Featuring D.C. whiz kid Wale and Def Jam songbird Chrisette Michele.

Definitely better than “Birthday Girl,” but I don’t know if it’ll work as a single.

Photo © Ginny Suss

The Roots heard all your griping and decided to axe “Birthday Girl” from Rising Down.

“We told you a few weeks ago that “Birthday Girl” could easily get dropped off of Rising Down. We received word over the weekend that the song is now the International Single and will be an iTunes exclusive. It will not appear on the North American release.”[via OKP, by way of Eskay]

I haven’t heard Rising Down in its entirety, so it’s hard to say whether this move will strengthen the album or detract from it. But I will say this: When the dust finally settles, yanking “Birthday Girl” will be perceived as the move that single-handedly made or marred Rising Down.

The Roots – Teasing Down

A 54-second teaser of the eagerly awaited Rising Down.

I just spent a full 2 minutes trying to analyze this art work. [via OKP]

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Probably what ?uesto and co envisioned when they wrote “Birthday Girl.”
The girl in red shoes could use a couple of cheeseburgers.

Their slap-happy razzle dazzle single from Rising Down. It’s got that “I’ve heard this before” attribute, but it works. I can see this getting major spin at birthdays everywhere.

[Shout out to Dee-Bo for the email]

Directed by the indomitable Rik Cordero.

Good to see Cheerios getting some much-deserved shine in this video. Nothing gets me up and going in the morning better than a big bowl of Cheerios. Cap ‘n’ Crunch also gets the job done occasionally.

Previously:
The Roots – 75 Bars [Video]

The best part about this Philly celebration is that it doesn’t remind me of “Long Time.” And I mean that as a compliment. It takes a certain amount of creativity to recreate a feeling without relying on the same recipe.

I’ll even forgive Peedi for saying “F*ck the Internet.”

[Photo by Ginger]