Yes it's Fallon's show in name, but really we should be calling this thing Late Night With The Roots And Jimmy Fallon's Shrewdly Assembled Writing Staff. Whatever it is GE is paying Questo and Black Thought to anchor Late Night, it's a steal. One of the major perks they can offer the Philly hip hop stalwarts, aside from an inimitable model for circumventing the record industry, was on display last night: The most valuable house band in late night doubled as Late Night's musical guest, performing and getting heavy promotion for the first song from their new album. It seems the Roots are taking this night-in-night-out/"hardest working band in show business" thing to heart on "How I Got Over," a funky, horny, James Brown-indebted track that has Black Thought dipping into his dual TV role as crooner and rapper. The old knock on the Roots has always been that their drummer has more charisma than their MC, but I think their tenure with Fallon is starting to shift perceptions. Either Thought's upped his game, or the constant camera's just exposing what's always been there. Either way, he sorta runs this.
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The album's called How I Got Over, too, and it's out 10/20 via Def Jam. The "How I Got Over" single is out next week. According to okayplayer.com, there will be a "special edition 12" featuring the title track on the A-Side, and on the B-Side, a collector's item 'Art Sketch.'" There will be a video for this one in early July. Keep you posted.
