The Roots and DJ Scratch headline Queens Day putting on an incredible show for thousands of city residents at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park at Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage on July 20.
The Roots are an American hip-hop band known for their innovative and incredibly influential fusion of rap, jazz, soul, and funk. The group centers around two founding members, drummer and producer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and lead MC Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter. The Roots formed in Philadelphia in the late 80s and since then have released nearly a dozen studio albums, won multiple Grammys, and collabed with iconic acts like Wu-Tang Clan, Snoop Dogg, Erykah Badu, Metallica, just to name a few. They have been talk-show host Jimmy Fallon’s house band since 2009.
Born and raised Brooklyn-native DJ Scratch opened up for the Roots, getting the huge park crowd into a groove. DJ Scratch is one of the most celebrated DJs of all-time with a career that spans over 3 decades and includes collaborations and work with artists like Beyonce, Busta Rhymes, and Jay Z. DJ Scratch spun a bunch of throwbacks and mixed in some newer stuff to appease the diverse crowd of young and old. As soon as you heard some old hip-hop classics the older members of the crowd were brought back to their childhoods, waving their arms in the air and singing along with every lyric. It was very cool to see the new and older generations collide.
This show was in association with Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and a part of the Capital One City Parks Foundation Summerstage series. Queens President Richards came out to talk about the ongoing plans and movement that is being taken place to better Queens and their neighborhoods and emphasized his mission of bringing his community together and making them feel represented. He said that they are nothing without the diverse groups of people in Queens and that they are “not building walls, we’re building bridges”.
The Roots came on and had a fantastic show. Smiles were seen everywhere as Black Thought rapped on the mic. Black Thought wasted no time and delivered great flow, tearing through the band’s classic tracks like “The Next Movement”, “Dynamite!”, and “What They Do”. The band didn’t stop between songs and kept going. The other members at the show include tuba player Damon Bryson, instrumentalists Stro Elliot and James Poyser, keyboardist Ray Angry, bass guitarist Thaddaeus Tribbett, vocalist and guitarist Kirk Lloyd Douglas, along with some brass.
Questlove, behind the drums, was the heartbeat of the night, keeping the band in check. It was amazing to see a master at work with his meticulous playing. It was a very fun night as the park was filled with old and young, food vendors, and sports at play.
Highlights include a beautiful rendition of major hit “Dynamite!” and “You Got Me” which the crowd absolutely loved. There was a great medley of covers and instrumentals that paid homage to legendary artists like Curtis Mayfield. This night was truly a celebration of hip-hop and the gift that is The Roots.
The Roots will continue performing live at Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island on August 1 and will continue to play at other festivals throughout North America. The Roots’ music discography can be found on all digital platforms and for more details, visit The Roots’ official website.
Setlist: Respond/React, Proceed, Distortion to Static, Lookin’ at the Front Door (Main Source cover), The Next Movement, Step Into the Realm, What They Do, Dynamite!, Change (Makes You Want to Hustle) (Donald Byrd cover), Act Too (Love of My Life), Web, You Got Me, The Seed (2.0) / Move On Up/ Apache (Curtis Mayfield cover), Men at Work (Kool G Rap and DJ Polo cover)
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