>>> PART OF THE GRAMMY WINNING GROUP THE ROOTS AND THEY PERFORM
EVERY NIGHT ON THE "TONIGHT"
SHOW.
SHOW. >>> PART OF A NEW SERIES CALLED
"HIP HOP, THE SONG THAT SHOOK
AMERICA".
AMERICA". >> IN THE NEXT EPISODE THEY
EXPLORE THE HIT SONG "ROCK BOX,"
TAKE A LOOK.
>> I WAS LIKE I HAVE ADIDAS AND
YOU’RE LIKE I CAN HAVE ADIDAS
TOO.
TOO. THEY MADE YOU FEEL INCLUSIVE.
MADE YOU WANT TO BE THEM.
THEIR STYLE AND THE BIG ROCK
GUITAR, RAP COMBINATION
PROPELLED HIP HOP INTO THE
MAINSTREAM.
MAINSTREAM. >> QUESTLOVE, BLACK THOUGHT,
GOOD TO SEE YOU GUYS THIS
MORNING.
MORNING. THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
YOU WERE JUST HERE LAST WEEK.
THIS SHOW IS SO RIGHT ON TIME.
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, HIP HOP HAS
BECOME SO MUCH A PART OF OUR
CULTURE TO THE POINT WHERE THERE
ARE REFERENCE POINTS ON THIS
THAT -- WAS THAT THE IMPETUS OF
THIS SHOW?
THIS SHOW? >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. I FEEL AS THOUGH, OFTEN TIMES
HIP HOP IS A BIG MONEY MAKING
BUSINESS BUT IT’S NOT OFTEN SEEN
AS HIGH ART.
I THINK AS THE GATE KEEPERS WE
CAN HAVE A SAY IN THAT.
SO OFTENTIMES WE LOOK TO OTHER
PEOPLE AND SOMEONE HAS DEVELOPED
A SHOW THAT’S 30 FOR 30, OR KEN
BURNS, A DOCUMENTARY, WE ARE
THOSE PEOPLE NOW.
>> WHAT’S THE RESPONSE BEEN SO
FAR?
FAR? >> IT’S BEEN EXCELLENT, IT’S
BEEN GREAT.
BEEN GREAT. YOU KNOW, FIND PEOPLE WHO FEELLI
THEY KNOW ALL THERE IS ABOUT
THESE SONGS AND THEY LEARN
SOMETHING NEW.
SOMETHING NEW. WE LEARN SOMETHING NEW EVERY
TIME WE WATCH.
>> YOU GUYS GO WAY BACK TO HIGH
SCHOOL IN PHILLY.
YOU GUYS WENT TO CAPLA, BUT YOU
GUYS MET IN THE PRINCIPAL’S
OFFICE, IS THAT TRUE?
>> YEAH, SORT OF.
>> WHY WERE YOU THERE?
>> FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL.
FIRST TIME IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL SO
I HAD TO GET MY ID TO GET FREE
SCHOOL TOKENS.
SCHOOL TOKENS. HE BROUGHT A BASKET OF APPLES TO
THE TEACHERS.
THE TEACHERS. >> TELL ME YOU’RE KIDDING.
>> I WAS A TOTAL DWEEB AND HE
WAS THE COOL GUY.
I WAS ORGANIZING A PROTEST OR
SOMETHING.
SOMETHING. >> SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
>> IT ALL WORKED OUT.
>> WE DID A STORY ON THE SHOW
RECENTLY ABOUT THE FACT THAT
OLDER PEOPLE DON’T ALWAYS
EMBRACE YOUNGER MUSIC.
WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON YOUNG
RAPPERS NOW?
RAPPERS NOW? THE STATE OF HIP HOP CURRENTLY.
>> SEE, IF YOU’RE ONE OF THOSE
PEOPLE THAT JUST TRUSTS WHOEVER
THE GATE KEEPERS ARE TO, YOU
KNOW, LIKE RADIO OR WHATEVER,
THEN YEAH YOU MIGHT HAVE A
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. THERE’S MORE MUSIC OUT THERE
THAN EVER.
THAN EVER. >> THAN EVER, YEAH.
>> AND AS A DEEJAY I HAVE TO
KNOW, AS A "TONIGHT SHOW" MEMBER
I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT’S HITTING.
THERE’S A LOT.
THE GUY NAMED DAVE WHAT WON THE
THE -- THE GANG.
>> NOW MORE THAN EVER THERE’S
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE.
AND THAT WASN’T ALWAYS THE CASE.
BUT AS I RECALL, YOU KNOW, WHEN
I WAS 18 OR 19 AND THAT’S AROUND
THE TIME WE SIGNED A RECORD DEAL
I WASN’T REALLY THINKING ABOUT
WHAT GUYS, YOU KNOW --
>> PEOPLE OUR AGE.
>> PUSHING 50 WERE -- HOW MY
MUSIC WAS GOING TO BE RECEIVED
BY THEM.
BY THEM. BUT I FEEL LIKE THERE’S MUSIC
FOR PEOPLE OUR AGE NOW AND THEN
THERE’S MUSIC, YOU KNOW, STILL
FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLES.
>> HERE’S WHAT I’M CURIOUS
ABOUT.
ABOUT. I SEE YOU, QUESTLOVE, ALL THESE
DIFFERENT EVENTS, DEEJAYING AND
DOING THIS STUFF, ON THE TONIGHT
SHOW EVERY NIGHT, YOU TOUR AND
HOW DO YOU DO ALL OF THIS?
YOU JUST KEEP MOVING.
>> COFFEE.
>> COFFEE. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> NO SLEEP.
>> I THINK BOTH OF US ARE JUST
AT A KIND OF THE BUCKET LIST
CHECK PHASE OF OUR CAREER.
SO I DON’T -- I PERSONALLY DON’T
SEE THIS AS A JOB.
I’VE BEEN DOING THIS ALL MY
LIFE.
LIFE. NOW WE FIND A WISE WAY TO
MONETIZE IT.
MONETIZE IT. BUT I’M JUST DOING ALL THE
THINGS I WOULD DO FOR FREE.
>> WHAT’S THE ONE HIP HOP SONG
FOR BOTH OF YOU THAT WAS MOST
INFLUENTIAL IN YOUR OWN LIVES,
MAYBE EVEN PROFESSIONALLY AND
PERSONALLY?
PERSONALLY? >> FOR ME THE NIGHT I FIRST
HEARD "PUBLIC ENEMIES REBEL
WITHOUT A PAUSE," THAT WAS OR
SON WELLES WAR OF THE WORLDS
STARING AT THE RADIO.
>> I WAS GOING TO SAY THAT.
>> SORRY.
>> SORRY. >> BUT IF I HAD TO, YOU KNOW,
PICK ANOTHER SONG, I WOULD SAY
"RAW" BY BIG DADDY CHAIN.
THAT WAS ONE OF THOSE, YOU KNOW,
COME TO JESUS MOMENTS FOR ME.
>> WELL, QUESTLOVE, BLACK
THOUGHT, THANKS SO MUCH.
WE APPRECIATE IT.