First things first: Look at Young Thug. Look at him. He has his bleached pigtails done up in those Princess Leia buns. He is wearing the tightest clothes that any rapper has ever worn in public. He has a pink flag hanging out of his pants. The man is a street-rap star, and he is [...]

The Roots’ new album …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin is a conceptual art-rap affair, made without any real concern for the marketplace, and so it’s not much of a surprise that their latest music videos are conceptual allegory-type deals. They’ve already unveiled a stop-motion clip for “Understand...

Last night, the New York rap-radio giant Hot 97 held its annual Summer Jam show, and it was as crammed with special guests as ever. During Nicki Minaj’s headlining set alone, she brought Lil Wayne, Drake, Young Thug, Soulja Boy, and Lil Herb to the stage, while the Roots got to play local hero, backing [...]

Will Ferrell and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith have long found themselves near the top of every celebrity-lookalike listicle, and last week, we learned the news that the two would stage a drum-off for charity on The Tonight Show. That drum-off happened last night, and massive credit is due to Will Ferrell for [...]

It’s not surprising, of course, that the Roots were on The Tonight Show last night. They’re on The Tonight Show every night. But yesterday, the group released their expansive, experimental new album …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin. And they marked the occasion by doing double duty, as the show’s house band...