Y'all know the legendary

It's time for a hip-hop news update.

Big news from The Roots. I cannot believe that they would become a house band for Jimmy Fallon on The Late Late Show. Doesn't that seem odd? I cannot imagine The Roots filling the same position as The Max Weinberg 7. Can you?

I wonder about the implications it would have for The Roots' image. As it stands now, I agree with the statement by Nate Patrin in his review of "Rising Down": It's gotten to the point where I can't even imagine the Roots being soft anymore. Seriously. With three straight albums where political overtones are so present, can their rep hold up while ?uestlove gives drum-cues for laughter to Jimmy Fallon's questionable comedic talent? (Actually, I take that back. Have you heard "The Bathroom Wall?" Classic. No sarcasm. So sincerious.)

I'll be interested to see the results of this social experiment. It seems like the wrong fit for The Roots as they stand. It would make more sense for the old Roots, the ones whose "organic hip-hop jazz" and "bass check 1, 2" made it a fun group to hear, with their seemingly-unbeatable cohesion between traditional jazz music and new-school hip-hop braggadocio and energy. The new Roots? The ones I saw about a month ago, with their darker, more brooding sensibility? I'll be interested to see the approach they take. I trust ?uestlove to do justice to their presence in some manner, but I wonder: will it work out in the long term?