What's the point of being a critically lauded band when you can't make ends meet?
It was a career crossroads that The Roots arrived at over a decade ago when seminal albums like 2002’s Phrenology and 2008’s Rising Down made them critical and industry darlings but didn’t sell enough to make the whole enterprise worthwhile. Hence, the initially derided decision to become the house band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
To say fans were flabbergasted would be an understatement. How could such a revered band, handpicked to back live albums by Lauryn Hill and Jay-Z, allow themselves the indignity of adding a drum fill to a comedian’s punchline?
It turned out to be an inspired choice after all, with The Roots not only becoming an integral part of the programme but also sounding absolutely rejuvenated on stage when going on select tours.
Another benefit, as heard in The Roots’ electrifying set at the closing night of the Sole DXB festival on Sunday, was that the television experience, where they provided musical support to guests ranging from Pink Floyd’s Dave Gilmour to Gwen Stefani, made the already tight group sound even more adventurous.
Over a blistering hour, the band took the crowd on a muscular funk odyssey as they married well-known material from their three-decade career to new arrangements.
The icy melancholy of Respond/React was transformed into something virile and pugnacious live, courtesy of the punchy horn sections. Black Thought's precise and shapeshifting raps remain one of the wonders of hip-hop, and that pedigree was shown in What They Do and Here I Come. The rest of the 10-piece band were at the forefront with vigorous covers of funk classics Soul Makossa by Manu Dibango and Kool and the Gang's Jungle Boogie.
Ending the set with the rare commercial hit The Seed 2.0, which descended into an epic groove-ridden jam, The Roots showed us why they are a singular talent within the hip-hop landscape. A clear link to the genre’s funk forebears, their existence is vital with hip-hop emerging out of its 50th anniversary.
Also taking to the main stage that night was Hanumankind, the Indian rapper who scored a viral hit with Big Dawgs. Backed by a guitarist and drummer, he showcased a vibrant sound, taking its cues as much from rock as from Texas hip-hop. Songs like Rush Hour featured a powerful chorus whose riffs wouldn’t sound out of place in a grunge band, while the unreleased track Police at the Door was a strong display of his narrative-driven lyricism.
Of course, the big moment arrived when he dropped Big Dawgs, an absolute monster of an anthem fully warranting all those fiery guitar solos.
Latto also proved there is more to her than racy hits. The US rapper was a potent performer with a half-hour set functioning as the ideal playlist for her work. Sunday Service had an irrepressible bounce, while Brokey, an ode to dead-end jobs, made use of Latto's colourful wordplay.
The performances capped off another strong Sole DXB, which saw the event incorporate a second stage and expand musical offerings to include artists such as British jazz quintet Ezra Collective and alternative hip-hop group Arrested Development.
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Match info
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Liverpool v Porto, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas
Three stars
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
THE%20HOLDOVERS
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The specs: 2017 Lotus Evora Sport 410
Price, base / as tested Dh395,000 / Dh420,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 410hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 420Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.7L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 380hp at 5,800rpm
Torque: 530Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Price: From Dh299,000 ($81,415)
On sale: Now
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
FA CUP FINAL
Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
Key features of new policy
Pupils to learn coding and other vocational skills from Grade 6
Exams to test critical thinking and application of knowledge
A new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance, Assessment, Review and Analysis for Holistic Development) will form the standard for schools
Schools to implement online system to encouraging transparency and accountability
