"Tracks From Black for Satisfaction"

Today's post is brought to you by late night's best "house" band...The Roots.

Thought @ Work is a fun little track, don't you think? It makes me think of a full city street and a bunch of people circled up having some sort of dance off. Every couple of seconds some one else drops into the circle, and fun is had by all. It actually makes me want to start busting the shopping cart and the lawn mower out.

I don't have a great deal to say about the song today, it's just fun. This is hip-hop at it's most pure. Please don't mistake this for rap cause there is a huge difference between hip-hop and rap. Rap is so commercial. It's all about bitches, drugs, and guns because that's what moves records right now. There is no real moral responsibility presented in rap. It's like every one's become Scarface all of a sudden. It's kind of ridiculous.

Just take 50 Cent for example. Listen to his first album (Get Rich or Die Tryin'), that album is awesome! That's just a dude who is hungry to get himself established, get himself out there and that record kills. Now listen to his following albums, sigh. It's the same material hashed over different beats. There is no hunger anymore, there is no expansion of character. It's all recycled garbage that he knows will move records because that's what the public expects from him. Are we to believe that 50 Cent wasted his potential or maybe Get Rich or Die Tryin' was one of those fluke things? Maybe it's a mixture of both. Someone so eager to become famous that once he hits that status he just sits back and mails in the rest of his career.

The difference with hip-hop is hip-hop artists are always hungry. They're doing it for love of the game so to speak. Most of the time there are messages too, it's not all guns and drugs and "I shot my way to the top". There are positive messages to be sent in hip-hop. Look at Atmosphere, Krs-1, The Roots, and Brother Ali (to name a few), these guys are sending out messages that actually talk to people. Something that we can relate to. Listen to Yesterday by Atmosphere and here the pain and struggle to deal with loss, listen to the majority of the songs Krs-One puts out telling the youth that there is hope, that if you work hard you can overcome your surroundings and make something of yourself. These are songs that transcend racial barriers and bring positivity and lyrics we can connect with as people not commerical machines just willing to listen to the next hit rap song to come across the radio. Come on picture someone like 50 Cent spewing a positive message... it be seen more of a joke. I'm sure people would wonder where the gun references were.

I've been lucky enough to see The Roots a couple of the times and they kill it. A full band that just brings the jazz/rock/hip-hop while Black Thought slays it on the mic. If you ever get a chance to see them outside of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon take it. You're mind will be blown, and you'll be dancing and grooving in no time. Plus how awesome is ?uestlove's fro?