TAGS : The Roots

Here we have six new tracks, including one remix we highlighted a week or so ago, from this recently inducted member of the Money Making Jam Boys crew. As I said in the last post, I know some of our readers weren’t necessarily fans of STS’s verses on the Roots’ How I Got Over. But, as I said, I felt like he brought something new and different to the table, especially on “Right On”, which featured some lackluster punch lines from Black Thought. Yeah, STS didn’t drop any kind of crazy knowledge in his bars, but his combination of internal rhyming and clearly honed flow was a welcome change from Black’s more straightforward delivery. And don’t any of you take that as a knock to BT either; dude’s probably my favorite rapper.

Hit the skip to download STS’s Sole Music EP. Check the title-track remix, which features Donwill, below.

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John Legend is back with the official first single from his collaborative project with The Roots titled Wake Up! “Wake Up Everybody” is a cover of the classic song by Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes [RIP. Teddy Pendergrass]. Out of all the recent John Legend covers we’ve posted, this one is pretty incredible. The new track features some smooth vocals by Melanie Fiona and some new verses by Common for this uplifting song. The new album Wake Up! is due in stores September 21st. You can peep the track listing for it here. [via]

You can stream “Wake Up Everybody” below or download it after the jump.

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I know most of you will disagree with me here, but hey, feel free to sound off against me in the comment section — I thought STS’s features on the Roots’ How I Got Over were fantastic. The MC offered a nice change of pace, especially on highlight “Right On”. And although I’m yet to hear his Demand More 2 mixtape from this Philly-by-way-of-Atlanta rapper, this track we have here is inspired by a cut of the same name from that project. STS was apparently so happy with the cut that he wanted to make an EP based around “Sole Music”. And from what I’m hearing so far, it was a pretty damn good idea. This remix boasts an opening guest verse from Donwill, of Tanya Morgan.

You can download the “Sole Music” remix after the jump and stream it below. Props to 2DBz.

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I am not sure I have ever talked about John Legend here on Potholes, but now that I have the chance, I will express my true animosity. Sure, he released a pair of solid albums, but to me his music feels empty and unoriginal. Not to mention, he is an arrogant son of a gun on stage. That’s enough aimless ranting from me, though, let’s talk about this cover song that John Legend and The Roots just cooked up for Levi’s Pioneer Sessions. We have been following this series pretty closely over the past month, as it has yielded fantastic cover songs from She & Him, Passion Pit, Nas, Dirty Projectors and more. While I am not exactly in love with the back-to-back John Legend appearances on The Roots’ How I Got Over, I feel like the two had a much smoother chemistry on the cover of the Ernie Hines classic, “Our Generation”. This song will appear on the collaborative effort, Wake Up!, which will be available on September 21 via Sony Music. That album will feature John Legend and The Roots taking stabs at some of their favorite 60′s and 70′s music with underlying themes of activism and awareness. I also included the Raphael Saadiq cover of  The Spinners’ “It’s a Shame”, to show you what a real soul singer was made of. Check out the songs, let us know what you think, and enjoy your weekend!

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