dat scene kid
06/28/08, 10:29 AM
The Roots - Rising Down
Record Label: Def Jam Records
Release Date: April 29, 2008
With their eighth-studio album, Rising Down, The Roots continue to dig deeper into the dark abyss they began exploring with Game Theory. The instrumentation follows their traditional jazzy beats, but the frequent use of synthesizers adds a brooding undertone to all the tracks. Lyrically, themes of environmental problems, inner-city crime, and racism riddle the album, leaving this work (which was named after William T. Vollman's book on violence) as the soundtrack to a nation in crisis with few solutions.
The opening title track (the first actual track, "The Pow Wow," is a fuzzy telephone conversation), sets the tone for the album nicely. Black Thought, along with guests Mos Def, Styles P, and Dice Raw, spit towards the many problems they see surfacing in modern American society. The chorus cuts: "Know where I'm goin' even when it's dark and being led down that road / Hello hello hello hello / You don't see that something's wrong, earth's spinnin outta control / Hello hello hello hello / Everything's for sale even souls someone get God on the phone." The echoing "hello" couples nicely with the lyrics to suggest an isolation and lack of answers form the problems displayed in the verses.
"@15" provides a short cut of Black Thought's machine-gun flow at age 15 before turning into a longer freestyle from grown Black Thought in "75 Bars (Black's Reconstruction)". The way he rides the beat is impressive, however none of his rhymes stick. "Criminal," "I Will Not Apologize," and "I Can't Help It" blend together and have nothing that particularly stands out, aside from an appearance from Talib Kweli in the chorus to "I Will Not Apologize."
However, "Singing Man" provides one of the darkest tracks, but brightest moments on the album. Dice Raw delivers: "Sing a song for me singing man" over swirling and chiming key presses and a thumping drumbeat. P.O.R.N., Black Thought, and Truck North, all deliver lyrically valuable verses concerning the youth's confusion and their subsequent turn towards violence. The anxiousness and confusion found in both the instrumentation and lyrics show the Roots doing what they do best: melding music and words together for one end.
The following track, "Unwritten," is my favorite track on the album, although it only clocks barely over a minute. Beautiful vocals by Mercedes Martinez are followed by Black Thought, whose metaphorical lyrics and stop-and-go flow on the track keep the listener on its toes.
The closing track (aside from a hidden track: an 8-minute freestyle from various MCs), "Rising Up," ties the album off on a hopeful note. The first single off the album, "Rising Up" features sporadic drum kicks from Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, before lapsing back-and-forth into a go-go beat. Black Thought shines over this beat and seems the most comfortable out of any cut from the album. The appearance of up-and-coming rapper Wale is equally satisfying. Coming from the D.C. Metro area, I've been listening to Wale for a while; he is immensely talented and all his mixtapes tribute go-go (which thrives in D.C.), so he is right at home on this track.
The guests on the album are the typical fare on any of The Roots records (Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, Malik B). However, none of these add substantially to any of the tracks they are featured on. Less well-known artists (Mercedes Martinez, Truck North, P.O.R.N., Wale) are those who really bring their styles to the table and add something with their appearances.
Although the album is extremely tight and diverse instrumentally, the lyrical side on the album falls short. Black Thought tends to the same tempo of flow throughout the majority of the album, leaving him sounding monotone. Likewise, although his lyrics stick to the theme of the album, their repetitiveness also feed towards the monotonous air of the album. He lacks the wit and wordplay found on Phrenology and Game Theory, and surfaces as one of the glaring disappointments on the album.
In general, the album falls a bit short of the bar usually set by The Roots, but remains levels above the majority of hip-hop released recently. They continue to deliver consciousness over trademark beats lead by musical genius ?uestlove. If this is what you are looking for when listening to The Roots, there is plenty to love on Rising Down.
Talib Kweli, Mos Def, The Roots' Game Theory, Public Enemy
myspace.com/theroots (http://www.myspace.com/theroots)
Record Label: Def Jam Records
Release Date: April 29, 2008
With their eighth-studio album, Rising Down, The Roots continue to dig deeper into the dark abyss they began exploring with Game Theory. The instrumentation follows their traditional jazzy beats, but the frequent use of synthesizers adds a brooding undertone to all the tracks. Lyrically, themes of environmental problems, inner-city crime, and racism riddle the album, leaving this work (which was named after William T. Vollman's book on violence) as the soundtrack to a nation in crisis with few solutions.
The opening title track (the first actual track, "The Pow Wow," is a fuzzy telephone conversation), sets the tone for the album nicely. Black Thought, along with guests Mos Def, Styles P, and Dice Raw, spit towards the many problems they see surfacing in modern American society. The chorus cuts: "Know where I'm goin' even when it's dark and being led down that road / Hello hello hello hello / You don't see that something's wrong, earth's spinnin outta control / Hello hello hello hello / Everything's for sale even souls someone get God on the phone." The echoing "hello" couples nicely with the lyrics to suggest an isolation and lack of answers form the problems displayed in the verses.
"@15" provides a short cut of Black Thought's machine-gun flow at age 15 before turning into a longer freestyle from grown Black Thought in "75 Bars (Black's Reconstruction)". The way he rides the beat is impressive, however none of his rhymes stick. "Criminal," "I Will Not Apologize," and "I Can't Help It" blend together and have nothing that particularly stands out, aside from an appearance from Talib Kweli in the chorus to "I Will Not Apologize."
However, "Singing Man" provides one of the darkest tracks, but brightest moments on the album. Dice Raw delivers: "Sing a song for me singing man" over swirling and chiming key presses and a thumping drumbeat. P.O.R.N., Black Thought, and Truck North, all deliver lyrically valuable verses concerning the youth's confusion and their subsequent turn towards violence. The anxiousness and confusion found in both the instrumentation and lyrics show the Roots doing what they do best: melding music and words together for one end.
The following track, "Unwritten," is my favorite track on the album, although it only clocks barely over a minute. Beautiful vocals by Mercedes Martinez are followed by Black Thought, whose metaphorical lyrics and stop-and-go flow on the track keep the listener on its toes.
The closing track (aside from a hidden track: an 8-minute freestyle from various MCs), "Rising Up," ties the album off on a hopeful note. The first single off the album, "Rising Up" features sporadic drum kicks from Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, before lapsing back-and-forth into a go-go beat. Black Thought shines over this beat and seems the most comfortable out of any cut from the album. The appearance of up-and-coming rapper Wale is equally satisfying. Coming from the D.C. Metro area, I've been listening to Wale for a while; he is immensely talented and all his mixtapes tribute go-go (which thrives in D.C.), so he is right at home on this track.
The guests on the album are the typical fare on any of The Roots records (Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, Malik B). However, none of these add substantially to any of the tracks they are featured on. Less well-known artists (Mercedes Martinez, Truck North, P.O.R.N., Wale) are those who really bring their styles to the table and add something with their appearances.
Although the album is extremely tight and diverse instrumentally, the lyrical side on the album falls short. Black Thought tends to the same tempo of flow throughout the majority of the album, leaving him sounding monotone. Likewise, although his lyrics stick to the theme of the album, their repetitiveness also feed towards the monotonous air of the album. He lacks the wit and wordplay found on Phrenology and Game Theory, and surfaces as one of the glaring disappointments on the album.
In general, the album falls a bit short of the bar usually set by The Roots, but remains levels above the majority of hip-hop released recently. They continue to deliver consciousness over trademark beats lead by musical genius ?uestlove. If this is what you are looking for when listening to The Roots, there is plenty to love on Rising Down.
Talib Kweli, Mos Def, The Roots' Game Theory, Public Enemy
myspace.com/theroots (http://www.myspace.com/theroots)