The Roots October 5, 2007

The Philadelphia based group, The Roots, showed the way for live rap, building on Stetsasonic's "hip-hop band" philosophy of the mid-'80s, by focusing on live instrumentation at their concerts and in the studio. Although their album work has been inconsistent, more intent on building grooves than pushing songs, The Roots' live shows are among the best in the business. Skateboarding, comic books and Japanese cartoons are not the preferred pastimes of most hip-hop artists. But Lupe Fiasco is different. The Chi-town legend, at 23, has worked with Kanye West ('Touch the Sky'), gotten support from Jay-Z and co-founded his own imprint called 1st and 15th. His debut album is 'Lupe Fiasco's Food and Liquor.'