Legendary Jersey MC Treach sat in with The Roots on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon to perform the Naughty By Nature classic “O.P.P.” Treach’s visit to Fallon comes after a bit of controversy over a very public spat between Naughty group members that resulted in Treach renouncing bandmate Vinnie via Twitter. Despite the beef, it is very clear that Treach hasn’t lost a step. His rapid-fire flow peppers The Roots’ rock-inflected take on the original. Treach’s performance with The Roots comes ahead of the 6th Annual Roots Picnic, going down in Philly on June 1st. Check the performance below. Purchase tickets to see Treach and The Roots at the 6th Annual Roots Picnic via Ticketmaster.

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Naughty By Nature frontman Treach chopped it up with Montreality about life and his love of music during the shoot for the latest Naughty By Nature video “God Is Us” featuring Queen Latifah. He kicks the discussion off with a freestyle featuring his infamous rapid-fire flow. Treach touches on a handful of topics in the interview, including a peek at his childhood and early adult life. He also talks about past collaborations, influential artists, his favorite meals and new music – his mixtape Tribal Treach is available for free download. Check the interview below. Scroll down to grab the mixtape. Look out for Naughty By Nature onstage this summer at The Roots Picnic.

>>>Download Tribal Treach Here

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Today’s news that Jay-Z and Bruce Springsteen will be playing a special rally in support of Barack Obama in the all-important swang state of Ohio is only the latest in a somewhat stunning series of 11th-hour endorsements for the President from high-profile rappers, sangers, rappers-turned-sangers, samplers and other kinds of musicians who apparently still like their Lambos blue, thanks. There was “Keep Moving Forward” from Stevie Wonder an uptempo anthem tinged with North African rhythms (I know I’m cynical but why do I feel like the Obama spin team was less than geeked about that). Then there was “Forward” from Ne-Yo, “For All” from Far East Movement and “Be The Best” from okayplayer Martin Luther. Sampling pioneer Steinski turned in a  reverse endorsement by sampling Mitt Romney‘s words in a ‘roll tape 212″ greatest hits of his damning and contradictory statements. And Vibe magazine recorded pro-Obama statements from RZA, Treach, Kay Gee (I know you were wondering when NBN was gonna weigh in) and Snoop Lion, who already showed Obama crazy love and support (no, I mean crazy). On Romney’s side though, there’s Kid Rock (boo), Nicki Minaj’s split-personality and Mr. Burns from The Simpsons (for actual). That last might be the best one, actually but watch ‘em all. And VOTE on Tuesday goddamnit.

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The Art Of Rap is no misnomer. With a hip-hop veteran like Ice-T overseeing the film, his first as director, it deftly avoids the pitfalls that a traditional documentarian might have fallen victim to.  Aside from seeing where Dr. Dre lives and finding out when Rev Run realized his life was spiraling out of control, there’s no discussion about wealth and fame. The film’s focus is simply on words. It’s about the thought process that leads one to write sixteen bars. It’s about how those sixteen bars wind up on a piece of paper. It’s about how those words and their delivery are agonized over before they even make it to the ears of the general public. 

The Art Of Rap manages to capture the attention of its viewers like no other hip-hop documentary before. The respect that our favorite rappers have for each other’s talent has never been captured quite like this. Redman emphatically sings the praises of Eminem.  Eminem recalls how hearing Treach from Naughty By Nature made him stop writing rhymes for an entire summer. Doug E. Fresh recites Melle Mel lyrics with the kind of deference usually reserved for a poet like Robert Frost.  Ice-T also uses plenty of humor to keep viewers fixated on the silver screen, notably in a sequence where KRS-ONE reveals why he started rapping (SPOILER: He got dissed during a battle between two other rappers and refused to let it slide) or Ice-T trying to conduct an interview with Q-Tip on a New York City street corner while passersby begin to congregate around them snapping photos.

Few faults are to be found within The Art of Rap. Female rappers aren’t heavily represented. Very little time is paid to southern hip-hop, with Bun B serving as the sole spokesperson for that movement. Several interviews seemed criminally short. Prior to the screening, Ice-T revealed that his initial edit of the film was six hours long. Hopefully a nice chunk of the deleted sequences will end up on a DVD release of the film.

The Art Of Rap: Something From Nothing, just may be Ice-T’s most important contribution to hip-hop.  The film is a beautiful love letter to emcees and their craft and should be watched by anyone with any shred of interest in hip-hop culture and is sure to be an inspiration for a new generation of emcees.

The Art Of Rap: Something From Nothing hits theaters on June 15th.

Click here to watch the film’s trailer!

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