The Roots signing
to Def Jam was made it official this past Friday (Sept. 30) when they inked their
names to a contract with Jay-Z’s Def Jam Left imprint.
Def Jam Left is a new venture headed by Jigga, who described
it as "an artist-driven label with very low deals so people are not pressured
by first-week SoundScan [sales], so we can build artists."
The Roots have become a staple in the Hip-Hop community because
of their philosophy to use live instrumentation in their records and concerts.
In the last couple of months, the group has been putting the
finishing touches on their next release titled Game Theory, which will
feature guest spots from Saigon, Mos Def, Talib Kweli and Blackstar.
It is also rumored that President Carter may make a special
guest appearance on the new album, but it hasn’t been officially confirmed.
Jay-Z made it public a few weeks ago that he had been quietly
courting the group for his new imprint.
The Philadelphia based super group has collaborated with Jay-Z
extensively onstage over the past few years.
In 2001, the group backed Hova for his MTV Unplugged
LP, as well as, the live Unplugged concert performance.
More recently,
?uestlove also served as musical director for the Def Jam president’s
"Farewell" concert in Madison Square Garden.
No tentative date has been set yet for The Roots release on Def Jam, but drummer
?uestlove mentioned on the band website www.okayplayer.com that they are currently
recording material for the new album.
