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The Show - The Roots



     
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The Show Lyrics


The show, the show, it must go on
The show, the show, it must go on
I can't stop, I won't stop
I will not, I will rockThe show, the show, it must go on
The show, the show, it must go on
I can't stop, I won't stop
I will not, I will rock the showUh, and I'm still the one
Am I a poet or a prophet or a stone to build upon?
And what's the reason I still perform? Feed my children on
How I'm on a hustle from dusk 'till dawnWhere all the love and the trust is gone
My eyes wider than a baby that just was born
Fightin' a war they ain't pay me enough to join
Behind a phrase they was crazy enough to coinYou kiddin' me? The pursuit of happiness, life, liberty
And all type of necessities they not givin' me
I put my body in jeopardy 'cause I'm committed
Even though they try to stifle your man creativityThey got hopes and plans of gettin' rid of me
I hit 'em like Ethiopia hit up Italy
Swift as the bullet that killed King and Kennedy

You know the battle is off to infinity nowThe show, the show, it must go on
The show, the show, it must go on
I can't stop, I won't stop
I will not, I will rockThe show, the show, it must go on
The show, the show, it must go on
I can't stop, I won't stop
I will not, I will rock the showI remember The Show like Doug E. where people quiet was ugly
Yellin', "Get money", now we're showin', we're dummy
Still doin' shows where the spots be bummy
Roaches in the dressin' room, I'm thinkin' of a better roomMaybe The Upper, where my people won't suffer
The leather gets tougher, we drive like a trucker through the night
For every wrong, makin' two rights
And use mics to reach new heights, the blue lightsFollow, I guess it's the scent of Chicago
That make 'em wanna mess with my tomorrow
In these borrowed days, the rhyme and the mind that pays
The world is a show, you define your stageOne, two, it's live so you can't undo
No sleep 'cause then your dreams won't come true
And every one's like a broad that we run through
Each finger, this ain't gonn' stop so we just gonn' continueThe show, the show, it must go on
The show, the show, it must go on
I can't stop, I won't stop
I will not, I will rockThe show, the show, it must go on
The show, the show, it must go on
I can't stop, I won't stop
I will not, I will rock the showThe Ernest Hemingway of B-boy poems
They can never take the pen away and leave Roy Jones
Pushing a black [Incomprehensible] in a new time zone
Nigga knowin' every nuance wit' two eyes closedThe life I chose, more of a mission
I make a crowd convulse and act on impulse and intuition
I've seen the future, listen, believe the superstition
I keep spittin' 'til it's a truce or crucifixionIm at home in the pressure zone, weakness is never shown
Let alone I'm a man made of mere flesh and bone
I can't help that my heart beat as a metronome
And I've acquired a taste that's upper echelonLyrical professional, maniac megalo
Plate in my head that spin the way the record go
And break it down like it's the walls of Jericho
If they don't know by know they prob'ly never knowThe show, the show, it must go on
The show, the show, it must go on
I can't stop, I won't stop
I will not, I will rockThe show, the show, it must go on
The show, the show, it must go on
I can't stop, I won't stop
I will not, I will rock the show
The show, the show

Enjoy the lyrics !!!
The Roots, also known as The Legendary Roots Crew, The Square Roots and The Foundation, are an influential, Grammy winning hip hop group based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, famed for a heavily jazzy sound and live instrumentation. Inspired by the "hip-hop band" concept pioneered by Stetsasonic, the Roots themselves have garnered critical acclaim and influenced later hip-hop and R&B acts.

The Roots' original lineup included Black Thought (MC vocals) and Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson (drums), who were classmates at the Philadelphia High School for Creative Performing Arts. As they began to play at school and on the streets, they added another MC named Malik B., bassist Leonard Hubbardand keyboardist Scott Storch. Another MC, Dice Raw, frequently made album appearances with the group from 1995 to 1999 before leaving to record a solo album. Scott Storch also left to pursue career as a producer following the Do You Want More?!!!??! album, He produced songs such as Still D.R.E. by Dr Dre. The Roots filled his void with another keyboardist, Kamal who is still a member. A beatboxer named Rahzel also joined the group and contributed from 1995-1999. Alongside Rahzel was vocal turntablist, Scratch who greatly contributed to The Roots' sound, most notably in live concerts. He left the group in 2003. Malik B. left the group in 2000. A guitarist, Ben Kenney, enjoyed a short stint with the group and contributed to their Phrenology album, but left to join Incubus. A percussionist, Knuckles, was added in 2002 and guitarist, Kirk Douglas (a.k.a. "Captain Kirk") repleaced Kenney. A vocalist, Martin Luther toured with The Roots in 2003 and 2004 and contributed to their album The Tipping Point. The current members of The Roots are Black Thought (MC vocals), ?uestlove (drums), Hub (bass), Kamal (keyboard), Knuckles (percussion), and Captain Kirk (guitar).

The Roots' debut album, Organix released in 1993, was actually a live recording from a concert in Germany that the Roots sold at their shows. The album earned enough industry buzz to earn the Roots offers from major record labels, and they signed with DGC records, which at the time was better known for its grunge music releases.

The Roots' first album for DGC, Do You Want More?!!!??! (recorded live without the use of samples), was a moderate hit on alternative radio. Their 1996 release Illadelph Halflife was the group's first album to crack the Top 40 on Billboard's album chart, spurred in part by MTV's airplay of the video for "What They Do", a parody of rap video clichés such as the "beatdown shot," and "Clones" which was their first to single to reach the top five on the rap charts.

In 1999, The Roots released Things Fall Apart (named after a novel by Chinua Achebe), their breakthrough album. The track "You Got Me", duet with R'n'B singer Erykah Badu, earned them a Grammy award for Best rap Performance By A Duo Or Group.

In 2000, Dice Raw left the group to record his solo debut album, Reclaiming the Dead.

The Roots' reputation as a hip-hop live band made Jay-Z call on them for his MTV Unplugged album in 2002. The album featured good recreations of many of his great songs, played by the band with a little help from female vocalist Jaguar Wright.

2002's Phrenology introduced a more mainstream sound for the Roots, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. The album's sales were boosted by radio and TV airplay for two duets on the album, "Break You Off" (featuring Musiq Soulchild) and "The Seed 2.0" (featuring cody chestnutt). The video for "The Seed 2.0" earned a nomination for the MTV2 Award at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. "The Seed" was also featured on the soundtrack to the Mandy Moore movie Chasing Liberty. Phrenology was certified gold (signifying U.S. sales of at least 500,000 units) in June 2003.

The Roots' 2004 release, The Tipping Point, took its name from a 2000 book by Malcolm Gladwell. The album earned two more Grammy nominations: one for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for the track "Star", and another for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group for the track "Don't Say Nuthin'". The album was an immediate hit, debuting at #4 on the Billboard album chart and selling over 100,000 copies in its first week of release.

On November 15, 2005 The Roots released two compilation albums, Home Grown! The Beginner's Guide To Understanding The Roots, Volumes 1 & 2. These two separately sold discs are a compilation of past hits, live performances, and rare remixes compiled by ?uestlove himself. They also feature 70 pages of liner notes written by ?uestlove. These two albums marked the Roots' last releases on Geffen Records.

The Roots' album, Game Theory, was released on August 29, 2006. The album, which features a track that samples the song "You and Whose Army" by Radiohead, was released on Jay-Z's Def Jam.

The Roots next album 'Rising Down' was released on April 29th 2008. Features tracks with Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Saigon, and other greats.

The Make Me Songfacts reports that The Roots' eleventh album, Undun, is their first concept album. It tells the story of a man called Redford Stephens who died in 1999 at the age of 25. We hear Redford retelling his life post-mortem and attempting to deconstruct what led to his undoing.

The Roots are also the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon airing first on March 2nd, 2009.

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The Roots