The Roots May 4, 2008

The Philadelphia based group, The Roots, showed the way for live rap, building on Stetsasonic's "hip-hop band" philosophy of the mid-'80s, by focusing on live instrumentation at their concerts and in the studio. Although their album work has been inconsistent, more intent on building grooves than pushing songs, The Roots' live shows are among the best in the business. South African born and New York City raised MC/producer Jean Grae received great critical acclaim for her debut LP, 'Attack Of The Attacking Things,' on Third Earth Music, most recently being named one of Rolling Stone's top 10 to look out for in 2003.