Teaching you the Theory of the Game

The Roots have always been a sharp cornerstone of hip hop in America, especially on the East Coast. They have always brought nothing but heat with banging drums from ?uestlove and fire from the fire breathing dragon called Black Thought. I'll admit that I wasn't feeling The Roots from day one. I didn't start bobbing my head until "Illadelph Halflife" And even then I was just aware. Once "Things Fall Apart" dropped, I was open. The whole album came from a different angle than what I was used to. It grew on me daily, and pretty soon I had to get a new CD because it wore out. After that The Roots could not have done any wrong. Regardless of fans not appreciating these boys and giving them the respect that they deserved, and Black not being recognized as one of the coldest MCs... they still did their thing.



Game Theory is one of those CDs that I had to listen to seriously 5 times all the way through before I appreciated it. Each time there was something else that stood out to me. At first I felt that the production was lacking being that Scott Storch, the long time keyboardist of the group was missing. Then I hit the back button and started from the top again. All I kept hearing was Black spitting as usual, and that wasn't enough for me. Around that 4th and 5th time I was rocking, and the production was on point. I'm probably one of the few who feels that "The Tipping Point" was a quality album, but this album right here reminded me of what The Roots really were. They touch on most worldly topics in this album while at the same time flaring strings and guitars over slamming drums. They get political with "False Media." They let you know that something over at Geffen Records just "Don't Feel Right." Peedi Peedi spits nasty green phlegm all over "Long Time." And they even close the album out with a tribute to the great J. Dilla. The album actually is a complete Roots album. This IS a album that should be spinning a lot, and it could very easily be one of the highlights of Def Jam in recent years.

So, if you can uncover your third eye and open up your ears you might find yourself able to really appreciate the best Roots album since "Things Fall Apart." Go cop this, and beware that THIS IS TRUE HIP HOP AT ITS FINEST!

Over and Out DocBoone