Song of the Day: The Roots “Dynamite!”

Powered by the mighty drums of ?uestlove, The Roots‘ 1999 album Things Fall Apart is widely considered one of the all-time great hip hop albums. Featuring production work by great and sadly departed J Dilla, “Dynamite!” is one of the many highlights of the album. The song features a mellow funk jazz guitar sample, powerful drums, and great flow from Black Thought, Dilla and Beanie Sigel. The song samples the 60’s jazz band Nirvana‘s (not to be confused with the better known 90’s grunge act of the of same name) take on the standard “Indiana”. The song is ostensibly about being mindful and aware of the world around you and is a real banger of a track.

The Roots were founded in Philadelphia, PA in 1987 by MC Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and drummer Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson. The band combined live jazzy, dynamic drums and instrumentation with samples and socially conscious rapping. The group has swelled in ranks to include a host of musicians, MCs and DJs and from their inception have gone from strength to strength. ?uestlove in particular is well known as a heavy duty record collector as well as solid drummer, who has drawn on his knowledge of arcane and obscure music to continually push his band into new and exciting musical directions. The group not only continue to record and tour, but also serve as the in-house backing band on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.