Baby Tate Gets The Spotlight In Babyface’s Groovy ‘Tonight Show’ Performance Of ‘Don’t Even Think About It’

It has appeared that Baby Tate is set for a huge breakout for some time and with no less a music industry titan than Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds backing her, that eventuality is looking closer than ever. Both Babies stopped by The Tonight Show to perform Babyface’s new single “Don’t Even Think About It,” which prominently features Baby Tate. She straight-up steals the show, standing front-and-center in a floor-length aquamarine feather boa jacket with her face beat to the gawds, rapping and showing off her impressive singing chops backed by Babyface and The Roots.

The timing is impressive as well. While the duo is ostensibly there to promote Babyface’s upcoming 11th(!) studio album Girls’ Night Out, with the longtime R&B legend ceding the spotlight to Baby Tate, fans will undoubtedly find themselves encountering her own mixtape, Mani/Pedi, which drops this Friday, September 30 on Warner Records. It could very well be the catalyst to that expected breakout after she spent over a year promoting it with singles like “Pedi,” “S.L.O. (Slut Him Out),” “Dancing Queen,” and “Ain’t No Love” with 2 Chainz. Fellow Atlanta native Kali is also set to appear on the project, which features 14 tracks and follows Tate’s 2020 EP After The Rain.

Baby Tate is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Inaugural Big Climate Thing Festival Will Feature The Roots, Haim, Khruangbin, And More

So it turns out that at the moment, the climate could be doing better. There are some people out there trying to do something about that, including the folks at Climate Control Projects and Brian Eno’s EarthPercent with their latest endeavor: the first-ever The Big Climate Thing festival.

The inaugural event, intended to raise awareness and take action about the climate crisis, is set to go down at New York’s Forest Hills Stadium from July 16 to 18 and the lineup features The Roots, Haim, Khruangbin, The Flaming Lips, Gary Clark Jr., Courtney Barnett, Sheryl Crow, The Weather Station, Sunflower Bean, Bonny Light Horseman, Guster, Pom Pom Squad, and others.

The Weather Station’s Tamara Lindeman told Rolling Stone, “I think music, along with all the cultural industries, have spent way too long sitting back on this issue. I believe music plays a primarily emotional role in people’s lives, and as such I think it has huge potential in pushing us to recognize our tangled emotions around this topic. When I imagine a stadium full of people coming together for a climate event centered on music, what I imagine is an enormous opportunity to feel a solidarity that has been so missing here. I truly hope that an enormous in-person event can have some power to bring people together and create some common experience around climate, and push those in attendance to examine their climate feelings and push through them enough to act.”

Sunflower Bean’s Julia Cumming also notes, “I believe that music is one of the most powerful communication tools we have on this planet, way deeper than just words could ever express. Music has to power to influence people’s decisions by touching their hearts and relating to them on the human condition. We are all facing the same problem: this is all our home and it happens to be on fire. If we can figure out how to properly utilize music in this era of the climate crisis, I know more good could be done.”

More info about the festival, including ticket information, can be found at the Big Climate Thing website.

The Roots and Burna Boy to Headline Return of AFROPUNK Brooklyn

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AFROPUNK is set to return to Brooklyn and will be headlined by The Roots and Burna Boy. AFROPUNK, a celebration of Black joy and a monument to the Brooklyn community’s resiliency, will take place in Commodore Barry Park on September 10th and 11th.

Joining The Roots and Burna Boy will be Lucky Daye, Freddie Gibbs, Tierra Whack, and Earl Sweatshirt. Rising star Bartees Strange will make his AFROPUNK debut as Butcher Brown will also hit the stage. AFROPUNK will also highlight the community, bringing Brooklyn artists Rodney Chrome, Alex Mali, and Talia Goddess to the stage.

AFROPUNK offers the Spinthrift Market, a retail market with creative New York-based manufacturers, selectors, and curators, as well as AFROPUNK’s Bites ‘n Beats, which allows attendees to sample cuisine from NYC chefs and local food trucks. Buy tickets for AFROPUNK 2022: http://afropunk.com/festival/brooklyn

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Burna Boy, The Roots, And Isaiah Rashad Will Headline Afropunk 2022 In Brooklyn


This summer, Afropunk Festival will return to Brooklyn for the first time this year since 2019. Celebrating the diverse sound and style of the Black music community, this year’s Afropunk lineup boasts several of the best acts in music across all genres.

Taking place at Commodore Barry Park in Brooklyn, festivities kick off Saturday, September 10 and continue into Sunday, September 11. Set to take the stage this year are Burna Boy, The Roots, Isaiah Rashad, Tierra Whack, Ambre, Talia Goddess, Lucky Daye, Earl Sweatshirt, Bartees Strange, Freddie Gibbs, and more.

This year’s Afropunk festival marks Burna Boy’s first headlining set at a US festival and his first show in New York City since his sold-out Madison Square Garden concert this past April. He is expected to perform music from his upcoming album, Love, Damini.

For The Roots’ performance, the band will celebrate 30 years as a music group and will perform hits from their decade-spanning catalog.

Tickets for Afropunk go on sale Friday, June 17 at 10 a.m. EST. Citi Cardmembers will have access to an exclusive presale beginning Thursday, June 16 at 10 a.m. EST.

Check out the full line-up below.

Afropunk 2022 Line Up
Courtesy of Afropunk

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music group.

Black Thought Returns To Carnegie Hall For Hip Hop Workshops, Showcase On April 7

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Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute (WMI) today announced that seven rising MCs have been selected to participate in a free master class led by
legendary hip-hop artist Black Thought from April 4-7, 2022 as part of the Hall’s ongoing series of workshops and master classes for young professional musicians. During the multi-day master class, The Roots front man mentors the MCs in sessions focusing on lyricism, flow, style, and delivery while also exploring the history of hip-hop. DJ and producer Sean C. joins as a special guest, helping to coach the MCs, and leading music industry figures will share insights about building a career. The works, which was originally scheduled for fall 2021—builds off the Hall’s inaugural hip-hop workshop series with Black Thought in February 2020 and follows his April 1-3 residency at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The MCs, who have been recognized as exceptionally talented rising artists in hip-hop, are:

TA3 (Lumberton, New Jersey)
Genesis Be (Biloxi, Mississippi)
Born Wenzday (East Hartford, Connecticut)
Relic The Bully (Chicago, Illinois)
Felisha George (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Jrei Oliver (New Orleans, Louisiana)
SIYAKA (Brooklyn, New York)

For the culminating event in this season’s hip-hop workshop at Carnegie Hall, the MCs perform in a public showcase, curated by Black Thought. The performance takes place on Thursday, April 7, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. in the Weill Music Room in Carnegie Hall’s Resnick Education Wing. Tickets for the final showcase are now on-sale. It will also be available for audiences at home to livestream on Facebook, YouTube, and Carnegie Hall’s website. This marks the second time that Black Thought has led a master class at the Hall, following his first workshop in February 2020.

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The Roots, Robert Glasper, And Kamasi Washington Lead The Mostly Free 2022 Montreal Jazz Festival

One of the finest urban festivals in the world, Montreal Jazz Festival is back for its 42nd year with one of its best lineups ever. The Downtown Montreal celebration will be showcasing over 350 global artists in programming which is mostly free and includes jazz, rock, hip-hop, and so much more. That’s right: two thirds of the programming at MTL Jazz is free to the public in an incredible effort from the Canadian government’s dedication to the arts and longtime sponsors in TD Bank and Rio Tinto.

This year’s lineup is led by The Roots, Tash Sultana, Robert Glasper, Ludovico Einaudi, Kamasi Washington, Pink Martini, Woodkid, and Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats. It’s a testament to how not only jazz music will be on display in Montreal’s outdoor stages and indoor venues from June 30th to July 9th.

The diversely-minded lineup also features highlights in the multi-talented Masego, New Orleans trumpet player Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, vocalist Gregory Porter, rapper Joey Badass, Brazilian muse Bebel Gilberto, the British jazz-hop of Alfa Mist, singer/violinist Sudan Archives, a nu-jazz collaboration set from Pino Palladino and Blake Mills featuring Sam Gendel and Abe Rounds, plus so much more. This is truly a bucket list-type of festival experience for any music lover that we can’t recommend enough.

Ticketed concerts at Montreal Jazz festival go on sale starting Friday, April 1 at 10 a.m. here. Check out the lineup below.

Montreal Jazz Festival
Montreal Jazz Festival

Smokin’ Grooves’ Excellent 2022 Festival Proved You Can Have Too Much Of A Good Thing

Seeing the 2022 Smokin’ Grooves lineup was the first time I felt real anxiety about catching everything at a music festival I wanted to. From top to bottom, the flyer was stacked with names I had a real investment in, from artists Uproxx currently covers such as Jhene Aiko, Kamasi Washington, Miguel, and The Roots to nostalgic faves like Angie Stone, Bilal, Macy Gray, and Musiq Soulchild. Needless to say, some executive decisions had to be made; about halfway through the fest, I gave up on the “nostalgic faves” portion of the proceedings after rushing back and forth between the two stages set up at LA’s State Historic Park became untenable. By the time TDE singer SiR hit the Smokin’ Grooves stage, I was pretty much parked there for the duration.

To be fair, this is a great problem for most festivals to have, and as an (ahem) older attendee with investments in many of the newer/younger acts like Uproxx cover star Foushee, I’ll admit my predicament was probably unique among festival-goers, who would usually only have a burning need to see a handful of acts and check out the rest out of curiosity. But Smokin’ Grooves was unique among festivals in that it was really the first time I legitimately wanted to see nearly every act on the bill, which speaks to the focus with which the fest’s organizers put that bill together. While suitably eclectic and diverse covering the breadth of hip-hop, R&B, jazz, and soul, the lineup found that distinctive pocket where all those things co-exist.

Unfortunately, that means that the lineup, jam-packed with back-to-back sets requiring full band setups, was a little crowded, and that caused some fraying at the seams holding everything together. Early in the show, a number of acts on the Smokin’ Grooves stage had microphones cut mid-song as they went over their time. The Jupiter stage seemed to handle the transitions more gracefully, allowing bands to play off as the stage turntable wheeled them around to bring the next act on. Even with these measures in place — and to be clear, I love the use of the turntable to get bands set up and onstage in time for their sets — minor delays built up over the course of the festival, resulting in the headliner Erykah Badu‘s set being cut in half due to sound curfew.

Look, I understand the logistics of putting on such a big event, let alone trying to turn a profit, but having any artists getting cut off is a bad look — especially the headliner. Granted, artists can be… let’s just say “stubborn” about the whole “sticking to their time” thing, as well as the whole “showing up on time” thing. It’s an issue that has existed as long as the recording industry has and will likely exist until it collapses. Since we all know this, though, it might be worth festival organizers looking at and eventually accepting the possibility of putting fewer acts on the bill in hopes of allowing more time for the logistical snags that will pop up no matter how well you plan. Artists also hold some responsibility, as well. If the city sends a citation because you couldn’t be bothered to leave the house 20 minutes early, that’s on you. Finally, and this is more of a personal quibble, it’d be nice if festivals brought back hosts who could keep things moving along and cut down on confusion between sets, even when they’re back-to-back.

But these were minor issues in the grand scheme of things. Smokin’ Grooves wound up being my favorite festival since the return of live events, based almost solely on the lineup and the venue. Aside from some of the less experienced artists, nearly every set was put on by veteran performers who knocked it out of the proverbial park. From Blu and Exile, who smartly stuck to mostly Below The Heavens selections, to Jhene Aiko, who graciously paused her set a few times to help distressed fans in the crowd, the vibes throughout the day were immaculate. So was the sequencing of the main stage; part of the reason I decided to stay there was the incredible build after SiR’s set, with Smino, Thundercat, The Internet, Aiko, The Roots, and Miguel, taking the stage and cranking up the energy with each new act.

Sure, it would have been nice to continue bouncing back and forth to the Jupiter stage — and easy, thanks to the simple, picture-perfect layout of the venue (I know it’s a smaller fest, but I sure would like to see way more events at this park). Slum Village and Dead Prez were truly meaningful to me in high school, while Roy Ayers is a legend and Toro Y Moi always puts on a great show. But as I made my way to the rideshare pick-up zone — a bit of a walk, to be sure, one of the only minor drawbacks to the venue — I could still hear the strains of Kamasi Washington’s sax lulling me back. Even too much of a good thing, it turns, can sometimes leave you wanting more.

Recap: Erykah Badu, Nas, and The Roots Perform at Smokin Grooves Fest 2022

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For its successful return, the Smokin Grooves event brought all of the vibes to Los Angeles Historic Park in Los Angeles, California on Saturday. With headlining performances by Erykah Badu, Nas, The Roots, Jhene Aiko, and Miguel, as well as fantastic sets from The Internet, Flying Lotus, Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, Smino, and others, the day had one of the most eclectic and well-curated lineups for a festival.

One of Erykah Badu’s rare festival appearances was her headlining act. Her fantastic band backed her up on some of her best singles, including “Hello,” “On and On,” “Window Seat,” and more. Her silhouette was defined in sparkles on the stage LED screens, which added to the show’s spectacular visual effects.

Nas delivered a hit-filled set that included “Made You Look,” “NY State of Mind,” and a slew of other songs from his critically praised albums King’s Disease and King’s Disease 2. Nas returned with hit after hit after hit during his frenetic performance as light sprinkling fell on the crowd.

The Roots wowed fans with their dramatic stage presence and performance, which included songs like “The Next Movement,” “Here I Come,” and others. Jhene Aiko returned to the stage for the first time in three years, performing “Tryna Smoke,” “The Worst,” and other songs with harmonized bass lines. Miguel wowed the adoring crowd with his distinctive motions and enigmatic voice, performing favorites like “Sky Walker,” “Sure Thing,” “Vixen,” and many more.

You can see images from the event below.

Visual Portfolio, Posts & Image Gallery for WordPress

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Black Thought Adds A Clever Rap Verse To A Classic ‘Frozen’ Song On ‘The Tonight Show’

The musical abilities of The Roots are a core component of The Tonight Show and that was on display yesterday, when the show tasked Black Thought (aka Tariq Trotter) to come up with some new rap verses for non-rap songs. Trotter understood the assignment, as the kids say, and came through with some clever lines.

The “Rap Remix” segment started with a gaffe, as Trotter rapped about St. Patrick’s Day, the upcoming holiday most commonly associated with Ireland, over bagpipes, the instrument most commonly associated with Scotland. While uilleann pipes (listen to an example of them being played here) are a type of bagpipe associated with traditional Irish music, the ones heard on Fallon did not sound to be of that variety. Furthermore, the song being played was “Scotland The Brave.”

From there, Trotter rapped over the ’60s Batman theme song before wrapping up the segment with a take on beloved Frozen cut “Do You Want To Build A Snowman?.” The song was remixed into a more hip-hop-appropriate instrumental and Trotter really closed out the verse strong, concluding, “Up in a cyclone, we’ll build him together / Spring is upon us, I’m sweating, so / if he melts, just say, ‘Oh well’ / ’cause look: You gotta let it go.”

Watch the “Rap Remix” segment above.

A James Brown Documentary Produced By Mick Jagger And Questlove Is Coming In 2023

A new four-part documentary series about James Brown is coming in 2023, according to A&E network. Titled James Brown: Say It Loud, it’ll be produced by the Rolling StonesMick Jagger and the Roots’ Questlove and Black Thought. It’ll feature tons of interviews with people from Brown’s life such as friends and collaborators, while also including exclusive archival footage.

“He was a brilliant performer who inspired me from the beginning and was deeply committed to the Civil Rights movement,” Jagger said in a statement, also stating that he’s “thrilled” to help produce it. “I have always admired James and learned so much from him.”

“The life of James Brown is significant not only to understand his immense musical impact, which inspires us and other artists to this day, but also for the deep and lasting impression he has had on American culture,” Questlove and Black Thought added. “Brown’s life is a crucial and timely story of struggle, redemption, and self-identity and we are honored to have the chance to share it.”

James Brown: Say It Loud will be directed by Deborah Riley Draper. It follows the 2014 biopic Get On Up, in which Chadwick Boseman played Brown. That was also produced by Jagger.