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The Roots lead VH1 'Honors' roll
The Roots are set to headline the inaugural edition of the VH1 "Hip Hop Honors" tour, with rap veterans MC Lyte and Big Daddy Kane in tow for the 14-city outing.
The tour is VH1's latest attempt at taking one of its programs on the road, following this spring's "You Oughta Know" trek, which is gearing up for a second run later this year. The "Hip Hop Honors" tour is based on the VH1 awards show of the same name. The Roots have never been honored by the show, but have served as the event's house band in the past.
Roots drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson will serve as musical director for the tour, which kicks off Sept. 13 in San Francisco. The outing moves steadily from west to east, winding down Oct. 5 in New York to kick off a "Hip Hp Honors Weekend" in the Big Apple, according to a press release. The tour's complete itinerary is included below.
The critically acclaimed Roots are backing their ninth album, "Game Theory," which surfaced in August and is the band's first release for Def Jam. The set follows 2004's "The Tipping Point," which was released on what was The Roots' longtime label, Geffen.
Both Lyte--who followed her transformation into television actress with 2003's hip-hop comeback attempt, "Da Underground Heat, Vol. 1"--and Kane scored their earliest and biggest successes in the 1980s. Kane's most recent studio effort was 1998's "Veteranz Day," billed at the time as his farewell album.
September 2007
13 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
14 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
15 - Los Angeles, CA - House of Blues
17 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theater
19 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
20 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
23 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
24 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
27 - Norfolk, VA - The NorVa
29 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
30 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live
October 2007
2 - Worcester, MA - Palladium
3 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
5 - New York, NY - Nokia Theater