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It’s nothing like the rush when I get in front of the band, on stage with the planet in the palm of my hand

–Don’t Say Nuthin, The Tipping Point

That rush was felt by scores of fans who gathered at Sixth and South to get an earful of tasty treats from The Roots.

Anchored by South Philly’s own Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter, The Roots invited fans to share in a couple of milestones: their latest recording and their 12th anniversary of performing. The July 13 visit to Tower Records on South Street included autograph signings and a free outdoor preview of the band’s all-star jam later that night at the Emerald City club, Second and Spring Garden streets.

The group’s sixth effort, The Tipping Point, has been hailed as a defining work for a band that has a cultlike following and respect in the industry, but is sometimes eclipsed in favor of artists who rap about shiny jewelry and cars. The album is named after Malcolm Gladwell’s bestselling book The Tipping Point, which examines why major changes in society so often happen suddenly and unexpectedly. Trotter likens the band’s history to the book.

And he feels this could be a breakthrough record on the charts.

"Anything you can come up with from an invention to a slogan, or some fashion trend, either catches on or it doesn’t," Trotter said. "When it catches on … it spreads like wildfire, or it’s moderate, sometimes it’s moderate for a long period of time and then it just blows up. That’s what The Tipping Point deals with — what makes that happen and that what this represents with The Roots."

All of The Roots‘ records have a distinct sound — from the organic hip-hop jazz sound of their first effort, Organix, to the rock-drum-bass beat of Phrenology.

So where is Tipping Point taking us? Some say back to "the roots" of pure hip-hop. The Roots successfully discovered the formula of balancing conscious rap — check out Why, a track that seems inspired by Marvin Gaye’s revolutionary What’s Going On? — with raw rhyme skills. Take the tracks Web and Boom! — tributes to the "old school."

Trotter, 32, reminisced about his days growing up in South Philly and the influences that began his love affair with the "mic." Although originally from Mount Airy, he moved to 23rd and Watkins in the early 1980s after burning down his house while playing with a cigarette lighter. The aspiring emcee, who started rhyming at age 9, was influenced by the flourishing hip-hop culture in South Philly.

"That’s when young cats wrote graffiti, breakdancing, poppin’ and anything that had to do with hip-hop, we did it all," he said.

The elements of the South Philly streets, coupled with family tragedy, catapulted Trotter deeper into his music. His father was slain when Trotter was an infant. While the musician was attending college at Millersville University, his mother disappeared and later turned up dead, the victim of a homicide.

Trotter explored every facet of hip-hop and rap, from Public Enemy to jazz.

After he teamed with funky drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" (pronounced questlove) Thompson, a classmate at the High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, The Roots’ sound was born.

No matter what trail the band is blazing with its sound, it has avoided the "bling-bling" movement in hip-hop.

Trotter feels hip-hop is missing its camaraderie and wit, once cornerstones in the art of rhyming.

The musician put his own spin on NBA icon Shaquille O’Neal’s laughable attempt at lyricism. Shaq released a song during the latest NBA finals about hip-hopper Skillz.

"I think Shaq is upset with Skillz because he came at Kobe [Bryant] in a little verse, so Shaq feels like he came at his teammate," Trotter surmised. Skillz has since released an entire mix tape dedicated to the newest member of the Miami Heat.

For some fans, The Roots’ latest release could serve as the soundtrack for Seinfeld‘s "Bizzaro World" episode, in which everything was backward. This recording contains what’s commonly known in the rap world as sampling — taking a portion of one recording and reusing it as an instrument in a new recording.

Live instruments and original sounds are Roots trademarks. So a track like Star, which contains samples of Sly and the Family Stone’s Everybody is a Star, is a new direction for the band. But sampling is nothing new to The Roots crew.

Ask Thompson. He’s not only the drummer, he’s the primary producer.

"The most insane misconception about The Roots is that we are anti-sampling," he said. "The truth is we’ve been sampling since way back. We are a rap group, are we not?"

The song comes with an intriguing backstory. Thompson was at a supermarket when a young lady approached him. Initially, he expected a typical fan request: "autograph … can I get a record deal? etc."

Instead, the fan told him she had a dream that the band did a cover of the Sly Stone track. Not long after the close encounter in aisle five, the drummer received a request to do a virtual duet — � la Natalie and Nat King Cole’s remake of Unforgettable — on a project titled SLY2K.

When it comes to touring, The Roots are a multiplatinum success. It’s often thought that platinum plaques and Grammys are the road to financial security. They can be lucrative, but in reality, touring pays the bills. Whether opening for bluesman B.B. King or sharing a bill with Rage Against the Machine (which happens to be Trotter’s favorite tour), The Roots seem to fit right in.

One of Trotter’s favorite moments on stage came last New Year’s Eve at the Theatre of the Living Arts at Fourth and South. Philly hip-hop pioneer Schoolly D made an impromptu appearance and performed a medley of his hits.

When not touring or penning a classic, Trotter is pursuing his acting career and takes classes in Los Angeles, where he has a home. He already has nabbed in the lead in the independent film Brooklyn Babylon and appeared in Brown Sugar and Bamboozled. Ever-confident Trotter said he doesn’t fear the potentially negative label of rapper/actor.

By the way, all you casual music fans, the liner notes on any Roots album are must-reads. That’s where you can find out what Black Thought is saying in the chorus of Don’t Say Nuthin. Hint: The answer’s in the title.