“If my memory serves correct, I think we did the first-ever Coachella, right?” – Questlove
“We did do the first Coachella — I remember I had a broken foot.” – Black Thought
Sure, no one forgets that time they had to perform in front of thousands in the middle of a desert with a broken foot, but unfortunately the guys’ collective memory was off by one year — two if you consider the gap between Coachella 1999 (the actual inaugural festival) and Coachella 2001 (the year The Roots performed). Memory aside though, both Questlove and Black Thought, along with the rest of the band members of The Roots, absolutely killed it during their over two-hour set for Coachella 2019. Thankfully The Source was on the scene to not only experience the show live, but we even got to sit down with the gentlemen afterwards for hazy recollections like the one seen above in addition to a few other standout quotables.
Holding things down for Day 2 at the Heineken House stage, The Roots’ frontmen ran through a bevy of their hits to create the atmosphere of a funk/soul-themed day party that extended well into the night, assisted by jams, libations and the new Heineken 0.0 which is pretty refreshing and surprisingly alcohol-free. As a result of these two and the band as a whole, classic Hip-Hop was properly brought yet again to Coachella Valley, where rap, R&B and Black music in general is being welcomed at a rapid rate in recent years.
We got a chance to cop it up with Tariq and Ahmir about why the culture of rap is so important to big festivals like Coachella, and how bands like The Roots and even De La Soul — both bands performed back-to-back on the same stage — are doing their due diligence to keep it that way.
— THE SOURCE
