Any way you look at it, only a handful of Hip-Hop acts can still command respect even if their sales chart isn’t on the same wavelength as their track record—and The Roots happen to be one of groups that not even the biggest commercial Hip-Hop fan can speak badly about. Now I admit that with me being involved in the media, I sometimes fall behind the eight ball occasionally, and this occurred once again when I just recently found out that The Roots are going from Hip-Hop’s version of The Rolling Stones, to getting a permanent gig as Jimmy Fallon’s house band in 2009 when the former Saturday Night Live cast member takes over Conan O’Brien’s slot, (past comedy writer for SNL before making his talk show debut) as he gets ready to move into Jay Leno’s primetime position.

After hearing this news, my first reaction to the whole situation was, “Is Jimmy Fallon even funny enough to carry an entire show by himself?” “I really hope he’s not corny, and messes this up for the hardest working band in Hip-Hop.” My “fanhood” with The Roots stretches back to 1993, with albums like Organix (which I still have the cassette of), Do You Want More?!!!??!, Illadelph Halflife, Things Fall Apart, Phrenology, The Tipping Point, Game Theory, leading up to < EM>Rising Down, which are all eternal fixtures in my 1,000+ CD collection, not to mention their compilation projects. So thinking about them being reduced to a band that will only perform after monologs didn’t sit well with me initially. Classics such as ‘Break You Off,’ ‘Distortion To Static,’ ‘You Got Me,’ ‘Concerto Of The Desperado,’ ‘Silent Treatment,’ ‘Clones,’ and ‘Proceed’ would no longer be performed live, because their new job requires them to stop touring.

But the more I thought about it, the end did justify the means, and they deserved it. With their extensive touring, and backing up big names on stage earned them the right to take a break. Throughout their career, they’ve managed to steer clear of controversies (especially the whole “Battle for Philadelphia Supremacy” fiasco). There is light at the end of tunnel though, because they might not be hitting the road anymore accumulating stamp after stamp in their passports, but they’ll still be releasing studio albums, which is a huge relief for us all. So for the people who’ve had the opportunity to check out a live Roots performance, cherish those memories and get used to seeing ?uestlove’s recognizable afro and trademark hair pick strategically in the right spot, beating on the drums and orchestrating the rest of The Roots crew at 12:30am Monday through Friday. Having a place to hang your hat probably isn’t so bad after all, and just like weary road warriors always say, “There’s no place like home.”