Avg Rating: 
4.3 ( 23 total votes )
The Roots are what every aspiring hip-hop group should hope to become. For nearly two decades now the legendary Philly crew have been making their music, their way. Over the course of eleven albums and countless live shows, The Roots have proven themselves to be artists of unparalleled dopeness and integrity. Sure, there have been some ups and downs. The group’s seen some line-up changes (can you believe Scott Storch used to be in The Roots?) and like everyone the recession has pushed them in new directions (they’re currently putting in work as the house … ...Read the full album review
Fans can also check out The Roots's previous albums: The Roots - undun | The Roots - Rising Down
DJBooth Album Review
The Roots are what every aspiring hip-hop group should hope to become. For nearly two decades now the legendary Philly crew have been making their music, their way. Over the course of eleven albums and countless live shows, The Roots have proven themselves to be artists of unparalleled dopeness and integrity. Sure, there have been some ups and downs. The group’s seen some line-up changes (can you believe Scott Storch used to be in The Roots?) and like everyone the recession has pushed them in new directions (they’re currently putting in work as the house band for The Late Show With Jimmy Fallon), but through it all their soul, their essence, has continued unabated. So we shouldn’t be at all surprised that their latest effort, the compact but fearless How I Got Over, is a more than worthy addition to their extraordinary catalog. Truth be told, there’s simply no touching The Roots – without getting burned, and on How I Got Over they’re as hot as ever.
There is this one thing though…
I want to end this review on a high note – in fact the Roots deserve for me to end this review on a high note – so let me get my complaining (some might call it whining) out of the way now: sweet baby jesus, would it kill you guys to make an enjoyable song again? Your last two albums Game Theory and Rising Down were supposed to be dark reflections of our troubled times, I understand that, I support that. But I was honestly relieved to hear that How I Got Over would acknowledge Obama’s election and be more buoyant and uplifting. What happened? This is only an uplifting album if you spend the last week in your house alone drinking and listening to Portishead. Just take the title track How I Got Over, a cut that’s damn good in its own right and that you’d think would be a song about triumph given the title. Nope. Although the bouncing beat at first may suggest an up-tempo cut, all hopes are dashed as soon as BlackThought kicks in with “we livin’ in a war zone like Rwanda.” I suppose Web 20/20 comes closest, although that’s more of a raw, hard hip-hop cut featuring Peedi Peedi and Truck North than anything designed to move a crowd. Hell, even The Fire, a gripping track featuring John Legend, is more darkness than light. I’m not asking for an auto-tuned club jam, I’m just asking for something that makes us happy to be alive. You know, like Proceed, or Hypnotic, or You Got Me or The Seed 2.0, or any of the other tracks you once made to remind us that while life is hard, it can also be joyous. Is that really too much to ask Roots?
There, I think it’s out of my system. Sorry. Now I can just fully appreciate some of the amazingly dope music we find on How I Got Over. The Roots have always been hip-hop ambassadors and on Got Over their a virtual United Nations of genres, bringing in, for example, The Monsters of Folk to deliver a moving hook on Dear God 2.0, and recruiting the eminently eclectic Joanna Newsom for the hauntingly beautiful Right On. And I can’t ignore their flip of John Legend’s infidelity anthem Doin It Again into a pounding, virtuoso banger. That spirit of creative adventure of course continues well beyond guest features, most notably on the bonus track Hustla. It may be more obvious than the subtle mechanisms driving tracks like Now or Never, but the way they flip the sound of a baby crying and a rattle into an ill beat? I mean, that’s one of those “oh s**t, only The Roots could pull this off” moments that define all their best albums. One of those moments only they could provide. The Day, Radio Daze, there’s not a weak moment to be found on How I Got Over, and how many albums can we truly say that about?
I’ve been listening to The Roots for long enough to feel comfortable saying How I Got Over isn’t one of their best albums, and not just because of the absence of feel good tracks. True, it’s expansive, but not as expansive as Phrenology, and it takes risks, but now as many as Game Theory. So what does that leave us with? That leaves us with an album we’re lucky to have, an album that most hip-hop artists couldn’t even dream of making. Respect The Roots crew.
Listen to More: The Roots Written by Nathan S.
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Member Reviews and Ratings
Average Member Rating: Total Ratings: 23
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Tastemaker  Total Ratings: 433 |
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 I feel like this album is a return to their laid-back sound. "Rising Down" was great, and very up-beat. Not in the way Nathan wants it in talking about lyric-wise but with production and electronic beats. "How I Got Over" is a little more mellow with the typical controversies The Roots tend to deliver with their lyrics as of late.
I really like this album, and it will be a great edition as one of the best hip-hop albums of the year. 4/5. |
| Posted on Jun 22, 2010 |
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Tastemaker  Total Ratings: 908 |
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Best way to say it is a 3.5 from the The Roots is a normal artist's/band's 5.
4 from me; going to be playing it a lot but maybe not as much as some of the other releases this year, which isn't an insult to this album. It's just a wonderful year for music. Favourite tracks are "The Day", "Radio Daze" and the title-track. Not really any bad tracks on here at all, though. It's the type of music only The Roots can produce, as Nathan said. Legends in the finest form. |
| Posted on Jun 22, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 189 |
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a softer feeling than most of The Roots' albums, but they still do it well.
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| Posted on Jun 22, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 103 |
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The album's overall mellow vibe is something I truly appreciate from The Roots. While maybe one uplifting/dance-oriented/higher-tempo cut would have been nice, I found myself sinking into the stories that unfolded in almost every track. Much respect to them for putting Blu on too, I hope he's on your radar by now.
Favorites (no particular order): Radio Daze Doin' It Again Dear God 2.0 Web 20/20 The Fire Thank you Legendary Roots Crew. |
| Posted on Jun 22, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Crew  Total Ratings: 906 |
Havent listened to this yet, but Im feeling nathan when he says that he misses the "feel good" roots. I used to love to cruise around to Do you want more?!? and it always put me in a good mood. The recent albums are good, but I dont listen to them as often because I find them depressing in some respects.
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| Posted on Jun 22, 2010 |
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Tastemaker Total Ratings: 433 |
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@d mac: Especially "Things Fall Apart"...am I right. Thats a tough album to listen to.
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| Posted on Jun 23, 2010 |
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I think these guys are just getting old and mellowed out. Priorities change. There isn't any of the fire that made their previous albums enjoyable to listen to. Sure, if there wasn't the past, then this would be a pretty good album, maybe, but their style has changed. I'm just bored now.
I feel as if Game Theory was their last hurrah, the last time they were and will be in the mainstream of the public. It's like they've retired from the main stage. Guess it's time for me to move on. |
| Posted on Jun 23, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Crew  Total Ratings: 2476 |
d mac said in a few words what I took an entire review to say. This album, like their last few efforts, contains amazing quality, but they're not albums I want to listen to over and over again. When I'm in the moood for some Roots, I'm basically picking up Phrenology and everything before.
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| Posted on Jun 23, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 97 |
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I give this a 4/5 ..near perfect album.
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| Posted on Jun 23, 2010 |
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Tastemaker  Total Ratings: 360 |
Excellent musically, haven't given enough time or focus to actually consider the rating i'd give to it..
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| Posted on Jun 25, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 21 |
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im not sure if the roots have lost their vibe or not but it sounds pretty good. I NEVER see a 5 star product for an album on here so im just gonna give it to the 23 YEAR OLD BAND. good job roots
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| Posted on Jun 29, 2010 |
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roots roastasd
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| Posted on Jun 30, 2010 |
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| Posted on Jul 04, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 12 |
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Way too many guest MC verses. For this to be their last album, there's far too little of Black Thought on it.
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| Posted on Jul 07, 2010 |
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The roots are so good and this is another gold album from them. I gotta get some reviews of their new stuff on my blog http://www.badhabitatmusic.com they are one of my personal favorite hip hop groups of all time.
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| Posted on Jul 09, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 7 |
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black thought= the most consistent MC ever. beats are all on point. the arrangements are like no other hip hop crew out there
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| Posted on Jul 12, 2010 |
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| Posted on Jul 14, 2010 |
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Love this album. Easily the best of the year so far.
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| Posted on Aug 02, 2010 |
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| Posted on Aug 07, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 84 |
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Once again the hit roll in
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| Posted on Aug 21, 2010 |
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| Posted on Oct 12, 2010 |
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Gettin better and better...love it!this is what i call a dope classic album they know how to do it!soft clean instrumental great lyrics...
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| Posted on Oct 27, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 143 |
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wat can you say...its the roots doing what they do best.
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| Posted on Nov 05, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 10 |
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each album i expect somethin gud and each album they deliver
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| Posted on Dec 07, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 13 |
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A no-brainer - instant classic.
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| Posted on Dec 16, 2010 |
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DJ Booth Member Total Ratings: 13 |
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A no-brainer - instant classic.
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| Posted on Dec 16, 2010 |
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| Posted on Aug 19, 2011 |
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