Roots Reggae: Jimmy Cliff X The Roots Live at Highline Ballroom

Words by Eddie STATS Houghton

If you enjoyed Jimmy Cliff’s appearance with The Roots on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon earlier this week, then your head would surely have exploded had you been in the house when Cliff stepped onstage at the Highline Ballroom Tuesday night to open The Roots’ sold-out show with a bullet! bullet!-proof rendition of “The Harder They Come.” This exclusive clip courtesy of videographer Chris Velona is only just shy of a minute but it makes a nice teaser for both the new The Roots LP (dropping next Tuesday 12/6) and our full LargeUp TV webisode of Cliff’s ultra-exclusive show at Miss Lily’s Variety (watch this space–soon come!). Two other reasons to watch: 1) Compare with today’s Throwback to verify that at 60+, Cliff can still put on his dancing shoes when called upon 2) Black Thought channeling Bobby Byrd/Dave Barker with his “Mr. Dynamite!” outro…