New Reason To Hate Jimmy Fallon

In news from the The World Is One Giant Joke department, The Roots will be retiring from touring to be Jimmy Fallon’s late night talk show’s house band in March.

Seriously. Like, oh yes, of course The Roots are going to be Jimmy Fallon’s house band when he replaces Conan O’Brien in March, because that is a completely ridiculous idea and it seems like only completely ridiculous ideas happen nowadays.

Other News Concerning The Roots [Make Major Moves]

The Roots: Pennsylvania’s Best Band?

Jeopardy! superstar Ken Jennings has an ongoing feature on his blog about the best band from each state. And Pennsylvania’s winner is…

The Roots, because they’re awesome, and because hip-hop is totally underrepresented here. And because Hall & Oates are a duo and I’m still iffy about that. And because Bill Haley and His Comets dressed funny on stage. And to ensure that Ween or Live or Poison will never, never make this list. (Editor’s Note: Ken Jennings uses two spaces after a period! Oh, I feel superior to him in at least one way.)

The Roots, huh? Jennings’ list is pretty atrocious — there have to be artists better than Evanescence (Arkansas), Panic At the Disco (Nevada), Bright Eyes (Nebraska) Good Charlotte (Maryland) — but if you’re just using bands (as he appears to be, although Bright Eyes is a mini-stretch) then The Roots isn’t a terrible choice.

Personally, you know, I would have gone with The Trouble With Sweeney.

Roots Picnic To Feature, Um, The Roots

The Roots have announced the lineup for The Roots Picnic at Penn’s Landing. You will note the picnic features the Roots!

But it also has a killer lineup: Gnarls Barkley, Deerhoof, Diplo, etc. The Roots’ new album drops at the end of next month and is supposedly “political.” That’s usually a bad sign for an album, but this is the Roots, so it’ll probably be full of smart lyrics and maybe even some anti-prison complex/War on Drugs commentary that people like me will just eat up. Huzzah.

The first single from Rising Down features Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy. Again, this could normally be a bad sign, but this is the Roots. Also, Stump produced the best track on the most recent Lupe Fiasco album, so who knows.

Shocker: Philly Rappers Give Philly Props

The Roots? Repping Philly? Surely you jest.

They proclaim to all the land: Philly is cool [Inquirer]
August 24: Do You Want ‘Metro’?!!!??!

Do You Want ‘Metro’?!!!??!

It appears that, despite Citypaper’s love for The Roots, the band prefers another free local newspaper. An anonymous Metro staffer IMs:

AMS: check out all the metro boxes in the new roots video

AMS: 1:24
1:33
2:32-2:40

This would be like if Beanie Sigel had namechecked the Fishtown Star in court.

The Roots “Don’t Feel Right” trilogy video [YouTube]
Oct. 3, 2005: Beanie Sigel, avid blog reader