Not sure how I feel about this one. The Roots have been announced as the house band for Jimmy Fallon’s new late-night TV show on NBC, which is replacing Conan O’Brien’s show, who’s replacing the incredibly unfunny Jay Leno on “The Tonight Show,” who’s…. ah, never mind. Fallon debuts March 2.

No question, Fallon now has “the greatest band on late-night TV,” as he put it. Well, whoopee. How about we try, “The greatest band in hip-hop?!” On one hand, it’s cool to see the Roots and hip-hop in general recognized for being mainstream enough to co-helm a show on network TV. Yeah, duh. On the other hand, it’s sad to think that the band probably opted to do it because they can more money off this gig than off live shows nowadays, and I hate the thought of this Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-level group relegated to simply being the laugh track for Fallon (see: Leno’s sidekick Kevin whats-his-name). Not to mention, I’m afraid the show will tie them down so much they won’t have time to tour and record. Yeah, Max Weinberg has made it work, but he’s just the drummer in the E Street Band. The Roots’ drummer is the leader of the band. 

Maybe they’ll do like Branford Marsalis did with Leno and just do a short stint to get the show up and running. No matter what, I think the Roots were a genius addition for Fallon and NBC, lending them the youth/coolness they’ll need to stand out, and not to mention there should be some killer music to hear on the show. What do you think?

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