Common performs during the Hennessy Artistry event on Wednesday
Photo: Theo Wargo/ WireImage

NEW YORK — Common and the Roots may have shared top billing Wednesday night during their performance at Terminal 5 in Manhattan, but the under card — featuring Colin Monroe, Don Omar and Bilal — packed as big of a punch as the two musical heavyweights.

It was the surprise guest, though, that stole the show from them all.

"We got the Queen in the house," Common told the crowd that gathered for the last stop of the Hennessy Artistry 2009 Series. "I don't know if you know who I'm talking about."

Moments later, Queen Latifah came onstage to a thunderous applause. The legendary MC sang some jazz standards before kicking into rhyme mode. "Who you calling a bi---?" she asked, as ?uestlove led the Roots into "U.N.I.T.Y."

Once the Roots hit the stage, the production took on a round-robin feel, as Common darted on and off the stage and other acts took turns onstage in between.

The Chicago MC performed "The People" one moment, and then the Roots went into "The Next Moment." Common returned for "The Light," and the Roots smoothly segued into A Tribe Called Quest's "Bonita Applebum."

Tribe frontman Q-Tip ran onstage and took the mic. The Queens rapper spit some of his classic lines before turning things up a notch with Tribe's "Electric Relaxation."

Eve, Ashanti, Robin Thicke and wife Paula Patton, Tyrese, "Gossip Girl" actor Penn Badgley, Lucy Liu and Anthony Mackie were among those in attendance for the set. The performance was the finale in a four-city tour that included stops in Atlanta, Houston and Washington, D.C.

• Common
• The Roots
• Queen Latifah

Eminem on stage at the 2009 VH1 Hip Hop Honors
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

BROOKLYN, New York — For five years, VH1's "Hip Hop Honors" has paid homage to legendary hip-hop figures, from Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur to Big Daddy Kane. For their sixth show, which taped Wednesday night at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (and airs on VH1 on October 13), the event's organizers dedicated the entire program to a record label, the trailblazing house for hip-hop and R&B, Def Jam.

It's only right that the first Def Jam artist to be honored was the label's foundation and face for so many years, LL Cool J.

The Roots started it off with "Rock the Bells." Black Thought ripped the first verse of the record, then gave way for a special guest: Eminem. Last year, Slim Shady publicly expressed his love for LL during a phone prank on DJ Tony Touch's Shade 45 radio show.

Spitting the second verse of "Rock the Bells" on Wednesday night, Em sounded almost exactly like the legend who inspired him.

"Now I'm worldwide known/ Whether you like it or not/ My one-man band is Cut Creator.../ When he's on the fader/ What's my DJ's name?"

"Cut Creator!" The crowd yelled.

Later, Kid Rock paid tribute to LL with "I'm Bad." The Kid also DJed during the show, as did Ed Lover.

The second performance was from one of Def Jam's signature groups, Public Enemy. Chuck D was immediately electrifying with the opening words for "Rebel Without a Pause": "Yes, the rhythm, the rebel." Chuck still has one of the most recognizable and commanding voices in all of music, not just rap.

Flavor Flav came out wearing a white tuxedo jacket, matching top hat and a black bow tie. PE arguably had the performance of the night with help from the Roots, S1W and Boots Riley. The Long Island-bred rap chiefs were just born for the stage. The entire crowd was on their feet cheering. After their performance, Flav was seen talking to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan in the audience.

Another bricklaying squad for the house that Russell and Rick built was, undoubtedly, the Beastie Boys. KRS-One, Wale and the Gym Class Heroes did a rocking rendition of "No Sleep Till Brooklyn."

Travis McCoy, who wore a black T-shirt with the names "DJ AM" and "Roc Raida" in the shape of the Run-DMC logo, took on the first verse. The Blastmaster, who is a former HHH honoree himself, took verse two and ended by saying, "Adam, get well soon," referring to Adam Yauch, who is currently battling cancer. Wale finished off the song and later paid tribute to Kanye West, wearing a backpack and rapping "Touch the Sky."

When Onyx performed "Slam" it felt like the group had stepped out of a time capsule: They looked almost exactly the same and still had that insane energy that made them famous. During his verse, Sticky Fingaz climbed on top of a large speaker. Rather than climb down when he finished, Stick climbed into the balcony.

Other performers included Rick Ross, Fabolous, Foxy Brown, Redman, Method Man, Mary J. Blige, EPMD, Ghostface Killah, Chrissette Michele, Warren G, Trey Songz, the reunion of Ashanti and Ja Rule, Ludacris and DMX — many of whom teamed up with the Roots for a show-closing medley of Def Jam hits.

(Check out photos from the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors red carpet http://newsroom.mtv.com/2009/09/23/hip-hop-honors-red-carpet-turns-up-the-volume-with-eve-kid-rock/ and a right here!)

Offstage, Ja Rule and DMX had their own reunion. The two came up together as close friends and later turned to bitter enemies, even dissing each other on records. As X was walking out, Ja was returning to his seat, and the pair saw each other, hugged and talked for a few moments.

At the afterparty right around the corner, Flavor Flav talked and laughed with Kid Rock, while Parrish Smith chilled in his trademark fisherman's hat.

"Hip Hop Honors," hosted by Tracy Morgan, will air October 13 at 9 p.m. ET on VH1.

• Luda, Fab, Eve And More Show Up For VH1's 'Hip Hop Honors'

• Eminem
• LL Cool J
• Kid Rock
• The Roots

The Roots perform in Times Square on Thursday
Photo: Rahman Dukes/ MTV News

NEW YORK — Uh, a little more advance notice next time, fellas, please! On Thursday night (August 6), ?uestlove sent a post out on his Twitter account saying, "nyc---be in times square 7 pm SHARP!!" He tweeted soon after, "THAT is all the info you need."

Around 7:25 p.m. ET, the Roots walked on a stage in Times Square with a tuba player leading the charge. To the surprise of the crowd gathered, the Roots began performing.

"You feel this sh-- soon as they throw it on," Black Thought rapped, saying the chorus to his theme "Thought at Work." "You feel this joint, this is your new favorite song/ You at the dancehall, you got it going on/ It's time to show it off, so throw your hands up."

After a little James Brown-like improv on the mic to hype the crowd, the Illadelphia legends turned to their new single "How I Got Over."

Later, the band started playing guitar riffs from "Iron Man," and Thought told the fans to wave their hands. This transitioned into "The Seed (2.0)." The short set ended like it started, with Thought going to work. This time he covered Kool G Rap's "Men at Work" with an Uzi-pellet flow.

"My rhymes keep me fresh like a container," Thought rapped. "Some rappers said my rap is dead/ Shake your head to my bass like a basehead/ There'll be bloodshed, enemies shot/ Those who beef get sliced into pork chops/ Until your fork stops stabbing my rhymes."

The surprise show was in promotion of RadioShack's Netogether promotion.

• The Roots Play Times Square, NYC, 08.06.2009

• The Roots

Kanye West and Pusha T perform at the Diesel show at Webster Hall in New York City on Thursday
Photo: Theo Wargo/ WireImage

NEW YORK — The Diesel show at Webster Hall Thursday night was on a smaller scale than the denim brand's 30th-anniversary celebration last year, but with performances from the Clipse, the Roots, Cobra Starship and surprise appearances from Kanye West and Lykke Li, it packed a powerful punch.

Last October, Diesel celebrated its 30th birthday by throwing parties all over the world in cities like Tokyo, Paris and Sao Paolo. The New York party was held at Brooklyn's Pier 3, which was transformed into a circus tent featuring high-wire acts, thousands of screaming fans and performances from T.I., Franz Ferdinand, N.E.R.D and a then-pregnant M.I.A.

Thursday night's show wasn't nearly as extravagant but, with hundreds of fans packed into the sweltering venue, it was a lot more intimate.

	Kanye West, Clipse, Cobra Starship Live In New York

Theophilus London was one of the show's openers, mashing up dance and electronic music with African rock and jazz to the crowd's delight. Passion Pit performed next, with a set of winning pop drawn largely from their recent debut LP.

Cobra Starship followed, but they were initially hampered by sound troubles. After lead singer Gabe Saporta pleaded for a new mic, the band continued their set, including a Leighton Meester-less performance of "Good Girls Go Bad."

Drake was scheduled to perform as well, but rumors were circulating all day that the Toronto MC had pulled out due to his much-publicized ACL injury and was scheduled to be replaced by the Clipse. Those rumors were confirmed when the brothers Thornton could be heard soundchecking their mics as the DJ spun a medley of their tracks. Still, the crowd was caught by surprise when they actually started to perform.

Pusha and Malice tore through a battery of tracks, including "Grindin'," "Keys Open Doors" and "Mr. Me Too." The crowd rapped along with every word, and the Clipse rewarded them with a surprise guest: During their performance of "Kinda Like a Big Deal," Kanye West hit the stage to perform his verse, causing the crowd to erupt. Camera phones lit up to catch West onstage, who stayed there until the song was done.

Finally, the Roots crew closed the show. Black Thought called on the audience to keep the energy up, waving his mic and yelling, "Can I get some head?" The crowd erupted each time the Philly MC asked, causing him to laugh and continue asking.

People in the audience speculated that Jay-Z would join the Roots onstage, but out came Lykke Li instead. The Swedish pop songstress did not disappoint — in fact, she stole the show, mesmerizing the already hyped hip-hop crowd with Roots-backed performances of "Little Bit" and "Dance, Dance, Dance."

Then she proceeded to "assist" ?uestlove by banging raucously on his drums before joining Black Thought for a performance of "The Seed 2.0" and concluding with "Breaking It Up." The MC closed the set with an impressive — to say the least — display of lyrical prowess and lung control.

As they left the stage, some fans began to halfheartedly chant Jay-Z's name, only to give up, realizing they had enjoyed more than enough.

• Kanye West, Clipse, Cobra Starship Live In New York

• Kanye West
• Clipse
• Lykke Li
• Cobra Starship
• The Roots

Coldplay
Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images

Coldplay will headline the Werchter festival in Belgium on July 3 and Roskilde in Denmark on July 4. Wale is collaborating with TV on the Radio. Kanye West would like to know who the f--- Stephen Colbert is. Well, the final example isn't real, but there is a new trend afoot: artists using social-networking site Twitter to break news to the public.

Just like your friends and Barack Obama, musicians are using the micro-blogging service to update everyone on everything from the minute details of their life to their upcoming tour dates — before the press release goes out.

Coldplay have announced that they will be back in the studio with Brian Eno in a couple of weeks, and they're playing an upcoming show with the Killers. Britney Spears used her Twitter account to wish fans happy holidays. Snoop Dogg asked his fans to recruit him more followers. MC Hammer, who updates all day long, stayed up all night reading the latest Vanity Fair issue.

Some bigger artists opened up accounts only to neglect them. Lil Wayne's last tweet was on December 7, 2007, when he was "chilling." He's been a little bit busy since then.

Other artists, however, are using Twitter to their advantage. Asher Roth can update his fans about the release of his "I Love College" video. Chester French's D.A. Wallach tells his followers that he's on his way to his sister's choir concert (and that Lil Wayne's "Prom Queen" "is really bad"). Afrobeat fans can rejoice with the news that the Roots are working with Antibalas.

There is a lack of transparency with Twitter, however. Is this guy really Jay-Z or an impostor? A fake Kanye West account was set up and Britney Spears' account was hacked. The same problem exists with artists Facebook and MySpace pages, but it seems even harder to separate real 140-character tweets from fake ones. It's a good thing, too, or reporters and publicists everywhere might be out of a job.

• Coldplay
• The Roots

The Roots' Captain Kirk Douglas, ?uestlove and Black Thought
Photo: Evan Agostini/ Getty Images

Over the weekend, a video interview popped up on the Internet in which Roots drummer/leader ?uestlove announced that the long-running group will be retiring from large-scale touring and taking on a new gig as Jimmy Fallon's house band when he takes over NBC's "Late Night" from Conan O'Brien in 2009.

?uest must've said something that someone found objectionable: That interview has been removed from YouTube and apparently everywhere else.

However, we did manage to find a transcript on one blog, which reportedly took it from the Roots' official site, OkayPlayer.com.

In the interview, ?uestlove put the announcement in perspective, saying that the group will not be retiring from playing live, but from long, large-scale tours.

"Yeah, it's hard to make this announcement 'cause it's not like we wanted to pull the heartstrings on some 'This is our last tour' [statement], 'cause we will forever do gigs," he said. "I see the possible chance of this being a 'bigger' move ... but on the real? I don't know if I want to be 40, on the road and single no more. And with the kids my group has now getting older ... it's harder for the guys to leave more than it was when the kids were 2 and 3. And I can't even start to go on that path till a woman takes me seriously. And ain't no one taking a man serious who is in his own home for only three months out the year. I been in my crib since 2006 and I still ain't unpacked everything yet."

To facilitate that, he said smaller-scale tours are the course the band will probably take. "I mean, people east of Chicago shouldn't fear [that they'll never see the group], and I'm certain that on weekends we could trek to an occasional Seattle or [San] Diego," he said. "But obviously Europe and abroad could miss out."

Later on in the interview, ?uest talked about his excitement over the Fallon gig. "I'mma love my new home at 30 Rock [NBC's headquarters]," he said. "Two visits and I'm already on a first-name basis with the 'SNL' cats."

While ?uestlove and reps for the group's label, Island Def Jam, had not responded to MTV News' requests for comment — and a rep for NBC said, "Nothing to confirm at this time" — a label rep reportedly confirmed the report to the Philadelphia Daily News, saying the group will join Fallon on the show in June. The paper also reported that Fallon and the group recently taped "something" at Philly nightclub Kung Fu Necktie.

The long-running Philadelphia group, which released its first album in 1993 and was one of the first groups to pair rappers with a live band, enjoys a popularity and influence not necessarily reflected by its one major hit, 1999's collaboration with Erykah Badu, "You Got Me." The Roots have toured and worked with a wide range of musicians, including backing Jay-Z at his "Unplugged" concert in 2001 and Reasonable Doubt anniversary show in 2006, touring with the Dave Matthews Band and other jam bands, and collaborating with Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump. ?uestlove in particular has worked with an enormous variety of artists — most prominently Badu, Common and D'Angelo — serving as musical director for the Jay-Z concerts (including his 2003 "Fade to Black" show) as well as "The Dave Chappelle Show."

• The Roots

Radiohead's Thom Yorke performs at the 2008 All Points West Festival
Photo: John Shearer/WireImage.com

JERSEY CITY, New Jersey — The much-anticipated All Points West Music & Arts Festival kicked off in New Jersey's Liberty State Park this weekend with performances by Radiohead, Jack Johnson and the Kings of Leon, among others. But in addition to being the Tri-State area's first weekend-long multi-band fest in quite some time, APW is also hoping to make a name as the greenest festival around.

"We're striving to be green," festival organizer Ken Tesler told MTV News. "There are very few people driving to this festival. It's a huge mass-transit event, and I think that alone must save a tremendous amount of fuel and help from an emissions standpoint."

"Gossip Girl" star Jessica Szohr and supermodel Jessica Stam agree. "I think it's great how transportation by ferry is being so encouraged," Stam said. "And they made it really hard to get parking passes, so that keeps it green."

"It was crazy there at the ferry today," Szohr added. "The line was so long — I was like, 'What is this?' "

The festival also kept it green backstage by providing nondisposable materials, at the artists' request.

"That takes a lot of extra effort and extra money ... but the artists were very conscious about not throwing stuff away," co-festival organizer Mike Donovan said. "We're not adding tons of plastic and paper plates backstage, but it's a small thing, and there's probably a ways to go there."

But some of the day-two artists said it's the small things that count. "My girlfriend drives a hybrid, and I quit turning my lights on when I go to the restroom," Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill joked. His bandmate and brother Jared Followill does his part for the environment by shopping with a reusable cotton bag from Whole Foods.

The Virgins are also keeping it green by drinking tap water on the road and refilling plastic water bottles "with water from the clubs," said bassist Nick Zarin-Ackerman.

The Roots' ?uestlove encourages his engineer to turn off all the equipment in the studio to save energy. Chromeo would like to tour greener but feel they already do a lot by not taking a fleet of trucks or buses on tour with them.

"I recycle," P-Thugg added.

"Our music is recycled anyway," Dave 1 added. "So it's green."

According to Donovan, keeping APW green — as other music festivals have been doing in recent years — is a real priority for the artists. Headliners Radiohead actually commissioned a carbon-footprint study of their tour, and Jack Johnson brought an interactive eco-village to the festival in order to educate attendees about the importance of maintaining a green lifestyle.

"These artists are out there not to beat people over the head but to increase awareness of a lot of different issues," Donovan said.

The festival also featured green elements such as environmental-awareness booths and eco-friendly art. And at the TRASHed Recycling Store, concertgoers exchanged plastic bottles and cans for merchandise like T-shirts and beach balls, among other things.

"One 10-year-old got a skateboard earlier today," a TRASHed volunteer said. "He had, like, 200 bottles."

"In a pretty easy way, it creates a little consciousness about what happens when you throw it away," Donovan said. "Let's pick it all up, let's get a little reward for doing so, and it will also keep the grounds looking a lot nicer for everyone throughout the weekend."

"We got here this morning and it was absolutely clean," Virgins guitarist Wade Oates said. "We thought it was going to be destroyed. ... I guess people are really making a conscious effort."

For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports. And send your own concert pics, videos and reviews to MTV News You R Here!

• All Points West Puts The Environment First

• All Points West Festival At New Jersey's Liberty State Park

• Radiohead
• Jack Johnson
• Chromeo
• Kings Of Leon
• The Roots

Gym Class Heroes' Travis McCoy
Photo: Ethan Miller/ Getty Images

Last year, when Gym Class Heroes frontman Travis McCoy was talking about his band's upcoming album The Quilt, he spent an inordinate amount of time touting his "lyrical genius." So it makes sense that when booking the tour in support of the record — which hits stores September 9 — GCH went out and got one of the most lyrical of geniuses to co-headline. Actually, they got a whole crew of them.

The Roots have been tapped to share the bill with Gym Class on their Quilt Tour, which kicks off October 3 in Baltimore and will hit cities throughout North America before coming to a close November 1 in Albany, New York. The groups will alternate headlining duties on a city-by-city basis. Up-and-coming British R&B star Estelle will serve as support on all dates.

For McCoy, the opportunity to share the stage with the Legendary Roots Crew is a dream come true. Though, to be honest, he's also pretty excited to wrap GCH's stint on the Warped Tour (which ends Sunday in Carson, California) and get back to playing clubs with some of that sweet, sweet air conditioning.

"Warped Tour was great, but we can't wait to get back into venues that actually have roofs over our heads and aren't 110 degrees," McCoy told MTV News. "Touring with the Roots was something we've wanted to do for a while, and we're real excited it's finally happening. And Estelle opening things up? It's over! Tour of the year! Fans are in store for a real special treat. Who knows what's gonna happen out there."

Presale tickets will be available Tuesday (August 12) through GCH's Varsity Club fan site. Tickets for all dates go on sale to the general public August 15-16.

One dollar from each ticket sold will go directly to a charity in each group's hometown: the Geneva, New York, Boys & Girls Club and Philadelphia's Triple Threat Foundation, a youth-mentoring organization that focuses on education and athletics.

Dates for the Gym Class Heroes/ Roots tour, according to Atlantic Records:

» 10/03 - Baltimore, MD @ Ram's Head Live!
» 10/04 - Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
» 10/05 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ The House of Blues
» 10/06 - Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
» 10/07 - Lake Buena Vista, FL @ The House of Blues
» 10/08 - Miami, Fl @ The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theatre
» 10/10 - Houston, TX @ Meridian (Estelle only)
» 10/11 - Dallas, TX @ The Palladium
» 10/12 - Austin, TX @ The Backyard
» 10/14 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Marquee
» 10/19 - Las Vegas, NV @ The House of Blues
» 10/21 - Denver, CO @ The Fillmore
» 10/23 - Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom
» 10/24 - Chicago, IL @ The Congress Theatre
» 10/25 - Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore
» 10/26 - Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy
» 10/28 - New York, NY @ Roseland Ballroom
» 10/30 - Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
» 10/31 - Asbury Park, NJ @ Asbury Park Convention Hall
» 11/1 - Albany, NY @ Washington Avenue Armory

• The Roots
• Gym Class Heroes

Madonna's <i>Hard Candy</i>
Photo: Warner Bros.

Mariah Carey's two-week reign as the music industry's leading lady has come to an end, thanks to the Queen of Pop.

With sales totaling nearly 280,000 — by no means her strongest opening — Madonna's 11th studio offering, Hard Candy, becomes the nation's newest #1 and the seventh chart-topping debut of the Material Girl's illustrious, 26-year career.

Hard Candy, tracks from which she performed last week during an intimate gig at New York's Roseland Ballroom, will also become the singer's fourth-consecutive LP to open on top, following the successes of 2000's Music (which generated week-one sales of 419,600), 2003's American Life (241,000) and 2005's Confessions on a Dance Floor (350,000).

Madonna's latest pummeled Carey's E=MC², which, according to the latest SoundScan totals, suffered a 48 percent drop in retail interest to end the week with 95,400 scans. Mariah's record falls to the chart's #2 position on next week's Billboard albums sales chart.

Hard Candy was the highest-charting (duh!) new release of the week, but was one of almost 30 records that will be impacting next week's top 200 — and among seven to enter the chart in the top 10.

Following Carey at #3, selling close to 84,000 copies during its fourth week of commercial availability, is Leona Lewis' Spirit. The next five albums on the chart are all newcomers: R&B hunk Lyfe Jennings' Lyfe Change enters at #4 with 80,000 scans, while antiquated hair-metallers Def Leppard's Songs from the Sparkle Lounge bows at #5 with 54,800 copies sold. The Roots' Rising Down debuts at #6 with sales reported at 53,700, and Portishead's Third follows at #7, scanning close to 53,000 units. The self-titled LP from Mudcrutch — Tom Petty's pre-Heartbreakers band, which has reunited more than 30 years after splitting — sold 38,000 copies, which was good enough for a #8 debut, and Tim McGraw's Greatest Hits 1 & 2 rounds things out at #10, selling 29,300 copies.

Wedged in between Mudcrutch and McGraw, we find a top-10 mainstay: Now That's What I Call Music!'s 27th installment falls three chart positions to #9, with week-eight sales of 30,800.

Elsewhere on the chart, Steve Winwood's Nine Lives enters at #12 with 26,400 sold, while Carly Simon's This Kind of Love follows at #15 with 23,000 scans. Augustana's Can't Love, Can't Hurt opens at #21 with 21,400 copies snatched up, while Lil Mama's VYP: Voice of the Young People claims the #25 slot, scanning 18,600 units. Mindless Self Indulgence's If follows at #27 with 17,700 in sales, and Estelle's Shine enters the chart at #38 with 14,800 sold. "American Idol" alum Phil Stacey's self-titled new one bows at #43 with sales reported at 13,100 and change, while Forever the Sickest Kids' Underdog Alma Mater can be found two chart positions down, thanks to sales of 13,000-plus.

Thrash titans Testament return at #59, selling 11,400 copies of their latest, The Formation of Damnation, while Santogold's self-titled debut enters at #74 with 9,500 sold. Robyn's self-titled offering debuts at #100 with 7,200 sold, and New Found Glory's two-disc Tip of the Iceberg/ Takin' It Ova! opens at #136 with 5,000 copies sold.

• Madonna Reflects On New Album, Evolving Career

• Madonna, Justin Timberlake At New York's Roseland Ballroom

• Madonna
• Mariah Carey
• The Roots
• Portishead
• Lyfe Jennings

The Roots' ?uestlove performs at the Apollo
Photo: Ginny Suss

NEW YORK — No one could accuse the Roots' Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson of being a simple man.

On Friday, the eloquent drummer spoke to MTV News from the basement of the Apollo Theater, the legendary Harlem venue where he and the Roots performed back-to-back shows. In between sessions, Thompson confirmed that "Birthday Girl" will be the band's first single from its forthcoming album, Rising Down, tentatively slated for an April 29 release on Def Jam — the last album on the group's contract with the label.

Thompson revealed just how difficult it was for him and his bandmates to come up with such a straightforward tune.

"Of the lists we always construct together at the top of every album, do you know what the hardest thing to do is?" Thompson asked. "Just a simple song with no tricks."

Although the song itself may be unfussy, it certainly helps matters when you can convince Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump — who guested at the Roots' annual pre-Grammy jam session earlier this month — to get involved.

Stump lends his voice to the chorus of the ultra-catchy track, while Black Thought effortlessly spits verses. "It's just an easy pop song," ?uest said.

Surprisingly, the song almost didn't make the album.

"We had that song kind of as a joke," Thompson said of the track's origin. "It was birthed somehow during the jam session [for the group's 2004 album] Tipping Point."

Rising Down will be the Philadelphia outfit's 10th studio album. The album, named after a book by William T. Vollman ("Rising Up and Rising Down"), is scheduled to feature longtime Roots allies Common and Mos Def, as well as unexpected collaborations with artists like Styles P.

According to Roots manager Richard Nickels, the April 29 release date was chosen because it falls 16 years to the day of the infamous Los Angeles riots.

The date is also fitting considering the theme of the album, Thompson said. Though the project isn't as dark as the band's last set, Game Theory, the drummer warned that some content may be unsettling.

"We don't know if we're gonna have another chance for a grand statement," ?uest said. "We're not playing. This is probably our most political record.

"I don't know what the future holds," he added. "It's too late to reinvent ourselves. We feel like it's a landmine. I don't doubt we'll get to safer ground."

• Exclusive: The Roots Perform At The Apollo

• The Roots
• Fall Out Boy

The Roots Play Times Square, NYC, 08.06.2009

• The Roots

Kanye West, Clipse, Cobra Starship Live In New York

• Kanye West
• Clipse
• Cobra Starship
• Lykke Li
• The Roots

Nas, Wu-Tang, More 'Rock The Bells' At Jones Beach

• Nas
• Wu-Tang Clan
• RZA
• Method Man
• Raekwon

Stars Descend On The VH1 Hip Hop Honors Red Carpet

• Busta Rhymes
• Kid Rock
• Cypress Hill
• De La Soul
• Eve

All Points West Festival At New Jersey's Liberty State Park

• Radiohead
• Trey Anastasio
• Kings Of Leon
• Metric
• Ben Harper

The Roots, Gnarls Barkley, More Rock Philly

• Gnarls Barkley
• The Roots
• Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
• The Cool Kids

2008 Grammy Parties

• Ashlee Simpson
• Fall Out Boy
• Rihanna
• Paris Hilton
• Miley Cyrus

Lollapalooza 2007

• Amy Winehouse
• Ben Harper
• Cold War Kids
• Motion City Soundtrack
• Muse

Pearl Jam, Amy Winehouse, Lupe Fiasco, M.I.A., More At Lollapalooza 2007

• Pearl Jam
• M.I.A.
• Daft Punk
• Perry Farrell
• Against Me!

Bonnaroo 2007 Performances

• The National
• Lily Allen
• Damien Rice
• Regina Spektor
• Damian "Junior Gong" Marley