Black Thought Says The Roots Are Free Agents. Will They Go Independent?
In a recording career that’s nearly 25 years long, The Roots have really dealt with only two labels: Geffen Records and Def Jam Records. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Hip-Hop band has released 11 studio albums, along with handfuls of EPs, collaborative works, and side projects dating back to 1993’s Organix.
After five albums at Def Jam, dating back to 2006’s Game Theory, The Roots are officially on the free agent market. Front man/MC Black Thought told HipHopDX: “We’re not really on Def Jam [Records] now. We’re kind-of free agents, if need be.” Looking back at The Roots’ collective label dealings, the Grammy Award-winning MC/singer added, “It was cool, Def Jam was cool. Geffen [Records] was cool. I didn’t feel any difference. Def Jam felt like Geffen. A major label is a major label to me. We’ve always been self sufficient in that we never were dependent on a major label for much, ever.”
With their own Okay Player imprint over the years, Thought may be hinting towards independence. “We shamelessly self-promoted our work and calculated our whole entire existence since we began. I don’t know if it would make much of a difference what label we went to.”
The Roots were added to Def Jam at a time when Jay Z was label president. The Brooklyn, New York MC-turned-mogul partnered with the band for an Unplugged release of his 2001 Blueprint album, following an MTV-aired performance. Jay Z has since left his executive post at Def Jam and focused on his Roc Nation ventures.
Last year, The Roots released …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin, which debuted at #11 on the Top 200.
Read the entire Black Thought interview with DX.
What do you think is the smartest move from the Illadelph stars?