As usual, The Roots hit the road hard this year with a lengthy North American tour followed by a month-long stint in Europe, which wraps Dec. 19. After some South African dates, which will be filmed for a DVD, the band will head to Japan for a week in January. Then it's back to the US in February for another US/Canadian tour that, so far, runs into April.

Rapper Lupe Fiasco supports on several of the US dates.

The critically acclaimed Roots are backing their ninth album, "Game Theory," which surfaced in August and is the band's first release for Def Jam. The set follows 2004's "The Tipping Point," which was released on what was The Roots' longtime label, Geffen.

"Game Theory" is the darkest, most serious album the group has made in its 20-year career, drummer ?uestlove recently told MTV.

"A lion's share of this music was done during [the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina], which really explains the downer attitude of the record," he said.

The album and the song "Don't Feel Right" have been nominated for Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, respectively. Songs from the album are streaming at The Roots' MySpace page, which doubles as the group's official website.

Meanwhile, ?uestlove is already looking toward album No. 10.

"I want to be the first rap artist to actually make a good 10th record; that's my goal," ?uestlove told MTV. "[We're already] four songs into the next project."