The Roots

After years of being a non-threatening gateway group for green hip-hop listeners who were comforted by the band's live jazz and rock instrumentation, The Roots have emerged as a take-no-prisoners force on recent albums, throwing down angry, terse, minor-key rap baked in political and racial discontentment. Their loaded new disc, Rising Down, is their most militant yet, but the band's outrage hasn't tainted their live shows, which still aim for the masses that just want to have a good time. The openers on their current tour, which stops at the Rave tonight at 8 p.m., suggest a particularly unaffected evening: Gym Class Heroes keep their emo-rap novelty songs as featherweight as possible, while R&B singer Estelle, every bit the talent you'd expect from a protégé of John Legend and Kanye West, has an ear for tropical-tinged, escapist pop.