...

stories.
Yesterday The Roots did Letterman as they geared up for today's big day: Rising Down is in stores now!! Banging out a stellar performance of "Rising Up" with Chrisette Michele and Wale, along with three percussionists (including our own Frankie Knuckles), ?uesto on vocals (true!), an extra keyboard (super-star producer James Poyser), The Roots absolutely had a party on stage. We're hoping this pushes the movement to add "Olson-twinning" to the dictionary one step further.

stories.
The other day OKP had a special opportunity to visit the showroom for Leroy Jenkins to preview their spring and fall lines. Co-founders Ron Upperman and Upendo (Pen) Taylor took some time to talk to us about their new line and their inspirations. True street hustlers, they got their start peddling hoodies and hand painted mesh hats out on the block. Soon enough, celebs were rockin' their gear (Afrika Bambaataa and Fab Five Freddy being two of the first!), and a buzz was born.

stories.
A few nights ago, at a small indy record shop known as Other Music in New York City's East Village, a reunion show took place. There was a modest line around the corner of a crowd that was hard to peg: a handful of thirty-somethings, some in their early twenties, some teens, some ex-backpacker types, some suits, some speaking in various languages, black, white, indian, asian. Everyone waited patiently for a good hour before being let in to the tiny space to witness a coven of musicians set up in a circle of drum machines, MPCs, computers, keyboards, cables, and mics. The aforementioned coven was newly reunited Anti-Pop Consortium, and they were pulsating to a beat they had clearly just created.

discussion.
Topic: The Wu as a collective and as solo artists have been putting out classic material for over 15 years now. So the question is, which Wu-Tang group or solo album is your favorite to date?

discussion.
Topic: We have all seen the many ridiculous blog posts by Penitentiary P in the months leading up to his incarceration. In a recent entry, P gets pretty deep about some of his conspiracy theories. Is P onto something? Or is he just crazy?

discussion.
Topic: New Bad Boy recording artist Janelle Monae has a sound that can not be ignored. See what Erykah Badu thinks about her and join in on the discussion. LA: Check the Lesson forum for the anchored post about how to win free tickets to see Janell on May 6th.

stories.
Okayplayer presents our brand new Spring/Summer line of t-shirts! Largely inspired by The Roots Rising Down, these tees are diverse and colorful, with something for everyone. Shirts are IN THE STORE now!

the roots blog.
The latest installment from TheRootsLive.com features three new shows to download from the historic Warner Theatre in D.C from April, 2006. Also are two performances from The Roots 2004 summer tour in Detroit and overseas in Sweden at Hultsfredfestivalen.

stories.
Back in 1999 when Okayplayer started, there wasn't really a model for any of this Web community stuff.

the roots blog.
This freestyle was originally slated as the last track on Rising Down. Recorded in 1994 at WPFW radio station. Download it Here!