Nas kicked off Super Bowl weekend with an appearance on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” Repping his home team the New York Giants, the hip-hop icon teamed up with The Roots to perform “Nasty” on Thursday night’s show, which was broadcast from Indianapolis’ Hilbert Circle Theater. He later headlined a concert with the band at EA Sports’ Madden Bowl kickoff party at the Bud Light Hotel.

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With the Grammys less than two weeks away, Best New Artist nominee J. Cole hit up “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” on Tuesday. Sporting a Black Apple denim/leather jacket and backwards fitted cap, the Roc Nation star joined The Roots to perform “Can’t Get Enough,” the second single off his debut Cole World: The Sideline Story. Next up, Cole will shoot a video with Missy Elliott for “Nobody’s Perfect.”

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Wale delivered an explosive set on Wednesday’s “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” With some help from The Roots and a suspenders-sporting Miguel, the bespectacled MC performed his Ambition single “Lotus Flower Bomb.”

Wale’s year is already off to a busy start. He has been in the studio with Teyana Taylor (“Make Your Move”) and most recently recorded with Monica for her upcoming album New Life, due March 6. Look out for the Chris Brown-directed video for “Slight Work” featuring Big Sean.

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B.o.B stormed the stage on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” to perform his hit “Strange Clouds” for the first time on television. Backed by The Roots and two singers/dancers, a shades-sporting Bobby Ray bounced around the set while spitting over the Dr. Luke-produced single, which will appear on his sophomore album of the same name. Watch him light up late night.

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The Roots paints a violent picture with the first of four videos for the Big K.R.I.T.-assisted “Make My,” the lead single off the band’s conceptual album undun (Dec. 6). The black-and-white clip, which takes place in 1999, shows the demise of the story’s main character, Redford Stephens.

“undun is the story of this kid who becomes criminal, but he wasn’t born criminal,” explained Roots drummer ?uestlove. “He’s not the nouveau exotic primitive bug-eyed gunrunner like Tupac’s character Bishop in Juice… he’s actually thoughtful and is neither victim nor hero. Just some kid who begins to order his world in a way that makes the most sense to him at a given moment… At the end of the day… isn’t that what we all do?”

The Roots put a new spin on Captain Morgan‘s theme song “To Life, Love & Loot” for the rum brand’s lastest TV campaign. ?uestlove, Black Thought, and the rest of the band rock out on the Lenny Kravitz-esque remix. Look out for their conceptual album undun on December 6.

The Roots jam with Big K.R.I.T. on “Make My,” the first single from the band’s conceptual album undun, due December 6. The mellow track, co-produced by Khari Mateen and The Roots, follows the internal dialogue of character Redford Stephens. “They told me that the ends won’t justify the means and he told me at the end, it won’t justify the dreams that I’ve had since a child,” they sing on introspective cut.

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In between their busy schedule performing nightly as the house band on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” The Roots have recorded their first conceptually-based album undun, due December 6.

The project is billed as a re-telling of the short life of Redford Stephens (1974-1999). Through the use of emotives and Redford’s internal dialogues, the Grammy-winning band illustrates the intersection of free will and prescribed destiny as it plays out “on the corner.”

The first single, “Make My” featuring Big K.R.I.T., will be released to iTunes on November 1. The Roots will perform at Highline Ballroom in New York City on November 29, November 30, and December 5.

“At this point in our career we’d like for our work to have a unifying theme and an experiential quality,” said drummer Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson. “We’ve been intentionally making our albums shorter in length so that they can be experienced as a continuous work. The music is band-oriented with an eye on the moody cinematic. As a DJ, I am the king of playlists, but I don’t want our albums to feel like a playlist or a mixtape for that matter. We want to tell stories that work within the album format and we want the stories to be nuanced and useful to people.

“undun is the story of this kid who becomes criminal, but he wasn’t born criminal. He’s not the nouveau exotic primitive bug-eyed gunrunner like Tupac’s character Bishop in Juice… he’s actually thoughtful and is neither victim nor hero. Just some kid who begins to order his world in a way that makes the most sense to him at a given moment… At the end of the day… isn’t that what we all do?”

undun Tracklisting

1. Sleep
2. Make My (feat. Big K.R.I.T.)
3. One Time
4. Kool On
5. The Jump
6. Stomp
7. Lighthouse
8. I Remember
9. Tip the Scale
10. Redford

Jimmy Fallon threw a “Late Night” party and invited a colorful cast of characters. Nick Jr.’s Yo Gabba Gabba! debuted “We’re Gonna Party Today” with some help from The Roots, Erykah Badu, Biz Markie, Bootsy Collins, and more. DJ Lance Rock kicked off the festivities with a dedication to the late Sugar Hill Records founder Sylvia Robinson. Ms. Badu rocked an Afro and futuristic attire as she boogied down to the funky sounds. Can you dig it?

The stars stepped out in style as Us Weekly honored its 25 Most Stylish New Yorkers with a chic rooftop celebration at PH-D at Dream Downtown during New York Fashion Week. The magazine’s annual list included familiar faces from the worlds of music, showbiz, and sports. Ashanti bared her chest in a flower-printed blazer, Estelle shined in a red and black gown, Pharrell showed off his funky shoes, and The Roots’ ?uestlove drummed up attention in a plaid blazer.