?uestlove Previews Roots Album & Upcoming Movie Role

Rising Down, the eighth studio album by The Roots, isn't due for release until April 29. However, Entertainment Weekly managed to sneak a preview of 12 tracks from the album and get brief descriptions from Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson and Traiq "Black Thought" Trotter [full article HERE]. Based on the previews, the album picks up where Game Theory left off. While expected contributions from Q-Tip, Lupe Fiasco and Common haven't panned out yet, Mos Def, Styles P, and Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy appear, in addition to longtime Roots collaborators Malik B. and Dice Raw.

?uestlove will also make an appearance in Malcolm Lee's film Soul Men. The movie, which also features Samuel L. Jackson, Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes, is centeredon two rival musicians who are forced to unite when a mutual friend (played by John Legend) dies. Soul Men is currently shooting in Shreveport, Memphis and Los Angeles, and is slated for an October release.

?uestlove tells Indyweek.com that his frustration with various directors while serving as music supervisor for other projects led to him moving back in front of the camera for the first time since a cameo in the 2002 film Brown Sugar. However, the unofficial Roots spokesman doesn't feel he's out of his element, stating, "Since it's a musical film, I won't be straying too far afield in terms of my role."

Check out HipHopDX's Audio Section for the first track off Rising Down. Black Thought "75 Bars (Black's Reconstruction)" [click to listen].