I must say that I am not a huge rap music fan. However, I do appreciate
any well made music. And this album has got everything that any music fan can appreciate.
Great production values with a dash of old school make this one of the finest albums to
come out in a few years.
The one radio hit off this album is “You Got Me”, which is
performed with Erykah Badu (a fine slice of chocolate silk). Now, this song shows what is
really cool about the Roots - at the end of the song, it degenerates into something no rap
act does. The beat speeds up, and you get a rap-informed taste of European electronic
dance percussion. Electronica has long been the bastard child of hip-hop, and no other
acts out there seem to acknowledge the connection with the style that the Roots have. They
also have taken another cue from the electronic industry - instead of the wholesale
sampling of old songs, they rely on quirky homemade samples of odd percussion and good ole
record scratchin’. Songs like this, such as “Without a Doubt”, are some of
the highlights of this album.
The beats are nice and smooth, the way only great old school jazz
can be - sparse with impeccable timing. And the rhymes are top notch as well; not once
will you hear about some fool's “thug life” and how many bitches are riding his
cock. Just straight up, in-your-face grooves about their home town and their wordsmith
prowess. It kinda reminds me of a serious version of De La Soul.
The thing that makes this album truly badass is the fact that the
guys can be completely macho without all the pretentious streak that runs through all
modern rap. They don't come across as a bunch of high school dropouts who “grew up on
the street,” but rather a bunch of musicians who love to make really complex rap
songs that sound excellent throughout. It is the best modern rap album I have heard this
decade.
