 Philadelphia hip-hop ensemble the Roots definitely live up to their name -- this six-piece group does not use a DJ or samplers, relying instead on innovative rhymecraft, jazzy instrumentation and an actual human drummer to give them their distinctive "organic" sound.
Formed at a Philadelphia art school in 1987, the Roots played on streetcorners and in local talent shows before being invited to play a festival in Germany in 1993. After recording a limited-edition album called Organix to sell on tour, theband headed to Europe and wowed audiences with their amazing live sets. Word spread stateside about this groundbreaking rap act, and the band soon landed adeal with Geffen, who released the album "Do You Want More?!!!??!" in early 1995. Although ignored in rap circles, the album was a crossover hit with alternative music fans, many of whom caught the band on that summer's Lollapalooza tour.
The Roots gave in to commercial pressures for their 1996 follow-up effort "Illadelph Halflife", using samples on a few tracks and permitting a censored version of the album to appear in chain stores. This artistic compromise paid off -- thealbum won over rap fans, outsold their debut and spawned the hit single "Keep It Real"(which featured an extremely clever video). In 1997 the band joined other "college rap" groups such as the Pharcyde and Cypress Hill on the Smokin' Grooves package tour.
Sometimes in order to move forward, you have to step back. Shying away from the cracked, free-form jams of their previous album, 2002's "Phrenology", the Roots return to the more traditional boom-bap-cum-Native Tongues aesthetic of their previous work on "The Tipping Point", especially on tracks such as "Stay Cool" and "Boom," although they've also adopted a more muscular and jagged sound, on display on the album's first single, "Don't Say Nuthin'." And while ?uestlove and crew lay down some of their hardest-hitting rhythms to date, this is clearly lyricist Black Thought's show. Whether affecting the flow of Kool G. Rap on "Boom," taking aim at George W. Bush on "Why," or spitting a raucous verse on the instantly gratifying basement blues of "The Mic," Black Thought is at the top of his game and establishes himself here as one of the premier lyrical stylists in the game.
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