The Roots Defend Working With Jay-Z

Nekesa Mumbi Moody of the Canadian Press spoke with the Roots about their latest album ‘Phrenology’, as well as their decision to play backup to Jay-Z, which raised some eyebrows in the hip hop world. “We are not elitist,” explains ?uestlove. “Some people were shocked, like, ‘Ooh, I never thought you’d associate with a rapper like Jay-Z.’ But if you look deep under the surface, regardless of his subject matter or not, to me, he’s an on-point lyricist. I like him as an emcee, and thus, I wouldn’t mind working with him.”