I'll save the biography of the Roots beginnings for when I get to Do You Want More?!?!?!!!?. However, it's still a good idea to get the background of what was going on in the group's world before this album hit store shelves back in June. In 2004, The Roots released Tipping Point, which many have argued, and I'm one of them, that it was their weakest effort to ever come out from them. The boys from Philly responded in a big way though, releasing Game Theory in 2006. Not only did the album garner a Best Rap Album nomination at the 2007 Grammys, but it helped gain back some of the respect The Roots had lost after Tipping Point. Game Theory was a much darker effort from The Roots, addressing political issues such as media influence ("False Media") and the increasing gap between the rich and poor ("Don't Feel Right"). The Roots had always been creative with their sounds, yet, Game Theory signaled a new direction for the aging artists. No longer were The Roots just a musical group, but one with a purpose.
The Roots followed the critically acclaimed Game Theory with another strong album in 2008, Rising Down. The group built upon their sounds from Theory, making an even darker set of tracks than the one before it. This time, the group addressed issues such as global warming ("Rising Down"), police discrimination ("Criminal"), and claimed that they were the hope in a dying hip hop culture ("Rising Up"). Although the album didn't attract as much attention as Theory, it was still moderately successful. Rising Down debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200 and ended up selling over 170,000 copies when it was all said and done. Rising Down showed progress for The Roots in two ways. The first was that, despite making an album that was largely not mainstream, they could still sell. The other was their progression as a group in general. The Roots could have went a different direction after Theory, aiming for something that would appeal more to the masses such as their earlier album, Things Fall Apart. They didn't though, and instead pushed the bar even higher by making a more complex and driven album than even Game Theory may have been.
In March of 2009, The Roots agreed to be the late night band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. I must admit that I was a major skeptic when I first saw this deal announced. How could The Roots continue to make serious, well-thought music, when they had an obligation to the Fallon show? My skepticism grew even more when I heard in spring of 2009 that The Roots were indeed planning on releasing another studio album in the somewhat near future. They released their first single "How I Got Over" in June that year, but nothing followed after, and their original release date of October 20th was pushed back. Somehow though, ?uestlove and Black Thought (the two founders of the group) managed to put the album together and it was released on June 22nd, earlier this year. How though, could The Roots possibly make music on the level of their previous two albums, especially in a "Bedrock" society, where the temptations to make forgettable, but a quick selling single, were greater than ever? Could The Roots stay true to who they were?
These questions and others are all answered here in my review of How I Got Over. . .
How I Got Over
Release Date: June 22nd, 2010
Label: Def Jam
1. A Peace of Light ft. Amber Coffman, Angel Deradoorian, & Hayley Dekle
Raise your hand if you thought this was an intro. Okay, that's just about everyone. Yes, this is an intro and I will comment on it for one reason. This song, which is pretty boring for the most part, transitions seamlessly into the next track and it sets the mood for the entire album. It is an intro, but it's an intro with a purpose, and that should mean something.
2. Walk Alone ft. Truck North, P.O.R.N., & Dice Raw
I can already tell I'm going to like this album just from hearing the first real song on here. Starting with the piano in the background, The Roots set a dark, opening tone for How I Got Over. I love Truck North's opening verse, especially the line, "Trapped, no shield, no sword/The unbeaten path got my soul so sore/Allured by the lust, something money can't cure/The Devil want me as is, but God he want more." Dice Raw is a great addition for the chorus as well on this. I also was a fan of the tambourines that you hear after Black Thought's verse. The Roots are excellent at creating unique sounds, and this track is a great showcase of it.
3. Dear God 2.0 ft. Monsters of Folk
This is, without a doubt, one of the most moving songs I've heard in a longg time. I could talk for days about the messages that Black Thought, real name Tariq Trotter, tries to convey here, but I'll try and sum it up the best I can. First, the Monsters of Folk opening hook is reason enough to start thinking. I get the impression that Thought is sitting in a church, or maybe at home, and he decides to try and reach God when this song opens. Hence the title, "Dear God". Once Folk's hook ends, Thought takes over and spits, quite possibly, the best two verses I've heard this year. Just look at the lines: "They said he’s busy hold the line please/Call me crazy, I thought maybe he could mind read," or, "Terrorist, crime sprees, assaults, and robberies/Cops yellin' stop, freeze/Shoot him before he try to leave/Air quality so foul, I gotta try to breath/Endangered species/And we runnin' out of trees/If I could hold the world in the palm of these/Hands, I would probably do away with these anomalies". The Roots give Thought a superb beat, including a bass line and harp that even add more to the power of this song. This is a song that gives me hope, not just for hip hop, but music in general.
4. Radio Daze ft. Blu, P.O.R.N., & Dice Raw
It's hard to pinpoint what this song is all about, but regardless, it still rocks. Dice Raw is once again on the hook, and again, he does a great job. The hook is also extremely catchy (I actually found myself mumbling it when I would wait in lines shortly after this was released). Blu's verse is good, as well as P.O.R.N.'s, but it's no surprise that Thought is the star of the show for the third consecutive track. I thought that Trotter had hit his lyrical peak after The Roots previous two albums. I'm glad I guessed wrong though, because he is just ridiculous so far on this.
5. Now or Never ft. Phonte & Dice Raw
The first time I heard this, I really wasn't feeling it. After such strong and somewhat more upbeat track in "Radio Daze", this was a dramatic change. The hook is average, and the drums and bass behind it are somewhat forgettable. However, after giving it a few more spins, this definitely grew on me. Dice Raw actually raps a verse on this, on which he sounds very good. It's a good song due to the lyrics provided by Trotter, Phonte, and Raw. It just won't stick with me as much as the previous three.
6. How I Got Over ft. Dice Raw
Man, Raw should just be considered a full-fledged member of The Roots after this. I don't think anyone would object to this idea either, trust me. Raw provides the catchiest hook of the entire work, with the lines Out on the streets, where I grew up /First thing they teach us, not to give a fuck/That type of thinking can get you nowhere /Soooome-onnnne haaaas tooooo care." ?uestlove makes his presence felt more on this than any other track so far, which is also a good thing. The drums, bass, and guitar are fantastic on this. As for lyrics, well, should you expect anything less from Black Thought? Surprisingly, he actually sings part of the song, something I didn't even find out until I searched for the lyrics to it. I can also tell that there is some serious influence from their house band project on this song. I can easily see them playing this as a track on Late Night and there is definitely some jazz incorporated in it. The Roots though, started out as a hip hop band that thrived in the hip hop/jazz fusion in the early 90's. Seeing a return to, well, their roots is a great thing to hear.
7. DillaTUDE: The Flight of Titus
Interlude (although it's a smart move by the band as it transitions from the upbeat "How I Got Over", to a much, much more laid back "The Day").
8. The Day ft. Blu, Phonte, & Patty Crash
From the first time I heard the hook, I knew this is probably a filler track on the album. Patty Crash's appearance was maybe not the best selection in my opinion. This track is not a bad filler by any means (I still catch myself playing this through just because it blends well with the album). However, it's not a song that can really stand by itself. While much of the album addresses real world issues, this is a song that doesn't address any and tries to be more uplifting. Phonte's line of "even a 3-legged dog has still got three good legs to lose," is pretty awesome though.
9. Right On ft. Joanna Newsom & STS
Another great effort from ?uestlove and the gang on this. Owen Biddle's bass line is really, really good, and ?uest's drums accompany the overall feel very well. Apart from the strength in the song musically, the deliveries by both Thought and STS are also good. Thought is maybe weaker on this than previous tracks, but it's hard to follow what he performed earlier in the album. This time also, Newsom's hook sounds much better than Crash's in "The Day".
10. Doin It Again ft. John Legend
This is the first of two tracks where John Legend is featured, but he plays a pretty small role since he's just on a four-line chorus. Instead Black Thought is the main attraction as he's on the mic for both verses. A very up tempo song, it sounds fantastic. Thought absolutely obliterates the two times he appears here. He comes out with lines such as "Knowing I'm sowing seeds, let's see whose thumb is the greenest/If I said I mean it, I did it because I need it/Eat, sleep it or bleed it, write it down and then read it/Asphalt to the cement, your trash talk, delete it/I blast off then lay 'em out like a Tempur-Pedic" and "Doin' it again just like Poitier and Cosby/I'm like Martin Luther King, you like Rodney/The difference is I give it everything inside me/Dear diary, the fans still swear by me/Even though I'm Late Night now like "Here's Johnny". His delivery here is also the hardest of the entire album, proving how diverse Thought can be when given the chance to rap. It's a short track, but who cares, just put it on repeat again, and again.
11. The Fire ft. John Legend
If any song should get you excited to go out and buy Wake Up!, this one is it. For starters, the piano loop on "The Fire" immediately gets your blood pumping. It's simple, but one you'd want to listen to when you're looking for an adrenaline booster before a game. Thought's verses are inspirational, adding to the "pump-up" factor this song has. There are so many good lines, and I don't know how you wouldn't want to just go do something after you hear, "One love, one game, one desire/One flame, one rhyme, fire/Let it burn higher/I never/showed signs of fatigue/Or turned tired/cause I’m the definition of tragedy turned triumph". The real highlight of this song however, is Legend. He provides easily the best hook of the entire album. It doesn't surprise me that Legend meshes with The Roots so well. Although he's strictly an R&B artist, his addition to almost any hip hop song is a good one. I don't know if this is the best song on the album, but shit, it's close.
12. Tunnel Vision
Interlude.
13. Web 20/20 ft. Peedi Peedi & Truck North
AHHHH! Why was this track selected? This sounds like something I'd find on Tipping Point, not How I Got Over. The beat is so bad, I can't even keep this on for more than a few seconds. What the hell were ?uest and Thought doing when they decided to include this? Something tells me, I really don't want to know.
There is a bonus track on How I Got Over.
14. Hustla ft. STS
Again, a song that doesn't fit with the overall theme of How I Got Over and one that seems recycled from Tipping Point. Thought and STS, to their credit, sound very good on their verses, but after I listened to "Dear God 2.0" and "The Fire", I can't get in the mood to give this a spin. I'll hit the skip button quick so I can get to the next Roots album in my library, Illadelph Halflife.
Closing Statement: How I Got Over is very similar to that huge final you actually decided to work your ass off and study for. You put in hours, and hours, hoping that this exam will be your pride and joy of the finals season. You get there, roll through the first 48 questions, but then get dumbfounded by the final two. Your dreams of a perfect score crash down, and that test that you literally needed to get a 100 on to bump that A- to an A, comes up just short. In How I Got Over, The Roots are unbelievable from tracks 2-11. Some of the best Roots songs ever are on here, including: "Dear God 2.0", "The Fire", and "How I Got Over". There aren't many fillers, except for maybe "The Day", and the album keeps a very cohesive theme throughout. Unfortunately, there are two aspects that hinder this from being the best Roots album in their collection. For one, "Web 20/20" and "Hustla" are both tracks that should never have made it on the album. Not only are they the weakest tracks found here, but they don't even fit with the overall feel that How I Got Over has. It's almost better to exclude them completely when you listen to How I Got Over, meaning just listen to tracks 1-11. The other problem with this album is it's length. Excluding "Hustla" and "Web 20/20", there is only around 34 minutes of actual song that shows up. While I don't usually criticize artists for shorter albums (I actually am a fan of them because it indicates to me that there is less fillers) this one left me yearning for more. The material on here was so good, I was almost depressed when it ended so abruptly. However, that still doesn't prevent me from playing over these tracks again and again, which I have done a lot since I picked this up in June. How I Got Over is still a tremendous achievement from The Roots, mostly because of the time it was released. The Roots continue to make real music. They create music that will make you think and is meant to be listened to, rather than played.
The Verdict: Absolutely buy this album as soon as you can. I don't care if you're into 50 Cent, or Lady GaGa, or hell, even Keith Urban. This is not just great hip hop, but great music. Listen to the messages that ?uestlove and Black Thought try to convey on here and then just sit and think about them. An album that can make you think and still enjoy? That is something to cherish.
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