Music: Hip-Hop's Next Wave

Don't call it alternative hip-hop. Don't call it neo-rap or jazz-rap or anything that would separate it from itself. What it is, straight up, is hip-hop. Call it underground hip-hop, if you have to; call it the Next Wave, if you need a name; but whatever you call it, it's already arrived.

Three acts--the Roots, Q-Tip and Mos Def--are at the front of hip-hop's new movement. All three have recently come out with accomplished albums. And all three are creating hip-hop that's more personal, political and spiritual than the bulk of what passes for Top-40 rap today. These are young acts but experienced: Q-Tip, 29, is a former member of A Tribe Called Quest and is releasing his first solo effort. Mos Def, 25, has performed with Talib Kweli as the duo Black Star. And the Roots has five albums under its belt; its members have now honed their skills and are ready for prime time.

These Next Wavers fill a void; while rappers and rap-influenced rock groups have been taking hold of the top of the charts as of late, there's a numbing sameness to a lot of the hip-hop that's being pushed on radio and MTV. The music, rather than "keeping it real," seems more interested in catering to suburban stereotypes of urban life: Look kids, isn't DMX scary?!? Certainly there are great hip-hoppers out there--Lauryn Hill and Nas to name two--but as record labels jump on the rap bandwagon, the disposable acts are piling up. As two female performers, Bahamadia and Rah Digga, observe on a recent duet, "Mediocre rappers gettin' all this play/While the underground rappers stay around the way."

Now, it has to be said, when most people listen to rap, it's the music that makes the initial impact, not the meaning. Unless you've got more bite than DMX, unless you've got more bounce than Juvenile, people don't want to hear it. Nobody wants to listen to rap just 'cause its supposed to be good for you--this ain't broccoli. The Philadelphia-based group the Roots is worth listening to not just because of the message--the members are fierce champions of artistic expression--but precisely because of the music. This is not just the best band in hip-hop, it's also one of the best bands in rap or rock, and the group's new concert album, The Roots Come Alive (MCA), proves it.

The Roots is one of the few bands in hip-hop that actually is a band. Its seven-person lineup consists of drummer Ahmir ("?uestlove") Thompson (his nickname is pronounced "Questlove"), lead rapper Tariq ("Black Thought") Trotter, keyboardist Kamal Gray, bassist Leonard ("Hub") Hubbard, "human beatbox" Kyle ("Scratch") Jones, vocal percussionist Rozell ("Rahzel") Brown (who imitates turntables and other sounds using his voice) and Malik ("Malik B") Abdul-Bassit (who rarely tours).

The group thrives on spontaneity, sometimes inviting audience members onstage to join in freestyle raps. Such improv energy fuels the new album, and the songs take unexpected twists and turns. Thompson's playing is particularly sharp; he's confident enough to play loose. "One of our fears going in was, 'This is a live album; we can't use studio trickery!'" says Thompson. "But in the end, the songs with mistakes and flaws were the ones that touched us the most, and those are the ones we ended up using." The rough edges give this CD a fresh, honest feel.