In 2025, hip hop music will be celebrating its 52nd anniversary in existence and throughout this long passage of time, the genre has emphatically spread its creative wings and influenced world events and culture globally.
The synthesis between spoken word, drums, samples and technology creates one of the most innovative forms of human and artistic expression, with many MCs, DJs and producers having left their indelible mark.One collective who truly stands out unlike any other act in the pantheon of hip hop music is the Philadelphia-based outfit The Roots. Founding members drummer/ producer Ahmir K Thompson aka Questlove and MC/ singer Tariq Luqmaan Trotter aka Black Thought have been performing and writing music together since they were teenagers, and their output in The Roots is a sonic manifestation of all the great African-American forms of music – most importantly the idiom of hip hop.
The Roots have tirelessly toured the world throughout their illustrious career and have always prioritised Australia as a destination because of our love for hip hop and live music.
So finally, after 12 long years, The Roots made their return down under, ushering in the new year; and for those attending the Sydney show at Hordern Pavilion (2 January), their first gig of 2025.
A live performance of The Roots is a lesson in music history, they are all world-class musicians who make a whole room dance whilst stimulating their listeners intellectually and emotionally with live improvisations and covers of classic, soul, funk, jazz and rock compositions punctuated with their own brilliant hip hop tunes.
Miraculously, it's a music performance without any breaks as they usually play a medley of songs lasting two hours adding improvisation and transitional moments of solo and collective musical brilliance.
Nai Palm - image © Ilgin Aykut
Joining The Roots on their Australian tour was soul singer Nai Palm, frontwoman of Melbourne soul-jazz outfit Hiatus Kaiyote and Brooklyn, New York, native and hip hop icon Talib Kweli.
Both were ready to energise and excite early comers with Nai Palm playing original solo songs on her heavy metal looking guitar and letting the audience know how thrilled she was to be on the bill.
Long-time collaborator and contemporary of The Roots, Talib Kweli has his own plethora of anthems and coming onstage to the Afrobeat opus of Fela Kuti's 'Water No Get Enemy', donned in a black jacket, a cap and dark sunglasses, his swagger matches his vintage style of the golden era of rap aesthetics and values.
Like The Roots, Talib Kweli is a student of music history reminding us how all music originates from Africa alongside a warning of how the world right now is moving towards fascism, while hip hop is all about embracing diversity.
With a solid discography, Talib Kweli performed songs such as 'Definition' from his time in Black Star with Yasiin Bey aka Mos Def, through to his breakthrough hit single 'Get By' with the audience clapping to the song's sample of Nina Simone's brilliant composition 'Sinnerman'.
Talib Kweli - image © Ilgin Aykut
Talib also fitted in tributes to hip hop artists who passed away last year thrown in with an homage to reggae music legend Bob Marley and a brief appearance of Black Thought joining him onstage to perform A Tribe Called Quest's 'Check The Rhime'.
Talib Kweli's energised performance perfectly warmed up the crowd for The Roots to jump right onstage and get straight into being at their most creative, hardworking and showmanship like best. The ensemble of musicians was impressive, but one instrument truly stood out: the sousaphone. Its player, wielding the largest instrument onstage, was impossible to miss.
The smell of weed swept throughout the venue as The Roots just kept churning out song after song peppered by classic anthems such as Kool & The Gang's 'Jungle Boogie' and Led Zeppelin's 'Immigrant Song'.
The Roots - image © Ilgin Aykut
Nothing for this band felt like too much of a struggle to perform; their incredible chemistry, timing and transitions were effortless as all of the musicians ran, marched and danced an effortlessly choreographed routine whilst playing their instruments with prowess.
Except for Questlove, arguably one of the great modern drummers of our time commanding the rhythm with precision behind his kit, striking the drums and cymbals with the precision of any drum machine, whilst his intense focus and energy radiates through the entire band, keeping everyone in sync and creating a cohesive performance.
Black Thought showcased why he is considered one of the GOATS of MCing, his lyrical gymnastic cadence and demonstrating his soulful singing when required.
A few of their classic songs such as 'You Got Me' and 'The Seed (2.0)' were slightly revised live with added solos from guitar and keytar, key changes and slowing down the tempo to add new dynamics, leading this mesmerised Sydney audience down a labyrinth of unexpected sonic pathways.
Many of us in attendance knew the chorus of 'You Got Me', so it was instinctive for Black Thought to get us to sing the Erykah Badu lyrics, which are considered a neo soul masterpiece, while Questlove performed the composition with soul and machine-like quality with a drum & bass and acid-jazz style finale.
The Roots - image © Ilgin Aykut
It is also worth mentioning the double act drum solos from Questlove and MIDI pad controller Stro Elliot who together, created the perfect rhythmic harmony between organic and synthetic drums.
As The Roots bid farewell to what was a beast of a performance, Questlove threw his drum sticks and a drum mat for some lucky fans in the audience to keep as memorabilia.
Without a doubt an outstanding night of hip hop at its best, and a deeply educational journey into music history.
More photos from the concert.
