The Roots Residency

INDIA: The Roots have inspired me, just how genre-bending they've been, epic, iconic collaborations.

BLACK THOUGHT: These institutions sort of have an understanding that it's a new day.

QUESTLOVE: I would have loved to seen groups that I grew up admiring, like, in houses like these.

EZY TRUTH: This is a genre of music that really shapes us as people.

SIMONE: And The Roots as artists, when we're looking at them as curators, when we're experiencing them as cultural leaders, you know, it plants seeds.

♪ ♪ (laughter).

♪ BLACK THOUGHT: Yeah, yo.

♪ ♪ Ha-hah.

♪ ♪ Yessir.

♪ ♪ EI Shabaz, ♪ ♪ It's time to rock the rhyme.

♪ ♪ The kinda rhyme that shakes the crowd behind.

♪ ♪ I mix it every one to fly.

♪ ♪ Take the shorty to the crib that read the 215.

♪ ♪ EI Shabaz.

♪ ♪ It's time to rock the hit.

♪ ♪ The kind of hit that made Wilson flip.

♪ ♪ Hey yo, I use a brush, Questlove use a pick.

♪ ♪ It's the heavy legendary outta two-one-fifth.

♪ ♪ Questlove, we outta Philly, PA. ♪ ♪ Tyler rocking mother ... like we the hard way.

♪ ♪ Like this y'all, this y'all.

♪ ♪ Di di di di di di di di this.

♪ ♪ I shall.

QUESTLOVE: I shall.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: Proceed.

QUESTLOVE: Proceed.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: To the group and continue.

♪ ♪ We gonna rock to the legendary Roots group.

♪ ♪ QUESTLOVE: I shall.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: Proceed to the group and ♪ ♪ continue to rock the mic.

♪ ♪ I shall.

QUESTLOVE: I shall.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: Proceed.

QUESTLOVE: Proceed.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: As we continue to rock.

♪ ♪ QUESTLOVE: To rock the mic.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: We love this hip-hop.

♪ ♪ BOTH: What, what, what, what.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: Just think, just think.

♪ ♪ BOTH: What.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: If you could just, ♪ ♪ blink yourselves away?

♪ ♪ BOTH: Just think, just think, hah.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: If you could just, ♪ ♪ blink yourselves away?

♪ ♪ Well, Zoo Conk can rock the mic with tooth decay.

♪ ♪ And I'm the 9 foot 11, ♪ ♪ residing at the mecca that's addressed ♪ ♪ at south section.

♪ ♪ Used to cut class in the infinite pursuit of ass.

♪ ♪ In '86.

♪ ♪ But easy with the chics I was a chocolate boy.

♪ ♪ Raised in the cellar with the rhythm like Ella.

♪ ♪ Walk the mega-tight streets to the subway.

♪ ♪ And laying 'til the train stop only to hop.

♪ ♪ And I used to do the pop dance to the planet rock.

♪ ♪ At the block party, everybody jocked.

♪ ♪ QUESTLOVE: Who me?

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: It's the MC now, Ripley be down.

♪ ♪ Niners to your issues gone be, listen.

♪ ♪ I shall.

ALL: I shall.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: Proceed.

ALL: Proceed.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: And continue, to rock the mic.

♪ ♪ I shall.

QUESTLOVE: I shall.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: Proceed.

QUESTLOVE: Proceed.

♪ ♪ And continue, to rock the mic.

♪ ♪ I shall.

ALL: I shall.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: Proceed.

ALL: Proceed.

♪ ♪ You know what's up fam.

♪ ♪ Yeah listen, we love this hip-hop.

♪ ♪ BOTH: What, what, what, what.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: I wake up early in the morning, ♪ ♪ I mean early afternoon.

♪ ♪ Break a lyrical hymn of the stem-like boom.

♪ ♪ I'm fly and when I die you can put my that on my tomb.

♪ ♪ These brothers represented on the 28th of June.

♪ ♪ Representing Philly for the 28th of June.

♪ ♪ The Roots in a box were brought to by you.

♪ ♪ With hammers in the face of hip-hop, ♪ ♪ all in your face.

♪ ♪ Because I'm on a.

♪ ♪ (audience yells).

♪ ♪ So Boogeyman.

♪ ♪ Records from 125th to Japan.

♪ ♪ I laid them play like Donny Hathaway ♪ ♪ and shake a hand.

♪ ♪ Now shake a hand, you tried to kick it, ♪ ♪ but I couldn't play my man.

♪ ♪ My people ya, my people ya, ♪ ♪ just don't understand.

♪ ♪ I shake your hand and ... hit the fan, just think.

♪ ♪ Just think.

♪ ♪ QUESTLOVE: What?

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: If you could blink, ya.

♪ ♪ Come on, blink yourselves away?

♪ ♪ I shall.

QUESTLOVE: I shall.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: Proceed people.

QUESTLOVE: Proceed.

♪ ♪ We gon' continue, to rock the mic.

♪ ♪ I shall.

QUESTLOVE: I shall.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: Proceed hah.

QUESTLOVE: Proceed.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: And continue, hah, to rock the mic.

♪ ♪ I shall.

QUESTLOVE: I shall.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: Proceed.

QUESTLOVE: Proceed and uh.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: And continue, to rock.

♪ ♪ We love this hip-hop.

♪ ♪ BOTH: What, what, what, what.

♪ QUESTLOVE: I would, as a kid, often come to these institutions, the Carnegies, the Kennedys of the world, the, the, you know, the places in Philadelphia, Chicago, D.C., like all these prestigious houses and normally only ballet, opera, classical music um, was seen as welcome in these halls.

I mean there'd be the occasional jazz thing, so just the fact that we're probably the first generation of hip-hopers to really uh, play these types of houses, you know.

BLACK THOUGHT: I feel like there's a disconnect, especially with young black creatives in that you know, they, they don't dare to, you know, challenge the, the, the status quo because they uh, they haven't seen their reflection in, you know, in all these different spaces.

SIMONE: So their pop cultural program is, uh, by-product of probably a decade's worth of work that our Performing Arts for Everyone team uh, did, otherwise known as Community Engagement alongside an organization known as "High Arts", which presented the D.C. Hip-Hop Theater Festival and then in 2014 created "One Mic", which was a three week, multi-faceted festival celebrating hip-hop cultural in all of its facets.

EZY TRUTH: Our Boys and Girls Club had like a Man Club program, um, "Boys to Manhood," I think that's what it was called and there was like a hip-hop type mixer um, where people came in and it was like a room full of different people and they was basically talking about like "How would you all feel if hip-hop was incorporated at The Kennedy Center?"

QUESTLOVE: It makes me often envious of younger kids because I would have loved to seen groups that I grew up admiring like, in houses like these.

Like the Public Enemys of the world, the Boogey Down Productions of the world.

BLACK THOUGHT: Wow.

QUESTLOVE: So it just shows you how far the hip-hop has, has come in the last like 35 years since we really got into it.

EZY TRUTH: We ended up being able to come back a couple years later and see Nas and Common perform ended up meeting Common in the main, the main theater.

JASMINE: The Kennedy Center really provides us with a great stage for, not only Black Thought to have his voice heard but for the collaborators in our circle to have their voice heard on a stage that is storied, you know and with an audience who comes there expecting a certain caliber of conversation that we are fortunate that we can deliver.

SIMONE: When we're thinking about artists like Questlove, when we're thinking about artists like Black Thought, you know, they both exist at the forefront of culture.

TINA: The significance is Simone.

We could always play The Kennedy Center, but the fact that there's now a black woman who is heading the um, programming makes the difference in the world.

Now we have, we have access, it takes the weight off a little bit.

SIMONE: The program was started in 2016 with Q-Tip named as the artistic advisor.

We had a pilot year from 2016-2017 and then in 2017, I was brought on uh, as the inaugural director.

TINA: There is a classical sense to this because my kids are like, "That sounds old."

(laughs).

And it'll be like, I don't know, Big Daddy Kane, and they're like, "I mean that sounds good, but like, it's old."

(laughs).

So something that I listen to now is considered old, well then yea, we should be in The Kennedy Center.

(laughs).

SIMONE: I think it's uh, part of its natural evolution.

John F. Kennedy has a quote, "Genius can speak in any tongue, and the world will hear it and listen," and so, you know, when we think about the hip-hop culture program, it is, you know, like our mission is focused on celebrating the genius of hip-hop culture and the communities that created it.

BLACK THOUGHT: You know these, I mean institutions like The Kennedy Center uh, sort of have an understanding that it's a new day.

And that you know, change has come and continues to happen and they're excited.

EZY TRUTH: It's a beautiful thing to see it here, I feel like it should be incorporated more because this is a genre of music that really shapes life, really shapes us as people.

♪ BLACK THOUGHT: Free.

♪ ♪ Uh Uh.

♪ ♪ Clones, clones.

♪ ♪ Mars co-op.

♪ ♪ Mars co-op, with the blood yeah.

♪ ♪ Uh Uh.

♪ ♪ First of all, let's talk about these ill capers.

♪ ♪ And fly ass frontin' chickens that now caught vapors.

♪ ♪ ... run up on you with guns, ♪ ♪ to snatch papers.

♪ ♪ Outlined body chalk, ♪ ♪ is how they would scrape ya.

♪ ♪ From the pavement, ♪ ♪ I hate gettin' locked up.

♪ ♪ That upstate bus reminds me of the slave ships.

♪ ♪ But then the Bible never saved ... ♪ ♪ I guess that's why every juvenile ♪ ♪ is in the same predicament.

♪ ♪ You wanna live long, ♪ ♪ hold tecs, and do the concept.

♪ ♪ You can't make loot, ♪ ♪ when your mom's is huffin' up the product.

♪ ♪ I try to tell ya, ♪ ♪ son don't let these streets fail ya.

♪ ♪ The way brothers be gettin' locked ... ... scare ya.

♪ ♪ But in the dark, ♪ ♪ we ran wild, so we killin' 'em.

♪ ♪ Brothers shook, ♪ ♪ can't stand still, like helium.

♪ ♪ Make 'em seem jealous go platinum, aluminum.

♪ ♪ Got 'em cloned up son, ♪ ♪ that's why we losin' 'em.

♪ ♪ I'm lookin' at this longevity.

♪ ♪ Making a big play, ♪ ♪ but then it might be a mistake.

♪ ♪ If I get sent to D.C., I'm sendin' Dice to DE.

♪ ♪ With three p's, ♪ ♪ when I get out, he better see me.

♪ ♪ For real, the streets full of snakes and rats.

♪ ♪ The snake will be that chick and ♪ ♪ that rat will be that cool cat.

♪ ♪ Swollen pockets I'ma take her home.

♪ ♪ Ayo yeah, I want all ya to come on, ♪ ♪ throw your hands up.

♪ ♪ People throw your hands up.

♪ ♪ Throw your hands up.

♪ ♪ Put 'em up, put 'em up.

♪ ♪ Throw your hands up.

♪ ♪ Throw your hands up.

♪ ♪ I use a mic to slap you in your face ♪ ♪ and erase your taste.

♪ ♪ I'll disgrace your date put your title to waste.

♪ ♪ Dominant lyrical grace, ♪ ♪ the place called wild Illadelph Isle ♪ ♪ Pensy, my residency.

♪ ♪ Consist in currency, pockets never empty.

♪ ♪ Cats think they MC but they all fraud.

♪ ♪ Do a show in Philly and they wouldn't applaud.

♪ ♪ No one know your record or who you're openin' for.

♪ ♪ We can tell your artificial while approachin' the door.

♪ ♪ You should prepare, ♪ ♪ for lyrical terror that is pure.

♪ ♪ Step up to the reservoir, ♪ ♪ of the soul proprietor style.

♪ ♪ Messiah or, the higher law with Dice Raw.

♪ ♪ The matador, shorty connoisseur.

♪ ♪ Stompin' that ... you build to the floor.

♪ ♪ Similar to that of a dinosaur.

♪ ♪ Told you I'm the rap predator.

♪ ♪ You insist to imitate, what for?

♪ ♪ You jokers are 10% real, 90% invented.

♪ ♪ For your deal.

♪ ♪ Comin' with somethin' veterans don't feel.

♪ ♪ I hit 'em like a steel anvil.

♪ ♪ You grafted off the next man's skill.

♪ ♪ But I remain mellow, ♪ ♪ seein' the theatrics of Othello.

♪ ♪ Runover tactics of the P.L.O.

♪ ♪ These C-L-O-N-E-S just fess, ♪ ♪ the phoniest cats predator.

♪ ♪ Throw your hands up.

♪ ♪ People throw your hands up.

♪ ♪ Throw your hands up.

♪ ♪ Put 'em up, put 'em up.

♪ ♪ Throw your hands up.

♪ ♪ Throw your hands up.

♪ ♪ Throw your hands up.

♪ ♪ Don't come across that line or pay a cost.

♪ ♪ Knuckle games and hammer cocked ain't ♪ ♪ nothing sweet or soft.

♪ ♪ Win lose or draw to the jaw take one.

♪ ♪ Deranged lyrical launcher, or station.

♪ ♪ No conversation is needed, task completed.

♪ ♪ Read all up and down in the cut where I'm seated.

♪ ♪ Snatch you from your cloud of cannabis, ♪ ♪ you ignoramuses.

♪ ♪ You laid on your lap, ♪ ♪ I attacked your glamorous lifestyle.

♪ ♪ Barra the white fowl.

♪ ♪ I about to go to 215 trife style.

♪ ♪ I breeze through areas ♪ ♪ brothers would fear to walk in.

♪ ♪ Balance the talkin', ♪ ♪ that galactic style as of a Vulcan.

♪ ♪ Your Star Trek ass will wrinkle.

♪ ♪ Spill these words and form into a sprinkle.

♪ ♪ Cat, you're brought up and the name of twinkle.

♪ ♪ The insight will crack the windpipe of y'all ... ♪ ♪ Whether small, middle-sized, or tall ... ♪ ♪ Just sign your name next, I'ma flex.

♪ ♪ Givin' out flesh pains of death so ... a raincheck.

♪ ♪ Yo, this the insane vet, ♪ ♪ whether you ganked the brain wet.

♪ ♪ You perceive the lame check, ♪ ♪ opposite of same-sex.

♪ ♪ I in the.

♪ ♪ Hold up, hold up, hold man wait a minute.

♪ ♪ Ya.

♪ ♪ Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

♪ ♪ Ya.

♪ ♪ I annihilate your type if you violate.

♪ ♪ Makin' your blood rush.

♪ ♪ Throw your hands up.

♪ ♪ People throw your hands up.

♪ ♪ Throw your hands up.

♪ ♪ Put 'em up, put 'em up.

♪ ♪ Throw your hands up.

♪ ♪ Throw your hands up.

♪ ♪ Get 'em up, up.

♪ ♪ Throw your hands up high.

♪ ♪ Put 'em up high.

♪ ♪ Hands up high.

♪ ♪ Put 'em up high.

♪ ♪ Hands up high.

♪ ♪ Put 'em up.

♪♪ SIMONE: So we started conversations regarding The Roots residency in late 2020 and the discussion around that was really, "Ok well what can we do together?"

Right?

Because prior to the world coming to a pause, right, with the onset of the pandemic The Roots had performed in our concert hall.

It was phenomenal, like, the concert hall was alive and you know, just like brimming with energy and excitement and it was, you know, like it was like ok The Roots need a home here.

TINA: So the residency made sense to do all of the people we already have live and it was really, really fun.

SIMONE: You know, there are three tracks, there is Black Thought, there's Questlove and The Roots Proper for Questlove we hosted two "Music is History" conversations.

Any time you can listen to Questlove in conversation is a gift.

Um, because he has such a command of history and music.

QUESTLOVE: I think that comes from just us evolving as human beings.

I mean we're both sponges of music and we have so many influences.

SIMONE: He had a solo conversation with Ben Greenman for the first discussion and then the second discussion actually featured Reverend Al Sharpton.

QUESTLOVE: Do you often fear that there's not gonna be one that you feel will pick up the, the, the, the baton to sort of carry on that mission?

SHARPTON: You know the, the reason I don't fear it is because nobody would have seen me coming.

So I would not be the guy that casting would be looking for.

Uh, and I think that whoever is gonna do it is gonna do it because they mean it.

And will uh, emerge at that right time and be the right person to do it so I believe that history proves that nature absorbs or vacuums.

QUESTLOVE: But do you think that with my generation at least, um, because people often ask me like, especially with music like, "how come it doesn't sound the same," like "why you guys also so" you know, you know, "celebratory" and, and these frothy things that uh, that don't matter to our people and you know, anyone pre-1977, the idea of flossing and having something really wasn't a factor where as now, a lot of people in my generation have things to lose so the trepidation comes in on, "Oh, let me not rock the boat, let me not say too much, let me stay silent" or that sort of thing.

Basically, the difference is whereas you have nothing to lose, and everything to gain, with, with uh our progress, maybe I was born into a generation where you do have something to lose and thus people are just a little bit more slow to dip their toe in the water.

SHARPTON: You know, I understand exactly what you're saying and I think that that is true but I think what they miss is those that feel they have something to lose, are selling their art to people that have nothing to lose.

And they will lose them if they don't get involved.

SIMONE: You know the fact that like Al Sharpton was here and able to kind of share his incredible stories, that was definitely I think a really incredible moment for the audience.

With Black Thought's track, we presented "School of Thought" which is his professional development program for aspiring MCs we also hosted "Streams of Thought" which is his conversation series.

JASMINE: "Streams of Thought" is a musical series that Black Thought does with different producers and it is really about him not having the structure of a Roots album and just freestyling, flowing, letting himself think about whatever's on his mind.

What we started to do over the pandemic was to take this same concept of just having this kind of free-flowing consciousness and pair that with influential people in his circle.

So "Streams of Thought" at The Kennedy Center is this series of conversations that we're continuing to do just here on stage.

The first one was with Devin Allen, he's a photographer based in Baltimore, he brings this kind of youthfulness and joy to what he does and, and into the space as well.

BLACK THOUGHT: People used to ask me, "What do you see yourself doing at 30, 35, 40?"

And I just would draw a blank because I didn't, I didn't have that many homies, you know, friends or family members who made it that, you know, to that, to that age.

DEVIN: Right and I always thought 30 was like 50, like I don't know why as a kid I just thought like, 30 that's kind of old, your back start hurtin', you're gonna start crackin'.

(audience laughing).

You know, I ain't planning my life past 21 so I wasn't thinkin' that far ahead.

But you know, the biggest thing is like after the "Time" covers, you know, when Freddie died you know, in the back of my mind, I always know that my career was launched, like I knew I had a talent, but I, in the back of my mind I always know, I always think that my career has been launched off the broken back of Freddie Gray.

And every day I carry that with me every single day.

And you know, last year, George Floyd torment they, made the "Time" cover again.

Amazing accolades, but those people are stuck, it's ingrained, I'm a part of their journey, I'm a part of their story.

So my biggest thing when Freddie died, was how can I give back, and I didn't want to wait at all, so as soon as I got the "Time" cover, I straight started a Go Fund Me you know to use, use that because I just don't want this, this, this image, you know because like, all right well if I'm one person you know, I was just taking pictures and putting them on social media and the person who kind of make it go viral was DJ Drama he DM'd me and said, "Can I post?"

I said, I just, "This is the real story, this is what's really goin' on."

BLACK THOUGHT: D, DJ Drama is from my side of Philadelphia.

DEVIN: Yea, yea, and um, it went viral after that and, and you know my biggest thing was I wanted to make sure that something can come from this, not just for me.

SIMONE: Then we had our performance with The Roots.

And we also presented "Roads to Roots Picnic" which was a um, concert which featured rising artists in the world of R&B, Soul, so as part of the pandemic you know, as everybody is kind of shifting and thinking about the ways in which they can continue to practice their respective crafts, to explore other avenues and to continue to create space and be in community, many, like The Roots developed a series of things that were online.

TINA: You're a tour manager and a pandemic happens and so your entire life stops and it's like oh (bleep) what are we going to do?

Sean G, mastermind manager is like uh, we gotta keep this boat afloat, we can't stop, so I'm the road manager, I've been doing this, let's do the "Roads to Roots Picnic".

We did 40 weeks of shows, weekly, with two acts on every week, and "Roads to Roots" was two acts of people all over the world, I did some in Nigeria, I did some in South Africa, I did England, found a bunch of great, brand new musicians and put them on a show, I had, I had it hosted by Durand Bernarr.

SIMONE: As we're building this residency it would be fantastic to do a live version of it.

That and with like "Roads to Roots Picnic" taking various aspects of their kind of curatorial endeavors from online to offline, so to live and in person.

TINA: I saw Durand he opened for the The Internet.

Durand came out in roller skates and killed us, yo, I was like this is our opening act?

He's murdering us.

Holy (bleep) I love this kid.

DURAND: So, they're doing a live, in-person "Roads to Roots Picnic" episode.

They have VanJess and India Shawn and serpentwithfeet to come out and being in front of the audience though, I think, it's, it's, it's always great to be able to have that immediate response and transfer because I know that I'm going to go out there and enjoy myself and if I'm enjoying myself then they're going to enjoy themselves.

♪ (Chicky-tah, cah).

♪ ♪ Ooh.

♪ ♪ (Ooh.)

♪ DURAND: Ya'll like my ensemble?

♪ (Chicky-tah, cah) ♪ ♪ (Oh, ah) ♪ ♪ (Gah) ♪ ♪ (Ooh, gah) ♪ ♪ (Ooh, gah) ♪ ♪ New Love in the valley.

♪ ♪ Uh-huh, uh-huh.

♪ ♪ Gold and pearls on my baddie.

♪ If ya'll wanna get up and dance, ya'll can, and I'm not gonna be mad at ya, ok?

♪ (On the phone for the addy').

♪ ♪ Ooh.

♪ ♪ (Uh-huh, uh-huh).

♪ ♪ New ounce fresh out the baggie.

♪ ♪ (Uh-huh, uh-huh).

♪ ♪ 1, 2, 3 to the 4, you say so, we dip and go.

♪ ♪ Baby, seen you come and go.

♪ ♪ I approach, now she comin' home.

♪ ♪ Baby girl, she want an a episode, ♪ ♪ no cameras on, ♪ ♪ let the moment take a hold.

♪ ♪ Urge for the curves, I'ma gon' grab a hold.

♪ ♪ Better for your nerves than them ... that you know.

♪ ♪ (Know she, know she, want my love) ♪ ♪ Know she want, she want my love.

♪ ♪ (Know she, know she, want my love) ♪ ♪ Know she want, she want my love.

♪ ♪ (Know she, know she, want my love).

♪ ♪ (Know she want, she want my love) ♪ ♪ (Know she, know she, want my love) ♪ ♪ (Know she want, she want my love) ♪ ♪ New love in the valley.

♪ ♪ (New love in the valley).

♪ ♪ Uh-huh, uh-huh.

♪ ♪ Gold and pearls on my baddie.

♪ ♪ (Uh-huh, uh-huh).

♪ ♪ On the phone what's the addy?

♪ ♪ (On the phone what's the addy).

♪ ♪ New ounce fresh out the baggy, yeah.

♪ ♪ BOTH: Got a little high up off this dope.

♪ ♪ And I always need a little mo'.

♪ ♪ You see me over here grinning.

♪ ♪ It's only the beginning.

♪ ♪ Now I'm feeling like a ... finna float.

♪ ♪ DURAND: You see I'm shook for ya, ya know why?

♪ ♪ You got me, D.C., that's on life.

♪ ♪ If I could get a minute highly doubt that ♪ ♪ you'd regret it opportunity.

♪ ♪ (Is knocking at the door) ♪ ♪ (It's time for a little wake and bake) ♪ ♪ In yo face.

(Oh) ♪ ♪ Whatchu gon say?

(Whoa!

Hey) ♪ ♪ (Know she, know she, want my love) ♪ ♪ (Know she want, she want my love) ♪ ♪ (Durand vocalizing).

♪ ♪ (Know she want my love) ♪ ♪ (Know she, know she, want my love) ♪ ♪ (Know she, want, she want my love) ♪ ♪ (Know she, know she, want my love) ♪ ♪ Want my love.

♪ ♪ Let's dance.

♪ ♪ (Uh-huh, uh-huh) ♪ ♪ (Uh-huh, uh-huh) ♪ ♪ (Uh-huh, uh-huh) ♪ ♪ (Uh-huh, uh-huh) ♪♪ TINA: India Shawn, I hired her when I was tour managing Anderson .Paak.

DURAND: Such a fan of her work.

Really dope and fun to work with.

INDIA: It is the highest honor to be a part of this residency, I think as a rising artist um, I've gotten out of the mind frame of like needing validation but I think we all want validation from our heroes, you know, so for The Roots to um, have me on the 'bill and you know be uh, interacting with me on social media and just to put their stamp on me means everything.

MAN: Allow me to show you something.

♪ (Movin' on like I should).

♪ INDIA: Hey, if you guys know this one I need you to stand up.

I need team India Shawn to stand up.

There's a few of us in here, come on.

♪ Hey.

♪ ♪ I'm in my bag sometimes it's like that.

♪ ♪ Get yourself out of them blues, ♪ ♪ you gotta give it to you.

♪ ♪ 'Cuz nobody got you like you.

♪ ♪ So let it show.

♪ ♪ We gon' shine like gods today.

♪ ♪ Look down on the stars, look what we made.

♪ ♪ When you've been so low.

♪ ♪ Only one way to go, one way to go.

♪ ♪ Diamonds on my wristwatch.

24 gold heart.

♪ ♪ Shining on you so hard.

♪ ♪ When you've been down so long, ♪ ♪ one way to go.

♪ ♪ (Switching on you, crisscross).

♪ ♪ To the floor, give me more.

♪ ♪ (Don't stop).

♪ ♪ Shining.

(On you, go hard).

♪ ♪ Listen, I've been down for too long now ♪ ♪ I'm movin' on like I should.

♪ ♪ I just wanna feel good.

♪ ♪ I've been down, I'm gettin' on with that.

♪ ♪ Going up 'til I'm over that.

♪ ♪ Movin' on, like I should.

♪ ♪ I just wanna feel good.

♪ ♪ I've been down.

♪ Shout out to Anderson .Paak for verse.

He said.

♪ Tight body girl, out of sight, ♪ ♪ out of world.

♪ ♪ Mind like honor roll.

♪ ♪ Talk like, she can get me hot with the convo.

♪ ♪ ... then we fight like Battle of the Alamo.

♪ ♪ What you do?

♪ ♪ Skin caramel, fine like baby hair.

♪ ♪ Cute but she gon' raise a lotta hell.

♪ ♪ Truth is I'm running out of lies to tell.

♪ ♪ New chick after new chick, ♪ ♪ I done lost count of excuses.

♪ ♪ 'Bout why we can't be exclusive.

♪ ♪ (Yeah).

♪ ♪ I'll be damned if I lose it.

♪ ♪ (Yeah).

♪ ♪ I can't say I never knew it.

♪ ♪ (I know it's wrong).

♪ ♪ I kept playing with my heart, ♪ ♪ that was foolish.

♪ ♪ Sometimes when I think, ♪ ♪ what we could've been.

♪ ♪ Hoping and dreaming, ♪ ♪ we get back good again.

♪ ♪ Festival season, thought it'd never end.

♪ ♪ (No).

♪ ♪ Holding my hand.

(Yeah).

♪ ♪ Holes in your plans.

(Right).

♪ ♪ Tears in my eyes.

♪ ♪ Walking out the stage, feeling bad inside.

♪ ♪ Don't cry.

♪ ♪ I know you're terrified.

(I know).

♪ ♪ And so I am.

(I).

♪ ♪ But here's to the peace of mind, ♪ ♪ I hope we all find.

♪ ♪ (Movin' on like I should).

♪ ♪ I keep movin'.

♪ ♪ I just wanna feel good.

♪ ♪ You know I.

♪ ♪ (I've been down, I'm gettin' on with that).

♪ ♪ Ohh.

♪ ♪ (Going up 'til I'm over that).

♪ ♪ So I'm.

♪ ♪ (Movin' on like I should).

♪ ♪ (I just wanna feel good).

♪ ♪ I've been down.

♪ Here we go, what up Kennedy Center?

♪ (Going up 'til I'm over that).

♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah.

♪ ♪ I'ma keep it movin' on.

♪ ♪ I'ma keep it movin' on.

♪ ♪ Oh whoa, whoa.

♪ ♪ We gon' shine like, like, like, like.

♪ ♪ I'ma keep it movin' on.

♪ ♪ I'ma keep it movin' on.

♪ ♪ We gon' shine like.

♪ ♪ Look what I made.

♪ ♪ And I'ma keep.

♪ ♪ On.

♪ ♪ (Movin' on like I should).

♪ ♪ Yeahhhh.

♪ ♪ (I just wanna feel good).

♪ ♪ Yeahhhh.

♪ ♪ (I've been down, gettin' on with that).

♪ ♪ (Going up 'til I'm over that).

♪ ♪ I keep.

♪ ♪ (Movin' on like I should).

♪ ♪ Like I should.

♪ ♪ I just wanna feel good.

♪ ♪ I've been down, getting' on with that.

♪ ♪ Going up 'til I'm over that.

♪♪ (audience applause).

TINA: One thing about The Roots it's like Voltron, Questlove has his own section and Black Thought has his own section and there's touring and there's filming, internet, DJing, acting, you know so yeah, it's all the Vultrans that come from this nucleus, but the beauty is the nucleus.

And it's still the base.

SIMONE: "For The Culture" residency kind of came out of our commitment to celebrating the multi-hyphenate, which is one of the cornerstones of the Hip-Hop Culture Program.

Providing space and platforms for them to explore the various facets of their creativity, whether it is them as an artist, them as a curator, or them as an individual that is creating space for others.

And so, you know, we're really excited about it because we were able to launch it with The Roots, two of our founding hip-hop culture counsel members, Questlove and Black Thought.

Black Thought had hosted "School of Thought" which was his professional development workshop for MCs at Carnegie Hall.

And so that was fantastic because we as an organization have a key interest in nurturing and developing the next generation.

BLACK THOUGHT: You know, it's important for me to things like "The School of Thought" at you know, pre, prestigious institutions um like the Carnegies and Kennedy Centers of, of, of the world because I want for young people to, to be able to, to, to see themselves um, in these spaces.

EZY TRUTH: My name is Ezy by way of Truth, from Washington, D.C. JASMINE: So the selection process for "School of Thought" is pretty comprehensive and has a few different layers.

So we look and evaluate applicants based on their flow, based on their subject matter, based on their goals, based on their past music a lot of times, based on how they're even working through their image.

So, our goal is not to find MCs that are hyper-emerging and just starting out in a journey.

EZY TRUTH: My mom actually like sent it to me and was like you need to do this.

Um, and at first I was just like, uh, I'm probably not gonna get in.

JASMINE: With Ezy, I remember looking at his video and he was confident, he was, direct, I believe he was outside in the snow.

EZY TRUTH: I was in New Jersey, my old man lives in Camden, right over the bridge from Philly, um, and it was snowing outside and I, it was literally the last day to apply, um, and I went outside in the snow, it was cold.

All right, so the reason I want to be in Black Thought Master Class is to get some things out the way again.

I equate music to life.

Um, and I'm trying to become a better person and music has been my therapy.

My overall goal is one to be financially stable through music, um, but also to bring change and awareness to actual situations that are going on in our black and brown community.

I was just like, look, they gonna get me, how they get me, you know, if they like it, they like it, if they don't, it's ok.

I did it.

JASMINE: I think with Ezy he just seemed to be aware of who he was and who he wanted to be.

SIMONE: I mean I think it was just the clarity and honesty of his storytelling, right?

Like he shared his truth, literally his name is Ezy Truth.

Um, but he shared his truth and I think that it was palpable and it resonated.

Well first, in the headline it was just like "Black Thought Master Class," you're not seeing emails like this, you know, they say, "Thank you" and "Unfortunately we're choosing something else."

Um, it said, "Thank you" and it was like, "You have been selected to be a part of 'Black Thought Master Class, School of Thought' um, at The Kennedy Center."

And you know, we just have those moments where we can either make that left or we can make a right.

Um, and that came at an interesting time.

We have those confirmations um, and that was, that was a big one for me.

Um, that was a big one.

I was thankful to be selected and then after they told me how many people they, they had to weed through to pick these people, it made it even more special.

Hold on, is there a, is there a way that you can like, 'cause I remember you were sayin', you can get the same like annunciation in terms of exhaling and inhaling.

BLACK THOUGHT: Yea.

EZY TRUTH: That's what's like.

BLACK THOUGHT: That's what this is.

EZY TRUTH: Ok. BLACK THOUGHT: That's circular breathing, that is uh, you know, doing the work that, that, that she was talking about and working yourself up to, to, to this thing.

EZY TRUTH: They were sayin' that you have kind of expand your lungs like you have to breathe.

He said, "For you, one you should do vocal training as well, but you should also breathe, meditation," he said, "it really, one it balances you, but it really like expands the amount of air that you can use."

'Cause I, sometimes I can rap faster um, but sometimes, you know, but you have to have the air to be able to do it so, I'm working because I feel that there's uh, a purpose in what I'm doin', um and I feel like there's a calling, like this is tough, like, and they kind of said the same thing, like just continue writing, like keep refining your craft, like you're going to go somewhere.

You know it's just a matter of one, how bad you want it, um, the work you're willing to put in, but like, like I love it.

♪ ♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: Yeah.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Yeah.

♪ ♪ Yeah, y'all.

(Yeah y'all).

♪ ♪ Yeah.

♪ ♪ Yeah.

♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah.

(Yeah y'all).

♪ ♪ Yeah, y'all.

♪ ♪ QUESTLOVE: Yeah ya'll, ya'll.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: It's all right.

♪ ♪ Clap your hands this evening.

♪ ♪ Come on y'all.

♪ ♪ Say, it's all right.

♪ ♪ Clap your hands this evening.

♪ ♪ Come on.

♪ ♪ Say, it's all right.

♪ ♪ Clap your hands this evening.

♪ ♪ Come on y'all.

♪ ♪ Say, it's all right.

♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah.

♪ ♪ Yeah.

♪ ♪ QUESTLOVE: Yeah, ya'll.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: Come on clap y'all, ♪ ♪ everybody clap your hands, ♪ ♪ huh, I said, I said it's all right ♪ ♪ for you to clap.

♪ ♪ Come on clap your hands.

♪ ♪ If it's all right with you, it's all right with me.

♪ ♪ Come on clap for me.

♪ ♪ Everybody clap your hands.

♪ ♪ Everybody clap your hands I said it's all right.

♪ ♪ Come on.

♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah.

♪ ♪ Let me get y'all sound like this.

♪ ♪ Aaaaayyyyaaaayyy come on.

♪ ♪ (audience responds).

♪ ♪ Let me hear you say.

♪ ♪ Aaaaayyyyaaaayyy come on.

♪ ♪ (audience responds).

♪ ♪ Louder, go Aaaaayyyyaaaayyy, ♪ ♪ come on.

♪ ♪ (audience responds).

♪ ♪ Baby now like this, ay-a ay-a ay-a.

♪ ♪ People.

♪ ♪ (audience responds).

♪ ♪ Up top, you go, ay ay ay, come on.

♪ ♪ (audience responds).

♪ ♪ Louder, ay ay ay, ah ay ay ay ay.

♪ ♪ (audience responds).

♪ ♪ Ay ay ay ay ay ay ay.

♪ ♪ (audience responds).

♪ ♪ Uh uh uh uh uh uh uh.

♪ ♪ (audience responds).

♪ ♪ Ah, it's like that uh, and it sounds so tight.

♪ ♪ Hip-hop, you the love of my life.

♪ ♪ We 'bout to take it to the top love, ♪ ♪ hip-hop love, to the top love.

♪ ♪ Hip-hop love.

♪ ♪ It's like that ya'll Pie-Town.

♪ ♪ Baby.

♪ ♪ (You the love of my life).

♪ ♪ Let's go to the, ♪ ♪ to the, to the, to the, to the, to the, ♪ ♪ to the, to the, to the, to the, yo.

♪ ♪ The anticipation arose as time froze.

♪ ♪ I stared off the stage with my eyes closed, ♪ ♪ dove into the deep cosmos.

♪ ♪ The impact pushed back, like 45 rows.

♪ ♪ Before the raw live shows.

♪ ♪ I remember I's a little snot-nosed.

♪ ♪ Rockin' Gazelle goggles, my Izod clothes.

♪ ♪ Learnin' the ropes of survival.

♪ ♪ Peepin' the situation I had to slide through.

♪ ♪ Had to watch my back, ♪ ♪ my front, plus my sides too.

♪ ♪ When it came to gettin' mine I ain't tryin', ♪ ♪ to argue.

♪ ♪ Sometimes I wouldn'ta made it if it wasn't for you.

♪ ♪ Hip-hop, you the love of my life, that's true.

♪ ♪ When I was handlin' the ...

I had to do.

♪ ♪ It was all for you, from the door for you.

♪ ♪ Speak through, gettin' paper on tour for you.

♪ ♪ From the start, thought was down by law for you.

♪ ♪ Used to hit up every corner store wall.

♪ ♪ Ripped ... and kept it hardcore.

♪ ♪ I remember late nights, ♪ ♪ bein' up on the mic.

♪ ♪ Hip-hop you the love of my life.

♪ ♪ Tell the people like that what.

♪ ♪ And it sounds so tight.

♪ ♪ What we doin' ♪ ♪ (Hip-hop, you the love of my life).

♪ ♪ Hey, ya'll, we 'bout to take it to the top, love.

♪ ♪ Hip-hop love, hip-hop love.

♪ ♪ To the top love.

♪ ♪ Hip-hop love.

♪ ♪ Like that, ya'll Pie-Town.

♪ ♪ (Hip-hop you the love of my life).

♪ ♪ Let's go to the top, to the, to the, to the, ♪ ♪ to the, to the, to the, to the, to the, ♪ ♪ to the, ahhhhhh.

♪♪ JASMINE: I have definitely had "pinch me moments," I mean I have "pinch me moments," every day I'm like I'm working with Black Thought, you know.

Um, but I think on a personal level, Black Thought is brilliant, he's a, he's a really smart, kind person.

I think what he does with the people he works with, especially in programs like "School of Thought" so, he is very focused on making sure that they leave with something more than what they came in there with.

He is very focused on making sure that he at least gets to know them and what they want to do.

EZY TRUTH: So I'm 22, I don't know if I said that.

Um, but I think I might have been the youngest person in the program, might have been one person younger, everyone else I believe was above 25, um, so when they found out how old I was, it was just like, oh you, you young, you know.

SIMONE: You know, I think it's always wonderful to witness artists as they embark on a journey and like the ways in which they, like grow over the course of a set period of time.

And so I think that he is someone who was really receptive to feedback, really uh, generative and generous as he you know, in his relationship to his fellow participants, um, or fellow artists, right?

EZY TRUTH: All of my friends, when they heard the news, um, about me being accepted, they was just like, "Put on," like.

And I always, everywhere I go, I, I, I like to soak up information to give back.

I've never been a person to you know, receive something or learn something and just hold it for myself because I want everyone to grow, like that's, that's my whole thing.

SIMONE: You know, I think, just being able to watch Black Thought in process with the students, right?

That continuous cycle of feedback, you know, and the training that they had, you know, like being able to see them grow from like day one, to, through performance.

EZY TRUTH: Day three is performance day, I kind of know how I want certain things, like I feel like this should be here and I want a spotlight here like there's just, I, ideas were flowing and I started to just ask like, what can I do, like, can I have a video playing?

JASMINE: Ezy's performance was interesting because he had a video that he wanted to include, that he did not have and we were waiting at the last minute for this video to come.

EZY TRUTH: But I couldn't, I couldn't get the video to, to move from a hard drive to the computer so that they could use it.

And you know, it was interesting timing, but I was like asking my friend, the person that was just on the phone with, "Yo, can you see," 'cause he has the video, he actually shot the video, he's a filmmaker as well.

I was like, "Yo, can you see if your hard drive works, I know you have it, can you, I'll Uber you here, can you get here and we see if we plug in my computer."

JASMINE: The video is not there and I think it was maybe like an hour before performance, and we're like, "Ezy, where is this video?"

EZY TRUTH: I was tryin' to like ask the person who was running the sound and the the stage manager, I was like, I hope this work because I really wanted them to see it.

JASMINE: He was adamant that this video be a part of it.

He was adamant that we include the video.

EZY TRUTH: I think the show might have been at seven, it didn't start working until like 6:30, 6:45.

JASMINE: And we sat and watched it all together and said, "Yea, we needed that video."

EZY TRUTH: Yea I was nervous, that first time I got to perform, I was nervous because it was just like, it was Black Thought, he really rap, like, he really raps, so I think I performed second to last um, in the back, there's a TV, so you can see who's performing.

So I'm kind of sittin' down, I'm drinkin' my tea 'cause it was just, it was little cold, um and it also just helps the vocal cords and whatnot.

But I'm kind of just watching the first person performs, I'm like, "Ok, great job."

Like I love it, I'm lovin' it, energy's crazy.

Second person, I'm like, "Whoo, ok we're getting a little closer."

Third, fourth, fifth, it's like, aight, you know, it's like, it's my turn now, um and again I kind of said my little prayer, like it's a reason why I'm here, I'm thankful for being here, I learned so much, um but it's time, it's time to show them why I'm here.

♪ Yeah.

♪ ♪ Please listen.

♪ ♪ Look.

♪ ♪ As I try to muster up the strength to write ♪ ♪ this here song.

♪ ♪ My eyes fill with tears ♪ ♪ whites can never do no wrong.

♪ ♪ Well, my whole mere existence ♪ ♪ copy written exported.

♪ ♪ I am classically conditioned ♪ ♪ profiled and extorted.

♪ ♪ I'm supposed to keep my cool ♪ ♪ when this world is never cordial.

♪ ♪ When it's like this propaganda ♪ ♪ I'm supposed to just ignore it.

♪ ♪ When my people being murdered ♪ ♪ ain't no asses coming forward.

♪ ♪ How the hell am I supposed to move ♪ ♪ when my life is not important.

♪ ♪ Never has and never will be.

♪ ♪ If I did a fraction of what y'all did, ♪ ♪ ya'll probably kill me.

♪ ♪ Hanging by the system you all say ♪ ♪ it was created equal.

♪ ♪ Built off the bloodshed and ♪ ♪ blood spread from my people.

♪ ♪ Be clear when you speak to me boy.

♪ ♪ When I snap you dance and when I stop you jump.

♪ ♪ And when I clap you better sing ♪ ♪ and play as loud as you can.

♪ ♪ Don't you stop you my entertainment, ♪ ♪ amuse me, boy.

♪ ♪ Is it true god created white men ♪ ♪ in his image and placed us ... ♪ ♪ right outside the picture.

♪ ♪ Well black man you will always be my servant.

♪ ♪ But if Bible was created by white men who I'm serving.

♪ ♪ Controversy, more like fatalism.

♪ ♪ ... was never set in stone, ♪ ♪ we never paid attention.

♪ ♪ Physically we couldn't because ♪ ♪ of psychological warfare ♪ ♪ hammered to our brains till it's mush, ♪ ♪ now we won't dare brutally beaten ♪ ♪ and branded bruised, ♪ ♪ bandage leaking, ♪ ♪ and still fear through the panic seeps in.

♪ ♪ Slaughtered, ♪ ♪ caged animal treatment torment, ♪ ♪ and torture armed with no good reason.

♪ ♪ Broken break, ♪ ♪ starved for their personal needs.

♪ ♪ Personally, I would try to go on ♪ ♪ a killing spree so violently.

♪ ♪ But my name ain't Rittenhouse and ♪ ♪ my skin is way too dark for my charges ♪ ♪ just to get written off.

♪ ♪ And I'll be wrongfully convicted ♪ ♪ and you wonder why I rip this off.

♪ ♪ My child still hungry and ♪ ♪ ain't no food up in that ... house.

♪ ♪ Jobs ain't hiring and now I've got a record.

♪ ♪ Forced into another bed because ♪ ♪ I started moving records.

♪ ♪ Put my right foot forward and ♪ ♪ attempt to make corrections but ♪ ♪ it don't matter what you do ♪ ♪ when you are always viewed as a felon.

♪ ♪ Educated, miseducated we look the same.

♪ ♪ Your degree can't change the ♪ ♪ skin color of your face.

♪ ♪ No matter how many times you put ♪ ♪ your professional voice on you're gonna ♪ ♪ have to understand that they will never like us.

♪ ♪ Why don't you take a look at Berlin Conference.

♪ ♪ When Europeans came to divide up our continent.

♪ ♪ So all of their people could live in peace and ♪ ♪ harmony regardless if it destroyed ♪ ♪ a human race in the process.

♪ ♪ You think you can kill my subconscious?

♪ ♪ We gonna need more than doctors ♪ ♪ this some diagnostics so.

♪ ♪ I swear I'm tired of this ... ♪ ♪ I've been waiting too long I'm about ♪ ♪ to set fire to this bitch.

♪ ♪ Mama still crying cause they children dying as kids.

♪ ♪ We need a factory reset with a new alignment and ... ♪ ♪ What am I saying though?

♪ ♪ How can a horse hold an opinion when ♪ ♪ my being is a curb to evolution?

♪ ♪ Pay me no mind I ain't even considered human.

♪ ♪ But if I eat and ♪ ♪ you eat tell me what I'm consuming.

♪ ♪ Destitution-inflicted self-hate.

♪ ♪ And you wonder why that this trait to ♪ ♪ spin the block in broad day.

♪ ♪ We're continuing in the work they had ♪ ♪ already set in place.

♪ ♪ But then you wonder why we sittin' ♪ ♪ in this mess right here today.

♪ ♪ Way too much to say but not a lot of time.

♪ ♪ It dates way back to good boys and Uncle Toms.

♪ ♪ Who used to beat their people senseless, ♪ ♪ look what we've become.

♪ ♪ All we need is red nose and face paint ♪ ♪ and we'd be clowns.

♪ ♪ More puppetry dress them up to ♪ ♪ play them publicly.

♪ ♪ ... is ugly.

♪ ♪ Make me wanna be who I perceive ♪ ♪ until it's stuck with me.

♪ ♪ Push this platform, ♪ ♪ and rap song until we mirror images of ♪ ♪ their destructive dreams.

♪ ♪ This ... is really not fair.

♪ ♪ But why the ... would they care.

♪ ♪ Robbed us of everything the money man is all there.

♪ ♪ Soon they'll all wipe us out and ♪ ♪ none of us won't even be here.

♪ ♪ Police killing and weed killing us too.

♪ ♪ Now I wake up in the morning ♪ ♪ it's right there on early news.

♪ ♪ Lights, camera, action.

♪ ♪ What's a ... to do.

♪ ♪ When my whole life is filled with, ♪ ♪ "stop, freeze, don't move."

♪ ♪ What's a ... to do.

♪ ♪ What's a ... to do.

♪ ♪ Can you tell me what's a ... to do.

♪ ♪ When my whole life is filled with ♪ ♪ "stop, freeze, don't move."

♪ ♪ Somebody's killing my sisters.

♪ ♪ And it's going on.

♪ ♪ And it's going on.

♪ ♪ And it's going on.

♪ ♪ Somebody's killing my sisters.

♪ ♪ And it's going on.

♪ ♪ And I won't keep silenced anymore.

♪ ♪ Somebody's killing my people.

♪ ♪ And it's going on.

♪ ♪ And it's going on.

♪ ♪ And it's going on.

♪ ♪ Somebody's killing my people.

♪ ♪ And it's going on.

♪ ♪ And I won't keep silenced anymore.

♪ Thank you, thank you.

Uh, before I leave I just wanted to let ya'll know my name is E-z-y Ezy Truth, T-r-u-t-h.

I'm from here, I'm from the city man, I'm blessed to be, make some noise for D.C. Yea, I live by the shrimp boat, you know what I'm sayin', like I'm from here.

You know what I'm sayin', and I'm tryin' put on for my city and the fact that I got accepted into this program, and it means a lot, you know what I'm sayin'.

So definitely shout out to the Black Thought Master Class, shout out to The Kennedy Center, shout out to DJ Face because he be rockin' out the whole night.

Thank ya'll man, love ya'll.

Appreciate ya.

(audience cheering and applause).

As soon as I got off stage, every one congratulating me like they was like, "I was moved by your performance."

"It meant a lot like I could feel what you were sayin'."

JASMINE: Another artist sticking to their vision, sticking to his guns, knowing what he wanted, knowing how he wanted to present himself, understanding how he wanted to brand himself, again listening to all of us and taking in all that feedback but then also just knowing who he was and fighting for that I think was really important.

EZY TRUTH: I felt like that guy, like I felt like, "Ok, yea, like this, is, this is what I get into."

Um, and I was just thankful.

JASMINE: Participating as a organizer of an event like this, absolutely changes who you are because it expands your imagination of what is possible.

SIMONE: They are clearly the cultural leaders that not only are powerfully rooting us in the present but are definitely helping us to chart and imagine a future.

When we're looking at you know, Questlove and Black Thought and The Roots as artists, when we're looking at them as curators, when we're experiencing them as cultural leaders all of that, you know, it plants seeds, those seeds have fruits, right and so I think like with that for the generation of people that have the opportunity to experience them, and then the generations that are to come, they will know that they have impacted the institution, that they have transformed the institution and that we were better because of it.

EZY TRUTH: Black Thought has shaped a lot of the things that I've done since I was younger and I didn't realize it.

To meet him in person and to see how grounded he was, to see how real and down-to-earth he was it, it made me happy um, just off the fact that you can be someone in this world and in this life and still be real.

You don't have to change for anyone.

You don't have to try to be someone else, you can be yourself.

INDIA: The Roots have inspired me um, because of their soulfulness and just how genre-bending they've been, the epic, iconic collaborations and um, I feel like subconsciously um, I've, I've kind of taken that path myself and just not wanting to be boxed in, but keeping at the root of, you know, the soul and the R&B, but still venturing out um, into other realms and worlds and just kind of mixing it all together.

QUESTLOVE: Oftentimes I think uh, black artists are in fight or flight mode, where they're instantly like, "I gotta have a hit, I gotta be relevant, I gotta get down with whoever's the most popular," and they feel like they can't even afford to do what really want to do.

BLACK THOUGHT: To be themselves, yea.

QUESTLOVE: Because they have to survive and you know, our, our journey's very much a tortoise and the hare thing so, you know, not to say that we haven't had moments where we like wish for a certain sort of leverage or you know that, uh, or, or a place on the totem pole that someone more popular.

♪ BLACK THOUGHT: I wish I were a little bit taller.

♪ ♪ I wish I was.

♪♪ QUESTLOVE: Right.

(laughing).

But, I, I think, especially now, that we're at, at, at this milestone in our career, I mean I'm really glad that we took the journey that we took as far as like living in our hearts and not just fight or flight, how to survive, how to go platinum, that sort of thing.

BLACK THOUGHT: Absolutely.

QUESTLOVE: 'Cause we would have, we would have been done by our twelfth year, and here we are, like I, I feel like we're basically on our first album, and this is our thirtieth year.

And I don't know any group, not even hip-hopper, just any entertainer that I was more interested in their thirtieth year than their first five years, you know.

SIMONE: By the mere fact that The Roots, that Questlove, that Black Thought are here, people have seen themselves reflected, right?

They have seen themselves, they have seen their interests, they have seen their community reflected.

EZY TRUTH: I don't know, this, this shapes us, I don't know any other way to say it um, and the fact that it's, it's being broadcast on a larger scale such as The Kennedy Center um, I think it's about time for that.

♪ BLACK THOUGHT: Yeah.

♪ ♪ And yes y'all.

♪ ♪ You still in tune to the, to the sounds.

♪ ♪ Once again, it's that sound, ♪ ♪ of the legendary.

♪ ♪ The legendary foundation.

♪ ♪ Yeah, taking over your mind.

♪ ♪ Woah, see me in motion for the fifth time.

♪ ♪ You don't stop, keep on.

♪ ♪ Hey you listeners, stop what you're doin' ♪ ♪ and set it in motion, ♪ ♪ it's the next movement.

♪ ♪ If you listening, ♪ ♪ stop what you're doin' ♪ ♪ and set it off in here, ya'll.

♪ ♪ You know, we got the hot-hot music, ♪ ♪ the hot music.

♪ ♪ The hot-hot music, hot music, ♪ ♪ the hot music, the hot music.

♪ ♪ The hot-hot music, the hot music.

♪ ♪ You go, one, two, one-two, one-two.

♪ ♪ That's how we usually start, ♪ ♪ once again it's the Thought.

♪ ♪ It's the Philly Dalai Lama, prime minister Thought.

♪ ♪ This directed to whoever in listening range.

♪ ♪ Yo the whole state of things but ♪ ♪ the world 'bout to change.

♪ ♪ Black rain fallin' from the sky looks strange.

♪ ♪ The ghetto is red hot, we steppin' on flames.

♪ ♪ Man, it's inflation on the price for fame.

♪ ♪ And it was all the same, but this Philly boys name.

♪ ♪ The Black Thought, ill syllablist, ♪ ♪ out the Fifth.

♪ ♪ This heavyweight rap ...

I'm about to lift.

♪ ♪ Like, a phylum lift up it's seed to sunlight.

♪ ♪ I just plug in a mic and draw like a gunfight.

♪ ♪ I never use a cordless, or stand applauseless.

♪ ♪ Sippin' champagne out ill silver goblets.

♪ ♪ I'm like a faucet, monopoly's the object.

♪ ♪ No way to cut this tap, you got ta get wet.

♪ ♪ Your head is throbbin' and I ain't said ... yet.

♪ ♪ Say yes, to the next movement.

♪ ♪ Get on up.

♪ ♪ Get on up.

♪ ♪ Get on up.

♪ ♪ Check it out now.

♪ ♪ The legendary foundation.

♪ ♪ You don't stop, keep on.

♪ ♪ Hey.

♪ (saxophone and trumpet solo).

♪ Yeah.

♪ (saxophone solo).

(trumpet solo).

(saxophone solo).

(trumpet solo).

(saxophone and trumpet solo).

♪ ♪ ♪ Uh-huh, uuuuh huh.

♪ ♪ Uh-huh.

♪ ♪ We got the hot-hot music, say it "Heey aaaay heey ay".

♪ ♪ QUESTLOVE: Heey aaaay heey ay.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: Heey aaaay heey ay.

♪ ♪ QUESTLOVE: Heey aaaay heey ay.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: Heey aaay heey.

♪ ♪ QUESTLOVE: Heey aaay heey.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: Heey aaay heey.

♪ ♪ QUESTLOVE: Heey aaay heey.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: Smoke weed every day.

♪ ♪ QUESTLOVE: Smoke weed every day.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: Smoke weed every day.

♪ ♪ QUESTLOVE: Smoke shrooms every day.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: Smoke weed every day.

♪ ♪ QUESTLOVE: Smoke shrooms every day.

♪ ♪ BLACK THOUGHT: Y'all know what ya'll?

♪ ♪ That formation of words to fit.

♪ ♪ That's what I usually disturb you with.

♪ ♪ Some of you probably never heard of this, ♪ ♪ or know half the time it is.

♪ ♪ You doubt the Illa-Fifth, ♪ ♪ what could you accomplish?

♪ ♪ Whether they skywriting your name or you anonymous.

♪ ♪ You speechless, stinging sinuses.

♪ ♪ The Roots royal highnesses through your monitors.

♪ ♪ I tilt my crown, ♪ ♪ then blow down a diamond kiss.

♪ ♪ You go buy the disk, we rock, rockin' this.

♪ ♪ I'm the finalist, ♪ ♪ I'm shinin' like a rugged amethyst.

♪ ♪ And at your music conference, ♪ ♪ I am the panelist.

♪ ♪ Listen close to my poetry, ♪ ♪ and examine it like an analyst, ♪ ♪ see if you can handle this.

♪ ♪ You, got the groove, ♪ ♪ MC's Freeze.

♪ Thank you.

We love y'all man, thank you.

(audience cheering and applause) BLACK THOUGHT: If I could you know, say anything to my 13-year-old self you know, it would, as a mentee, I would say, uh.

QUESTLOVE: " ... don't do that."

No.

(laughing).

BLACK THOUGHT: "Don't go in this!"

(laughing).

Remain, you know, remain in, in your joy.

And uh, you know, remain you know, be, be ever present you know what I mean?

Absolutely.