The Roots are a complete jazz band that adds in rapping, while perform all of their songs with their own instruments. With all the instruments being used, there were quite a few members in the group, but they were mostly lead by rappers Black Thought and Malik B, and drummer ?uestlove. While the group achieved critical acclaim and grew a small fan base following the release of this album, the majority of hip-hop fans either didn't care about this album or didn't know it was released. However, most of the loyal roots fans claim this to be the groups best effort. The music was jazzier than any of their later work and Black Thought is at his very best. Looking back, this was a critical album for the roots that gave them a loyal fan base that eventually grew to epic proportions after their next two albums.
The albums music is incredibly jazzy, building off the success of A Tribe Called Quest, who the roots say they were greatly influenced by. While most hip-hop heads acknowledge Black Thought as a great rapper, I still think he falls under the category of "Most Underrated Rappers of All Time." Mix all that together and you have the reasons why this album is beloved by roots fans and kind of got them noticed. (?uestlove's Afro might have had something to do with them getting noticed as well)
Of course this is all knowledge based off my previous listens of the record, so lets see how it sounds this time around.
1. Intro/ There's Something Going On
The roots lets us know that a Philly based rap ground and that we're about to hear some "organic hip-hop and jazz." This is followed by a nice minute long musical introduction that nicely eased us into the album.
2. Proceed
This is a classic roots song that's been remixed thousands of times. I've always preferred the original songs to remixes, with a few exceptions. Same thoughts apply to this song, as it beautifully demonstrates the jazz that continues throughout the album. Black Thought and Malik B sound razor sharp throughout the song and start the album off on the right foot.
3. Distortion to Static
Spoiler alert: this is the best track on the album. Released as the first single of the album, the group builds on the momentum created by the previous song. Black Thought completely incinerates the beat, giving one of his best verses on the album, while Malik B doesn't sound too bad either. One of my favorite aspects of this track is the demented laugh they put in place of the hook. Seriously, who else could release a single with the hook being pure laughter. The track fittingly ends with the sound of white noise. GREAT song.
4. Mellow My Man
This is another roots track that is considered "classic roots material." For me though, this track never really did it for me. By no means is it a bad song, but it didn't do much to separate itself from the rest of the album. With that being said, the beat is still great and shows why people love the roots.
5. I Remain Calm
Another great song. Black Thought and Malik B destroy the largely keyboard and horn based beat. Thought's flow is just impeccable and keeps the album rolling nicely. My only complaint is the incredibly annoying sample that you undoubtably hear if you reading this while listening along.
6. Datskat
I have no idea how to write a review for this song, but i'll try to get my point across. This isn't a good song but I love it, mostly because of its hook. More than likely you won't like this as much as me, so you have my permission to skip it after your first listen.
7. Lazy Afternoon
The crazy momentum created by the previous songs finally slows down a bit on this track. This is still pretty good though, as it shows Thoughts ability to tell a bit of a story. Overall, this is a nice songs that just fails to compare to its predecessors. Also, if you know me and my obsession with A Tribe Called Quest, then you know I appreciated the "Electration Relaxation" reference.
8. ? Vs. Rahzel
The roots dedicate an entire track to a battle between their drummer, ?uestlove, and their beatboxer, Rahzel. For what it is, this sound very good but I can't see myself giving this one too many more listens.
9. Do You Want More?!!!??!
The song get a crazy buildup with the base and bagpipes, which are impressively added into the flow of their album. The Roots complements the build up perfectly and gives one of his better verses on the album. This is great but be warned, this is a one-verse wonder and the second half of the song is basically the roots asking cities if they want more.
10. What Goes On Pt. 7 (Feat. Elo)
The song sound pretty good but tends to get lost in the bulk of the album. When Elo's time to rap comes, we are hit with one of the weirdest things I've ever heard in a rap song. Elo's verse floats from one place to another throughout your headphones and is basically moving side from side. You really have to hear this to know what I'm talking about. He sounds nice but that's all I could remember from the track. When the songs over, a long introduction for the next song begins.
11. Essaywhuman?!!!??!
This is one of the songs that also appears on "Organix". The roots really sound like they're just having a jam session and having a great time while they're at it. This was just a fun song to listen to, although Black Thoughts rapping tends to be all over the place and he never establishes a real flow.
12. Swept Away
Like the on the rest of the album, Black Thought and Malik B sound good but this is an extremely miscellaneous song that you will likely forget when the next song begins. Also, this is one of the worst beats on the album so if you're looking for a redeeming quality for this track, it's time to look elsewhere.
13. You Ain't Fly
There's not much substance to the lyrics but this is one of my favorite beats on the album. This is an interesting song though, as ?uestlove actually raps, and he does so quite well.
14. Silent Treatment
Released as the groups third and final single of the album, "Silent Treatment" is dubbed as a classic roots song. Releasing love raps was the thing to do in the mid-nineties, so the roots felt the need to give their contribution. This album was different from everything else in this era, so they probably should have kept the trend going and passing on this song, as it's not very good.
15. The Lesson Part 1
This song is on all sorts of a different level. All of the song's musical backdrop is provided by the beat boxing of the Rahzel, which already makes this an admirable song. Dice Raw, a common roots affiliate, makes his first appearence to the world. He completely overshadows the rest of the roots on here and delivers one of the best verses of the entire album. This was definitely a highlight of the album.
16. The Unlocking
It doesn't get more "classic roots" than this: a 8 minute long, spoken word outro, followed by a hidden track or skit at the end of the album. All this happens at the end of all of the roots albums. As for the track, this never had a chance with me. I hate spoken word tracks, although Ursula Rucker does a fine job. After a 3 minute silence, we finally get the hidden track, which is just Rahzel giving a Kung fu impersonation.
Rating: 4/5
If we're calling this The Root's true debut, then it's one of the best debut albums I've ever heard. The majority of the problems are just results of new artists trying to find out how they're going to do things. For the most part, the middle of
the album falls flat and can't continue the insane momentum created by the first six tracks. If you're just looking for the best possible albums to listen to, then you should opt for one of their next two albums. In the case of you wanting to get into the Roots and develop a hip-hip collection, then either this or "Organix" would be a fantastic place to start.