The Roots are the Grateful Dead of Hip Hop

Finn sent me to Big Ghost's "Best of" blog post for 2011¹. It's a fun read, and features exciting music. One comment stuck out:

The Roots is basically the Rolling Stones of hip hop b.

Sometime in 2003 I predicted in conversation with my friend Angela that either the Beastie Boys or the Roots would enjoy long careers as the Grateful Dead of hip hop… basically that they would tour forever, coming out with new but not earth-shattering records every few years. Their music would stay great and fresh enough to keep the interest of older fans while evolving to attract younger ones. I still love the Beasties, but because of health problems and other projects they've just been less prolific than the Roots. And there's nothing wrong with that, they could actually still take five or six more years off and come back as the Rolling Stones of hip hop. That title is vacant because the Roots are officially the Grateful Dead of hip hop, until we revisit the topic in nine years.

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¹ Finn recommends I clarify that this is not really Ghostface Killah's blog.

Comments

[finn]

Ghost on Ghost:

What do you think of the Big Ghost Chronicles blog? It's pretty funny considering it's just some guy doing an impression of you reviewing rap albums.

I mean it is what it is and shit. We tried to pull it down but dude just kept coming. I don’t even really check it out, but at the end of the day there are people that just love you that do all types of shit. So I’m looking at it like that. It’s all love.

I guess you’ve run into the problem of people thinking that it’s actually you. Have you heard Drake’s album?

No I didn’t hear it, it just came out. I don’t beef with rappers and lil’ niggas and all the other shit like that. I’m just trying to get it in and do what I gotta do and that’s that. I don’t have the time to get involved with all that blog shit. I’m an old fashioned dude.

[Jake]

TMBG is the Grateful Dead of Nerd Music.