The Roots may be the greatest rap group of all time. With their quantity of music they’ve made over the years, they make a strong case. How I Got Over, their 9th studio album, further cements The Roots’ place in hip-hop immortality. There’s a lot of things to cover here, so let us get started:
Lyrically, this record is everything you would expect a Roots album to be. There isn’t one wack verse on the entire album, only ones that pale in comparison to that of Black Thought. For instance on “Web 20/20”, both Truck North and Peedi Peedi lay down great lines. However, Black Thought seems
to come by and sweep everybody off their feet: “Act like an activist/ You know, active/ Nigga like me just, has to spit acid/ Sucka like you just, has to get blasted/ Ashes to ashes/ Frazier to Cashis” Despite that, Blu and Phonte both hold their own on their features. On “Radio Daze”, Blu seems to fit right in, sounding like a veteran Roots affiliate: “Damn, they say he’s the bastard for chasing ‘em/ Maybe it’s the patterns that make me that way, crazy”; while Phonte drops real bars that are appreciated and echo the tone of the album, “Moms was out the picture, and Pops, I barely knew him/ And I would pray to God, but I’m tired of lying to him”. The apex of lyricism comes in the album’s lead single, “Dear God 2.0”. Go figure, lead single and apex of lyricism being one in the same. Although the single’s been out for a month, it’s haunting and awing effects are still ripe. Lyrics have never been an issue on a Roots album and there’s no change here. As this is their 9th installment, one may expect this record to be more ‘grown-up’ and they would be correct. But don’t be mistaken, Black Thought hasn’t lost a step; he’s probably gained a couple. If anything, you may be slightly disappointed that there isn’t more Thought on the record, but his verses are enough to survive on, and are surrounded by a plethora of quality guest verses.
to come by and sweep everybody off their feet: “Act like an activist/ You know, active/ Nigga like me just, has to spit acid/ Sucka like you just, has to get blasted/ Ashes to ashes/ Frazier to Cashis” Despite that, Blu and Phonte both hold their own on their features. On “Radio Daze”, Blu seems to fit right in, sounding like a veteran Roots affiliate: “Damn, they say he’s the bastard for chasing ‘em/ Maybe it’s the patterns that make me that way, crazy”; while Phonte drops real bars that are appreciated and echo the tone of the album, “Moms was out the picture, and Pops, I barely knew him/ And I would pray to God, but I’m tired of lying to him”. The apex of lyricism comes in the album’s lead single, “Dear God 2.0”. Go figure, lead single and apex of lyricism being one in the same. Although the single’s been out for a month, it’s haunting and awing effects are still ripe. Lyrics have never been an issue on a Roots album and there’s no change here. As this is their 9th installment, one may expect this record to be more ‘grown-up’ and they would be correct. But don’t be mistaken, Black Thought hasn’t lost a step; he’s probably gained a couple. If anything, you may be slightly disappointed that there isn’t more Thought on the record, but his verses are enough to survive on, and are surrounded by a plethora of quality guest verses.
Production wise, the album is phenomenal. A Roots record always sounds so different compared to any other typical rap LP, with this album exemplifying that. The album’s beginnings have a fuzzy and dazed sound to them; tracks 1 through 5 seem to be shrouded in a cloudy, ominous atmosphere. It’s masterful as the flickering snares of “Dear God 2.0” accompanied by the eerie and longing hook, create the perfect canvas for Black Thought to spazz out. This cloudy feeling is broken by, “How I Got Over” and it’s buoyant percussion, almost kicking the album in gear. Optimistic songs like, “The Day” and “Right On” follow; with the latter boasting a foreign sample for a hook, helping create a steady, yet erratic bounce that is somewhat new to The Roots but blends in perfectly. “Doin’ It Again” contains a verse from Black Thought that was already showcased in the 2009 BET Cipher, but the song is salvaged for two reasons: one — The verse is fire, and two — the song may be the best produced cut on the album, which is saying something. The sheer energy that the powerful drum strokes bring, as well as John Legend’s voice in the backdrop, almost acting like a sample, helps make this song great. The awesomeness of the lyrics matches the production on the album, a great feat. It probably shouldn’t be a surprise, with Black Thought on one end, and ?uestlove on the other.
How I Got Over is a great album, The Roots‘ best since 2000. Its quality can be shown in its worst songs. “The Fire” is arguably the worst song on the album, however it’s still a pretty decent jam (being the opening song for the Olympics and all). With jaw dropping and mind boggling lyrics, along with banging production, this album may be the best of the year. The Roots said the record was inspired by the election of Obama and the positivity he brought about. With music like this, let’s hope for 4 more years.
The Roots - Dear God 2.0 (Ft. Monsters Of Folk) by Henele
The Roots - Radio Daze (Ft. Blu P.O.R.N. & Dice Raw) by Henele
The Roots - Web 20/20 (Ft. Pedi Pedi & Truck North) by Henele
A strong compilation for sure! A little bit more grown up then I wanted but the lyricism helped me get over that quickly.
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