The Roots Rocked the House

What happens when "The Roots" come to LA to perform? Talib Kweli jumps on stage in the middle of their set; Lupe Fiasco shows the crowd why the mid-west is still swinging; Dave Chapelle does the soul train line; Jeff Bradshaw and his live band blow up the stage with sound; and Jilly "from Philly" Scott tears the mic up with her vocal abilities. And lest we forget, as always, Questlove makes an art out of banging those drums.

The energy was high in the Universal Amphitheatre, and with such a dynamic line up, it is understandable as well as expected. The theater style seating allowed for every seat in the venue to be a good one. The house was jam packed ready to experience the impending show. Playing to a full crowd, the headlining Roots did not disappoint. BlackThought, the lead rapper in the group, led the troupe through two 1 hour sets of non-stop music, giving the crowd their much needed funk fix. Right in the middle of their medley tribute to hip hop, which covered everything from 80's oldies to southern crunk, a surprise guest appearance from Brooklyn rapper, Talib Kweli, performed his popular 2002 single, "Get By." The crowd went ballistic and exploded with energy! Although his on stage performance was only a few moments, Kweli received the hyped energy from the crowd as they rapped song lyrics right along with him, verse for verse. No matter how brief, Kweli proved why he is such a fan favorite. It was hot!

As "The Roots" exited the stage to take a well deserved break, the energy of the crowd died down, only to quickly resume when Lupe Fiasco graced the stage beginning with his radio hit, "Kick Push." He later performed a duet with songstress, Jill Scott, who has an album coming out this September.

The Roots put it down, as was expected. And have you listened to anything from Lupe Fiasco other than the skate song? He's more than the Kick/Push guy. American Terrorist has a powerful message. For those of us who complain about the absence of "real" Hip Hop in reference to substance, pick that up.