Lavish Deluna Here is what Questlove had to say about the whole thing, including music video, like some stuff shouldn't have happened... theboombox.com/questlove-talks-beef-the-roots-notorious-b-i-g/ I think The Roots were wise enough to do something that wasn't ever done before at that time, and to stand out...! This doesn't mean that the music videos weren't good, because they all were great at that time, especially the music videos directed by Hype Williams! 🙌 It's just that some videos looked identical in terms of style to others... also some kept it real others not that much! This said, the 90's were still a great time for Hip Hop! 👌
I don't care what anyone says, you can't appreciate this video without the humorous subtitles. Yeah you got the lyrics, but to really appreciate the satire of the video and understand the ridiculousness of what hip-hop has become, you need the subtitles. The Roots will always be the shit though. Period.
+HowToMakeBeats The people I was addressing aren't like you or me. Then again, the people I was addressing wouldn't listen to the Roots in the first place...they would listen to garbage rap instead of good Hip Hop. With that said, I felt that the subtitles do add to the humor...but I was always educated to appreciate this video without it...I am/was good either way.
Why did they create a video with no subtitles in the first place? On music tv I only ever saw this version. Only discovered the no subtitles version on RUclips years later.
@@null_pointer_deref the Roots did "what they do" . the very things they claim to decry in the song and video, you later embraced and became associated with the commercialism and what not they claim to decry like being the backing band for Jay Z's MTV unplugged, and later being the hand for Jimmy Fallon of the Tonight Show, the biggest cultural trainwreck ever.
Songs like this and the Pharcyde's Drop just puts me in such a good, mellow mood especially at night. I hope someday we can bring the vibe of feeling good back to America's entertainment.
My favorite Roots song of ALL TIME. The Roots are by far the greatest hip hop group of all time. Not one wack album and Black Thought has never dropped one wack line. He is easily the GOAT.
I'm guessing some music execs felt it was too close to the truth and too real for the general population at the time. But it seems more relevant now than it did back in the mid 90s.
You know, it's crazy the comments on the no subtitle version of this video. So many people there are saying hip hop is dead but don't understand that the Roots are still around making music. They don't understand artists, both underground and mainstream-ish like SABA, Clear Soul Forces (which I haven't heard from in a while), Noname, and Chance The Rapper still exist. They just want the art spoon fed to them. And they criticize rappers these days that use music video styles like these when it's always been in hip hop since the early days. People are too quick to criticize and too lazy to analyze.
***** They weren't actually mocking Biggie directly, it just happened to be the same mansion that Biggie hired. Which is ironic in itself. It turns out Biggie was a massive Roots fan and felt a bit betrayed after biggin' them up so much.
+Yomamas Nekst This video pissed a bunch of rappers off back in the day. Pimp C thought the video was meant to diss Too short (a close friend). In retaliation, he dissed them in his song Top Notch Hoes.
+SeriouStuff Shouldnt have dissed what BIG, Mobb Deep, Nas and them was doin wIth this video. The message was good, the targets were wrong. The video was a big reason why NY rap cats wasn't fucking with the roots for a long while. The video is making fun of the thug/balla "cliches" of the time and takes/mocks elements directly from the Mobb Deep "Survival of the Fittest", Nas "World is Yours RMX"/"If I ruled the World", and Biggie "Big Poppa"/"One More Chance" videos. I figured this for years, but then Questlove confirmed it in his book with regrets.
22 years later I have only just realised that the scenes: 'Where are we going', 'Running from what?' and Can we really afford this?' mocks parts of Wu Tang Clan's Can It be all so simple video.
Killer instrumentation that plays in my mind all day...The Roots' melodic instrumental interpretation of the track, Black Thought's murderous flow interlaced with intelligent lyrics and the video's subtitles easily makes this one of the greatest rap videos ever made. Bona fide classic!
now!!! this the REAL version. bet people seeing this version for the first time understand the song better, especially if they weren't around during the era. emcee's was fighting to keep hip hop free from the "industry" shit. 😢y'all fought a great fight.
Agreed. That version shouldn’t have been uploaded. Makes the views get split between two vids and like you said the message gets lost in the one without the text
I've been looking everywhere for this version of the video. I love it. I never knew they got a lot of backlash from this video. I love the roots. #SalutefromBrooklynNY #MaxiMillionSigningOff
@No Era Penal If Hip Hip didn't become mainstream, nobody would know about the GREATS, plus the whole culture would be dead by now... unfortunately... 😞
I had this album way before all of you posers started jumping on The Roots' bandwagon. This song needs to be heard on a CD quality medium. RUclips's compressed audio does not give this song justice. The bass rocks my socks off.
videos from that time I can see parallels: Player's Anthem, Juicy, One More Chance, Only You, Aint No Nigga, In My Lifetime, Warning, Street Dreams, If I Ruled the World, Big Poppa, Can't Knock the Hustle, I Need You Tonight, Things That You Do(Gina Thompson), It's A Party, Wooh-Hah(Got you all in check), Lex, Coupes, Beemers & Benz I mean, Puff's influence on the game had spread so fast because he mastered crossover appeal so quick, he had the likes of Busta Rhymes, Lost Boyz, Das EFX, Jay-Z, Nas, Heavy D, LL Cool J, Will Smith, Soul For Real, Boyz II Men, etc with the Big Mansion scene, Champagne popping, rolling down Times Square or other random big city landmark in a Benz/BMW at night and the blurred logos of popular unendorsed clothes scenes when they weren't in Versace, Coogi, or designer leather and a bunch of celebrity cameos in the hood
The legendary Roots crew prophesied this!! The video and the so called RAP (not hip-hop culture) music!! The roots crew will always be indebted in my hip-hop culture consciousness!! 💯🫵🏾👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽🖤💚❤️🎛🎤
This is the version of the video that needs to be pushed not that (no subtitle) bullshit pushed by the record Company. 13 years ago when i was a kid I had to watch this on dailymotion because nobody had the subtitled text version on RUclips.
THANK GOD! Finally found the original video with the Subtitles. Even though I grew up in the Era of Commercialization of Hip hop in the Mid 90s, I respected The Roots Video and pointing out the Rented Mansions and Luxury Cars, Fake Champagne, Objectifying women and the 90s Cliche like "Times Square Shot" "Rooftop on top of Projects Shot" etc. And the way it's edited looks just like a Hype Williams video. But without the Subtitles it looks like any other 90s Video and looks like they were endorsing these things instead of making fun of it. Thanks for putting the original video back up
Well, they first uploaded it without subtitles (that one is still on here). Now this one has 100'000 views, while the one without subtitles has 3 mil. (maybe that's what you meant, then just ignore my comment)
First heard and saw this video on a TV in a local Wal Mart of all places. Dec '96 and some random, floor associate just jamming out to it. Of course this was on BET back when it was a bit of a lesser known channel.
Видеоклипы
The shots fired in this video are unbelievable. The fact that this came out in '96 and people are still relying on these tropes is embarrassing.
Too damn true...
this track and video is still my sound track
Lavish Deluna Here is what Questlove had to say about the whole thing, including music video,
like some stuff shouldn't have happened...
theboombox.com/questlove-talks-beef-the-roots-notorious-b-i-g/
I think The Roots were wise enough to do something that wasn't ever done before at that time, and to stand out...!
This doesn't mean that the music videos weren't good, because they all were great at that time, especially the music videos directed by Hype Williams! 🙌
It's just that some videos looked identical in terms of style to others...
also some kept it real others not that much!
This said, the 90's were still a great time for Hip Hop! 👌
LHM, now I HAVE to watch 😂 I'm scared though if stuff is butt hurting celebs from then still hanging now lol
Highly bless brother.
This is the correct version of the music video. I don't know why one without the text even exists...
This video would make no sense without the captions. It would look like the 💩 they were making fun...in '95!
they makes this version harder to find because its too real
Facts....
Yeah, I noticed too! The subtitles is what helped make the video tight!
I don't care what anyone says, you can't appreciate this video without the humorous subtitles. Yeah you got the lyrics, but to really appreciate the satire of the video and understand the ridiculousness of what hip-hop has become, you need the subtitles.
The Roots will always be the shit though. Period.
+cgracia Nah anyone thats actually looks at the video can see that it's satire. I was like 12 when I was first noticed that.
+HowToMakeBeats The people I was addressing aren't like you or me. Then again, the people I was addressing wouldn't listen to the Roots in the first place...they would listen to garbage rap instead of good Hip Hop.
With that said, I felt that the subtitles do add to the humor...but I was always educated to appreciate this video without it...I am/was good either way.
cgracia the realest comment
and this shit came out in 96
Why did they create a video with no subtitles in the first place? On music tv I only ever saw this version. Only discovered the no subtitles version on RUclips years later.
This song is STILL so relevant today, and probably worse because of the fakers on social media. 💯💯💯 Keep it "real" 🖤
U got that right.... take it easy....
agreed
given the roots themselves are sell outs and went to be the backing band of Jay-Z after this song?...yep!
@@Yourismouter what does it have to do with anything?
@@null_pointer_deref the Roots did "what they do" . the very things they claim to decry in the song and video, you later embraced and became associated with the commercialism and what not they claim to decry like being the backing band for Jay Z's MTV unplugged, and later being the hand for Jimmy Fallon of the Tonight Show, the biggest cultural trainwreck ever.
FINALLY THEY PUT THIS BACK ON RUclips WITH THE TEXT!!!!!!!
Hot Brain, Cold Body
Hot Body, Cold Brain
Lost generation, fast paced nation
World population confront they frustration
The principles of true hip-hop have been forsaken
It's all contractual and about money making...
Powerful
thats everything that needs to be said!!!
Songs like this and the Pharcyde's Drop just puts me in such a good, mellow mood especially at night. I hope someday we can bring the vibe of feeling good back to America's entertainment.
atcq brings on that kind of vibe too
+Luche Just watched Drop before I came to this! On to some TCQ and some SV now!
KooL D hopefully.....
My favorite Roots song of ALL TIME. The Roots are by far the greatest hip hop group of all time. Not one wack album and Black Thought has never dropped one wack line. He is easily the GOAT.
Wu-Tang
Same bro
The text is what makes the video hit wayyyyy more cause it’s shit that EVERYONE is doing 🔥🔥🔥
Whoooo when this song came out, rappers were big mad🤣
One of my favorite music videos of all time! Charles Stone's sense of humor perfectly matches up to the Roots message
Glad they re-uploaded the original version!
I wonder why they took it down in the first place...
I'm guessing some music execs felt it was too close to the truth and too real for the general population at the time. But it seems more relevant now than it did back in the mid 90s.
the more that time goes on the more relevant this song/video becomes!!! i always revisit this
You know, it's crazy the comments on the no subtitle version of this video. So many people there are saying hip hop is dead but don't understand that the Roots are still around making music. They don't understand artists, both underground and mainstream-ish like SABA, Clear Soul Forces (which I haven't heard from in a while), Noname, and Chance The Rapper still exist. They just want the art spoon fed to them. And they criticize rappers these days that use music video styles like these when it's always been in hip hop since the early days. People are too quick to criticize and too lazy to analyze.
djhero0071 Bro CSF is 🔥🔥. Noname is great also.
absolutely incredible track. black thought GOAT
Biggie took offense to The Roots‘ “What They Do” video because he felt they were mocking the visuals to “One More Chance"
***** They weren't actually mocking Biggie directly, it just happened to be the same mansion that Biggie hired. Which is ironic in itself. It turns out Biggie was a massive Roots fan and felt a bit betrayed after biggin' them up so much.
+Yomamas Nekst This video pissed a bunch of rappers off back in the day. Pimp C thought the video was meant to diss Too short (a close friend). In retaliation, he dissed them in his song Top Notch Hoes.
+Kevin Williams Yah and ended up 6 feet under, never take shots at the Illa 5th dynasty.
+SeriouStuff Shouldnt have dissed what BIG, Mobb Deep, Nas and them was doin wIth this video. The message was good, the targets were wrong. The video was a big reason why NY rap cats wasn't fucking with the roots for a long while. The video is making fun of the thug/balla "cliches" of the time and takes/mocks elements directly from the Mobb Deep "Survival of the Fittest", Nas "World is Yours RMX"/"If I ruled the World", and Biggie "Big Poppa"/"One More Chance" videos. I figured this for years, but then Questlove confirmed it in his book with regrets.
SeriouStuff fuck biggie
Black Thought = Top 5 OAT.
Guhsteh
without a doubt!
Guhsteh
Definition of GOAT!
100%.
Tariq!
Probably the best ever!!
Facts!
Might be the best hip hop video ever.
22 years later I have only just realised that the scenes: 'Where are we going', 'Running from what?' and Can we really afford this?' mocks parts of Wu Tang Clan's Can It be all so simple video.
scott free also mobb deep survival of the fittest lol
I think the car scene is a mockery of "street dream rmx"- NAS.
It's a mockery of all those underline themes put in all the hip hop music videos of the 90s
Man, I'm now rewatching this and there's a Nas look alike at 2:44. The Roots came out swinging😂
I loved this version of the video. I was straight CLOWIN' off the Subtitles and text!
Killer instrumentation that plays in my mind all day...The Roots' melodic instrumental interpretation of the track, Black Thought's murderous flow interlaced with intelligent lyrics and the video's subtitles easily makes this one of the greatest rap videos ever made. Bona fide classic!
Thought's freestyle on Flex made me visit this. 21 years later I still remember how it felt the first time I heard this on radio.
now!!! this the REAL version. bet people seeing this version for the first time understand the song better, especially if they weren't around during the era. emcee's was fighting to keep hip hop free from the "industry" shit. 😢y'all fought a great fight.
One of the best videos ever. I hate that there’s a version without the hilarious text.
Agreed. That version shouldn’t have been uploaded. Makes the views get split between two vids and like you said the message gets lost in the one without the text
This track is prophetic and classic at the same time!!! Amazing
LMAO I never saw the butt cramp shot until now cause MTV cut it out of the video -_-
cats always running from something in 90s rap vids
Can we get an update video that exposes these wack rappers today; in the same format... classic roots right herrrrrr.
dante's Marque NO DOUBT !!
The 2019 Version should be about people on social media
Never doooooooo What they do what they do.I feel here nostalgia.
Piece of great hip hop.Got to love this.
One of the best Rap Videos EVERRRRR! ❤
REAL HIP HOP WILL NEVER DIE
One of my favorite hip hop music videos of all time.
Glad y’all got the version with the text, I was finna be sick
Ironically this is one of their best videos
inspirational black thought and the roots the 90s was so real ✊🏾
What's GR8 about this? EVERYTHING. It takes the piss,& tells the truth simultaneously!!!!!!!
'Open your head wide and let the thought inside'
Respect from Colombia for a great Hip-Hop Band, great musicians, message and concept!!!
Raphael Saadiq! Damn, I been listening to this song for years and didn't realize until now that Raphael sang the hook.
This video was soo hip hop & so insightful so therefore, you never have to do what they do. Classic tune I never get tired of this track
To refer to those who gave this a thumbs down....
"Never do.... What they do what they do what they doooo..
The part with the confused question mark symbols with the exclamation marks at the end is so classical hip hop exposure moment.
I've been looking everywhere for this version of the video. I love it. I never knew they got a lot of backlash from this video. I love the roots. #SalutefromBrooklynNY #MaxiMillionSigningOff
I love this tune, 17 years old, and still them that 'do what they do' can't touch it.
Roots- better than all the rest.
Had to listen to this for the nostalgia
This Joint Was Ahead Of It's Time....Real Talk!!!!
They tried to warn us....
Clint Winland Of what exactly? 🤔
@No Era Penal If Hip Hip didn't become mainstream, nobody would know about the GREATS, plus the whole culture would be dead by now...
unfortunately...
😞
Still one of the best hip hop videos ever:)
Now this the original 🧊🏔️
About time they uploaded the one with subtitles.
The first verse is a classic. The first 4 bars..
I had this album way before all of you posers started jumping on The Roots' bandwagon. This song needs to be heard on a CD quality medium. RUclips's compressed audio does not give this song justice. The bass rocks my socks off.
videos from that time I can see parallels: Player's Anthem, Juicy, One More Chance, Only You, Aint No Nigga, In My Lifetime, Warning, Street Dreams, If I Ruled the World, Big Poppa, Can't Knock the Hustle, I Need You Tonight, Things That You Do(Gina Thompson), It's A Party, Wooh-Hah(Got you all in check), Lex, Coupes, Beemers & Benz
I mean, Puff's influence on the game had spread so fast because he mastered crossover appeal so quick, he had the likes of Busta Rhymes, Lost Boyz, Das EFX, Jay-Z, Nas, Heavy D, LL Cool J, Will Smith, Soul For Real, Boyz II Men, etc with the Big Mansion scene, Champagne popping, rolling down Times Square or other random big city landmark in a Benz/BMW at night and the blurred logos of popular unendorsed clothes scenes when they weren't in Versace, Coogi, or designer leather and a bunch of celebrity cameos in the hood
Kids, fluorescent-skinny-jeans-wearin-mumblin kids.... please listen to what this nice gentleman has to say...
Where's my 90's hip hop fans at? I'm still a fan of The Square Roots aka The Roots.
Damn.. this right here hit home, RIP Malik B 🙏🏾🕊
The legendary Roots crew prophesied this!! The video and the so called RAP (not hip-hop culture) music!! The roots crew will always be indebted in my hip-hop culture consciousness!! 💯🫵🏾👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽🖤💚❤️🎛🎤
This is the realest song in rap history
YES!! FINALLY SUBTITLED VERSION!
Classic, nostalgia. Great song and vid from Philly's Finest! God Bless.
Found it! Best Rap video EVER!!!! Hands down, can’t be beat, will stay #1. This had and still has me dying 😂🤣💀
99% have never heard, played or ever saw the label
1% have - Thank yourself for having a ear for hip hop
Man if this video wasn’t prophetic and a reality check at the same...
This is the version I used to see. The captions make all the difference.
One of the greatest hip hop videos of all time.
TY for this.
"INFINITELY GO AGAINST THE GRAIN" Ladies, gentlemen, I present The GREATEST LYRICIST EVER...BLACK THOUGHT.
In the 2k age I guess they didn't get this message..smh
The Roots: Greatest Hip-Hop Band ever!!
Damn … I got goosebumps. Real hiphop
Probably the greatest video in Hip Hop history. Unfortunately, the signal usually gets lost amongst the noise.
This is beautiful real vibe hip hop music right back yall Roots Forever
That "ferocious pit bull" shot :D
Glad they brought back this text version. But they didn't blur out the logos in the "no logos in the shot" shot.
I laughed at myself for remembering all the subtitles especially severe butt cramp girl👌🏾🤣so relevant even now
REST IN POWER; MALIK B AND HUB.
Love the titles... real life..
This is the version of the video that needs to be pushed not that (no subtitle) bullshit pushed by the record Company. 13 years ago when i was a kid I had to watch this on dailymotion because nobody had the subtitled text version on RUclips.
2020 And Im Still Here!
Video like these have to be downloaded and saved. White supremacy is hard at work fucking with the culture and messages.
I love the roots too. They're here to say or we'll (hip hop heads) will always be down to take action or speak out.
Real Hip-Hop!
THANK GOD! Finally found the original video with the Subtitles. Even though I grew up in the Era of Commercialization of Hip hop in the Mid 90s, I respected The Roots Video and pointing out the Rented Mansions and Luxury Cars, Fake Champagne, Objectifying women and the 90s Cliche like "Times Square Shot" "Rooftop on top of Projects Shot" etc. And the way it's edited looks just like a Hype Williams video. But without the Subtitles it looks like any other 90s Video and looks like they were endorsing these things instead of making fun of it. Thanks for putting the original video back up
Raphael Saadiq of Tony Toni Tone and Lucy Pearl. Musical genius in his own right.
A lot of rappers were in their feelings after this video.
This song and video are genius, and as relevant as ever. I don't even know how 67 people could dislike this.
Best hip-hop video :)) Glowing microphone - love it
illa-delph in the house always! REAL HIPHOP
For long they didn't have the text version... Glad it's back!
The whole video is a play on The Luniz - I Got 5 On It & Bad Boy Records style videos.
i find it very suprising that vevo actually uploaded this.
Well, they first uploaded it without subtitles (that one is still on here). Now this one has 100'000 views, while the one without subtitles has 3 mil.
(maybe that's what you meant, then just ignore my comment)
I LOVE THIS VERSION WITH THE SUBTITLES
WHO ON EARTH PREFERS THE VIDEO WITHOUT THE SUBTITLES ... WHAT THE HELL
This video must always be seen with the texts/captions.
Great New York Hip-Hop!
Great song Great video
First heard and saw this video on a TV in a local Wal Mart of all places. Dec '96 and some random, floor associate just jamming out to it.
Of course this was on BET back when it was a bit of a lesser known channel.
This is the Original version. You really had to be around when this came out to understand the magnitude this video and song had in 1996!!
The Roots Forever
hi 2020 - this tune still owns me since 1996
Wow, such lightning.
Absolute perfection.
Heavy
Ps Peace to The Native Tounges and Power.