The Witzard

Let me just start out by saying that I've been a die-hard Roots fan for about 10 years now, since The Tipping Point (2004). But after seeing The Legendary Roots Crew LIVE @ House of Blues last night [Dec. 28th], while their frequently-released studio albums are great sounding, they pale in comparison to the band's FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC stage show. We're talking about a gang of Classically -trained musicians playing blazin' solos and breaks... synchronized Motown dance routines throughout and when drummer ?uestlove accidentally pummeled into the wrong beat mid-song, he and his Philly -bred buddies just laughed it off and kept going. The best damn thing about a Roots show is the sheer unexpected, versatility of the material to pull from - Nearly 14 records -worth of Hip-Hop/Deep Soul , a feat which most seasoned Rock "N" Roll bands couldn't even rival. Black Thought & ?uestlove proceeded to lead bandmates Captain Kirk, Tuba Gooding Jr., Frank...

Freeway pretty much pulled out all the stops for his latest mixtape, Black Santa EP : rapped verses from Iman Shumpert/Rasheed Wallace (The Knicks) and champion boxer Adrien "The Problem" Broner , a clever Kenny Loggins sample, spear-heading the State Property reunion, and releasing a DOPE holiday-themed mixtape just in time for Christmas . I've always thought that Freeway was a talented, criminally under-rated emcee and over the years, he's been affiliated with powerhouse labels like Roc-a-Fella , Cash Money, Rhymesayers , and G.O.O.D. Music. Freeway 's critically acclaimed debut, Philadelphia Freeway (2003) was [executive] produced by Jay-Z , Just Blaze, and Kanye ... as well as star-studded guest features from Snoop , Mariah Carey, Peedi Crakk , Nelly, and Nate Dogg . Black Santa EP features some note-worthy production work from the likes of Jake One , Statik Selektah, DJ SNS , and Jumbo Beats; But one particular track, "Roc Re-loaded" (Re...