Concert Review: The Roots at Woodstock '99

After over a decade passed since the hip-hop group’s formation, The Roots took center stage at Woodstock ’99 in Rome, New York on the evening of July 23, 1999. Woodstock ’99 was large-scale music festival that ran from July 22-25, 1999 and it was created to celebrate the 30th anniversary since the original Woodstock festival in 1969. Over the course of four days, attendance was approximately 400,000 people.

Before gracing the Woodstock ’99 stage and going on to become one of the greatest hip-hop groups of all time, The Roots started off as two high school friends in the heart of Philadelphia. Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter met while they were attending the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. The duo would hang out on street corners, busking for money as Questlove played bucket drums and Black Thought rapped over the beat. The hip-hop duo played under many different names, such as Radio Activity, Black to the Future and The Square Roots; however, the were forced to settle on The Roots after a local folk group claimed the name The Square Roots. Emcee Malik B. and bass player Leonard “Hub” Hubbard were added to the group before the release of their first album. After struggling to break through in Philadelphia, the group traveled to London and released their independent debut album “Organix” in 1993. The Roots developed a cult following in Europe and attracted the attention of many music labels, eventually agreeing to a deal with DGC/Gefen. Their second album “Do You Want More?!!!??!” was released in the United States in 1994. During the recording of the effort, the group added beatboxer Rahzel and keyboardist Scott Storch to the band. The group’s third album, “Illadeph Halflife,” was released in 1996 and was their first album to break the Top 40 on the Billboard 200 Chart. Scott Storch left the band and was replaced by new keyboardist, Kamal Gray. It wasn’t until their fourth studio album where The Roots broke into the mainstream. The group released “Things Fall Apart” in 1999. This breakthrough album peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 charts. During this time, The Roots added beatboxer Scratch to the lineup.

The Roots continued their commercial success by performing at the now infamous Woodstock ’99 music festival. The hip-hop group walked across the west stage at 6:30 in the evening. Questlove, Gray, Hubbard, Scratch and Black Thought each had a drumstick and a percussion instrument in hand, some with cowbells and others with woodblocks, and began playing a polyrhythmic beat that contained tribal, as well as hip-hop, elements. The beat from the percussion instruments continued and were enhanced by Questlove’s kick drum as Black Thought began the opening verses to “Table of Contents (Parts I & II).” Immediately, it was evident that Black Thought would command the stage, dressed in a sleeveless white shirt, baggy dark jeans, white sneakers, a Rasta cap and glasses that he would soon remove because they would fog from the hot summer day.

Gray’s bright and rugged tones from his keyboards created the transition into “Without a Doubt.” In addition to Hubbard’s funky bassline, the crowd was entranced by Black Thought’s constant transition from rapping over instrumentals to acapella verses. Even the rest of the group froze in place while Black Thought rapped on the mic.

At the conclusion of the track, Scratch took center stage as he beatboxed and started “The Next Movement.” As the group whispered the song’s title, The Roots then crescendo into lyrically complex verses. Scratch came back in for a beatboxing break in between verses and the group continued the theme of pausing while Black Thought rapped acapella.

Once again, Gray’s light keyboards brought in “Step Into the Realm.” Black Thought commanded the energy on stage, crouching and whispering his verses, but then Questlove struck the drums harder and louder and Black Thought mirrored this crescendo with this volume. As the song constantly crescendos and decrescendos, the group members visualized with their sounds, showcasing their preparedness and commitment to the performance. Scratch’s beatboxing returned to replace Questlove’s drumming in the second verse of “Proceed.”

Scratch and Gray introduced “Mellow My Man.” Black Thought showcased his energy by constantly moving across stage and interacting with the crowd. The song’s performance also featured a jazz break in which each group member was able to equally showcase their skills and feed off each other’s improvisations and movements. “Ain’t Saying Nothin New” evolved from the improvisation session. Gray started the song by playing his keyboards behind his back. Through this track, Black Thought fostered the most crowd participation using stop time and a call and response. The track also featured the first guest verse from Dice Raw, an ex-Root’s emcee. At the conclusion of Dice Raw’s verse, the group quickly sped up the tempo and rhythm, but soon brought it back down for the refrain.

Gray moved from behind the keyboards and grabbed a Gibson guitar. He started finger picking a simple chord progression, while Black Thought chanted “there ain’t nothing like hip-hop music.” The clean tones of the guitar and groovy rhythms from Questlove and Hubbard’s bass controlled the performance of “Concerto of the Desperado.” The crowd got more and more involved as the performance continued, as seen by the Black Thought encouraged chant “we are the ultimate, we’re rock, rockin it,” which flowed throughout “The Ultimate.”

A shortened bass solo and a synchronized clap from the audience started “Adrenaline!” The energy continued to rise as “Adrenaline!” was The Roots fastest tempo song of the set (paralleling the effects of the title). The song also featured another guest verse from Dice Raw. At the conclusion of the song, all that can be heard is the screams and applause from the crowd, creating the only time where none of The Roots were making any sound.

At the conclusion of “Don’t See Us,” the music ceased momentarily. The light keyboard tones and soft strikes on the drums elegantly introduced Erykah Badu who took center stage with an all-yellow outfit. Badu sang the intro for “You Got Me” while Black Thought rapped the verses, creating the most neo-soul track in their performance. During Badu’s fourth refrain, the tempo sped up and Badu let loose with her raspy and soulful vocal runs, followed by a decrescendo into a funky low section.

Badu remained on stage to observe Questlove’s three-minute drum solo, which featured impressive, fast paced playing and the utilization of all parts of the drums to make unique beats and sounds. Gray then slammed the keys and began a melodic solo, intermixed with unconventional and dark undertone sounds. At the conclusion of the solo, Black Thought, Questlove, Hubbard and Badu jumped back in for freestyle with instrumental and vocal improvisations. Then Hubbard began a bass solo mirroring the vocal melody from Badu on “You Got Me.” Hubbard’s solo really picked up and reached a high tempo with varying playing styles, such as plucking, strumming and slapping. Hubbard then hit a distortion petal and The Roots entered a frenzy, with Black Thought parodying the angsty voice of a rock singer. Scratch then began his beatboxing solo, imitating a DJ’s scratching and the speeding up and slowing down of a record. The Roots then had some fun with Gray and Questlove pretending to stand in front of the imaginary turntables while Scratch provided the sounds. The performance ended with a final scream from Black Thought and “the incredible Roots crew” exits the stage.

The Roots’ performance at Woodstock ’99 introduced hip-hop to an audience and festival mostly familiar with rock and pop music. However, The Roots did not crumble under the pressure, as they brought the audience a memorable, original and honest performance.