The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition - Fall 2003 - 9D B Joseph Litman 'X Daily Arts Writer M 1 Courtesy of OkayPlayer Drum machine. THE ROOTS' THOUGHTFUL ?UESTLOVE By Joseph Litman Daily Arts Writer Central to Sunday's Roots' con- cert was drummer and creative force Ahmir "?uestlove" Thomp- son. Although he's an accom- plished producer, DJ and businessman, Thompson is usually recognized by his distinct afro. However, those who only know the man's hair are unfortunately neglecting Thompson's charisma, intelligence and Vitruvian nature. Before the concert, Thompson spoke with The Michigan Daily about the Roots' latest masterpiece, Phrenology. The Michigan Daily: Phrenolo- gy was a departure from the other music we've heard from the Roots. What was the discussion like when you were coming up with the con- cept of this record? Ahmir Thompson: (To) earn our renegade stripes. All the time it's like [mockingly], 'You guys are so inno- vative, you guys are so great, you guys are so great' - but, the "great" people that I know of, or that I call great, part of their careers has been about exploring uncharted territory. I just never want to be called pre- dictable, or 'that's a typical Roots sound.' I got a lot of that in 2001. [Mockingly] 'Yo man, the Roots' sound is in, the Roots' sound is in.' I'm like what is 'the Roots' sound is in?' Is the Roots' sound "Mellow My Man," or is the Roots' sound "Clones?" The Roots' sound could be pretty much anything if you look at our production spectrum. TMD: On what did you draw for this record? AT: I've always been a Bomb Squad fan. Lyrically, Tariq (Black Thought) has been a Juice Crew fan, so any Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Biz, Roxanne, Masta Ace, Craig G and Marly Marl, that's who he idolized. With me, it was the Bomb Squad. Anythingto do with, Public Enemy or any of the groups that Public Enemy produced between '87 and '92, that's what I was obsessed with. So, I got in Spike (Lee)'s ear about. redoing "Burn Hollywood Burn" (for "Bamboozled") and I used it as a litmus test to see how it would work, and if I felt pleased with the results, we would try to make our album that radical. At the end of the day, we just decided not to do the whole album as radical as that song. So pretty much, I wanted to do something PE-like on the new album, but I didn't want it to stick out like a sore thumb. (That led to) "Thought at Work" and ... we had to go for the gusto. TMD: That piano beat that the song was first over ... AT: Yeah, yeah "Hey Bulldog." We were down, mixing it. Our engi- neer walks in and is like 'Hey, the Beatles!' I was like, 'Nah, that ain't no Beatles' and he's like [high pitched] 'No, man, it's the Beatles.' I found out that it's a Lennon-McCart- ney composition, and that means that Michael Jackson owns it and right now, he's in a major battle with Sony over who owns the Beatles' stuff, so they're basically not clearing any- thing. Trust me, I tried. I emailed the shit out of Sean Lennon and all that stuff, but in a way, it kind of freed me. It kind of liberated us. That freed me to just, fuck it, do the PE version, do the "Bring the Noise" tribute. TMD: It was nice to hear that Incredible Bongo Band sample on there. AT: That, to me, is like a b- boy tribute. TMD: How did you guys hook up with Cody ChestnuTT (on the track " The Seed (2.0)")? AT: Actually, I first discovered Cody in the "D." A good friend of mine who's a writer from Detroit, Dream Hampton, had his demo, but she didn't want to give it to me, you know, because it was so sacred to her, but that shit wasn't ever gonna stop my ass. So, I put an APB out on him and luckily, he had sent his demo to every major label including (mine) and it wound up in the throw away pile. It just so happens that one of the interns remembered the name Cody ChestnuTT, and as a result, I found him and insisted that we meet and talk about working. TMD: What is going on with Malik B these days? I think that everyone has heard "Water," and they're kind of curious. AT: To be honest, I have not really spoken to Malik since the album came out. Right now, I think that he's just living his life and pretty much just dealing with his life, so it's cool. Call it skill, call it game, call it whatever, but be sure to call Talib Kweli's talent something that denotes its exceptional abundance. A gifted word- smith who seems to never waste a bar, the New York MC is one of rap music's finest and most intellectual- ly provocative rhymers, and his lyrical prowess has earned him a devoted following and placed him among hip-hop's "socially conscious" luminaries. Sharing that distinction with Kweli are a handful of elite acts, like Common, and both men will be fea- tured attractions tomorrow night at Detroit's State Theater. Gang Starr will also be performing at a show certain to please real hip-hop fans. Kweli, who spoke to The Michigan Daily last week, is clearly excited about the performance. "(The show) is just some real hip-hop shit. It's a pretty long show, so people should be prepared for that. However, it's not long and boring; it's long and good," he said. "I try to' throw a party with my show" The party atmosphere created results from Talib's remarkable ability to engage fans with his music. "I try not to make music for the audience; I try to make music for myself. The only way that you can be true to yourself as an artist is if you make music for yourself and then let the audience relate to that. If you make music for specific audiences, they're usual- ly sophisticated enough to see through that." Measuring the sophistication of the hip-hop audi- ence is a difficult task. As hip-hop has permeated society, the culture's growth has raised a plethora of issues that require complicated responses. One such topic is the direction in which the music is headed. "I see hip-hop going wherever the people are, whatever the people demand," Kweli said. "Right now, whatever Nelly is putting out is something that the people are demanding. He came out with a song that was a hit and it just became a phenomenon. And since (he and Universal Records) have been able to capitalize on the phenomenon. He touched a nerve and hip-hop is going to be wherever the people are." Those people are, at times, not with Kweli, who has not enjoyed the same commercial success as a Nelly. Compounding that problem, even loyal fans have at times been disappointed with Kweli, like this summer when they disapproved of a new song, "Gun Music," before fully understanding its meaning. "There are people in the so-called 'conscious music' that are just as close-minded as people who listen to 'commercial music,' said Kweli. "In the summer it was a little tough because people automat- ically assume that I'm not allowed to use the word 'gun,' that I'm so positive that I can't even say some- thing that might have a negative connotation." The rush to judgment that proved to be hasty is Practice? We're sittin' here talkin' about practice?l symptomatic of a mass U.S. audience that often lacks patience. Subjecting Kweli to such unfortunate behavior has especially threatening consequences, though, because anything that might encourage the MC's silence - though he'd likely be undeterred - would deprive hip-hop of a much-needed candid and honest voice. Demonstrating how he's garnered his reputation for intelligence and thoughtfulness, Kweli discussed the meaning behind his latest single, "Get By." "I specifically choose to address the black condi- tion around the world in my music, because there is not enough of that in the mainstream, and it needs to be dealt with because it is a serious issue. But when I say 'we' in that sense (of coping with life's stresses), I am talking about all people. Getting by is a constant struggle, something that everybody, regardless of race, deals with." Kweli's unabashed opinions also cover ongoing topics of conversation ranging from his responsibility as a role model given his profession - "I think that there is a responsibility, but I wouldn't put that on everybody" - to Eminem's potential role in the co- optation of hip-hop. "Honestly, of course (Eminem is a vehicle for co- optation), to a certain extent, but I don't think any- body realizes that more than Eminem, and I think it's kind of irrelevant to discuss that because that's so far away from the real issues in our culture. Part of the reason that he sells millions of records is obviously because he's white, and obviously because white kids who buy hip-hop music relate to him, and that's why you see him on the award shows and everything. He realizes that and he wouldn't be where he is if he weren't one of the best MCs to ever do it, and he also realizes that." Speaking further about the issue's nuances, Kweli coninued, "You could make the argument that Vanilla Ice was good for the culture because he brought hip-hop to a whole bunch of people who didn't give a fuck about it before. It's about where someone's heart (rests), and you take every- thing as it is. If Eminem can rhyme, that's all we should be dealing with." Through his Nkiru bookstore and community cen- ter, Talib has also tried to reach more people and develop a context in which they can understand and enjoy hip-hop and black culture. Some of that culture's finest music and its most ardent supporter will be on display tomorrow night. From the classic style of Gang Starr to the boundary- pushing growth of Common, there will be something for all hip-hop heads. As for Kweli? Obviously, he speaks for himself. I kings they were. When formed, Pavement was shrouded in mystical, cryptic antics. The band's members resided in throughout the country corners; the founders went so far as to give them- selves epithets (S.M. and Spiral Stairs). When Pavement granted inter- views, which they rarely did - they were mercurial and temperamental. Pavement's leader and chief songwriter, Stephen Malkmus served to continue the mystery surrounding the band with off-kilter, off-topic and sometimes off- key vocals becoming Pavement trade- marks stolen with a smirk from Sonic Youth and The Pixies. Pavement's 10-year anniversary Courtesy of Matador The boys "o Pavement dressed for success but success it never came. Luke Smith Daily Arts Editor Music REVIEW * With Nirvana being championed as the saviors of rock and torch car- rying kings of a now very irrelevant Seattle 'scene' Pavement carved out a niche of their own on college radio. Disregarding commercial music's reverence for Beatles-y hooks in favor of stripped down low-fi junk- rock Pavement's Slanted and Enchanted had an influence reaching far beyond the Seattle scene's proge- ny. As a result, one of America's greatest '90s bands gets a reissue befitting of the slacker-poet noise album features a remastering of the original 14 album tracks followed by extra songs from the Enchanted sessions. The wonderful Watery, Domestic EP Pavement Slanted and Enchanted: Luxe and Reduxe Matador Records catches Pavement mid-crawl sand- wiched between their two best albums at a time when even their EP cast-offs and b-sides ebbed genius. Luxe & Reduxe sports almost 50% never before heard material, including a concert from 1992 December concert, and previously unheard John Peel ses- sions. The 48-track collection focuses on Pavement's fetal period, years before the summer babes made the major leagues. Pilates Weight Training Swimming Water Safety Instructor Hip Hop Taekwondo Tennis and more! Try our promo classes in 3275 CCRBI Fall schedule on www.umich.edu/-umove n.) Pizza House's perfect combination of salad and sandwich (see below) Add turkey, tuna, chicken, or feta cheese if you like (add S2.OO) "COLS 14W 'r'CAVrAnW~ rr BMeDMv4 R C"Vc e .- F wn*~Pf G1** e A .0 ( -M ern- O -Tpety 22 izWS Thurs. Sept 4th 3:00.4:OOpm Pilates 4:00-5:00pm Butts 8i Guts 5:006:00pm lip Hop 6:00-7:00pm Cardio Blast 7:00-8:00pm Kikbomkig $3 per class University Musical Society presents the 03/04 Half-Price Student Ticket Sale Sat, Sept 20 9 am - 12 noon For one day only at the beginning of each semester, UMS offers HALF-PRICE TICKETS to students. This extremely popular event draws hundreds of students every year - last year, students saved over $104,000 by purchasing tickets at the Half-Price Student Ticket Sales. Some perfomances have a limited number of tickets available, so get I m