"Game Theory" by the Roots: Hip Hop album of 2006

The Roots - "Game Theory"
Rating: 9.00000000001 / 10



With the gusto and enthusiasm of a stereoid-powered hyena, the Roots come pounding through the door on their seventh studio album, 2006's frighteningly apocalyptic "Game Theory", their first for Def Jams records. Of course, at this point, it almost seems as if it's illegal to mention The Roots without mentioning the fact that they are proud to be known as the world's greatest (maybe only,) true HIP HOP BAND. That's right, kiddos. Led by emcee Black Thought and drummer/renaissance man/world leader/afro-the-size-of-cuba ?uestlove (the ? is silent), their usage of live instruments, along with their supposedly extraordinary live show automatically ups their credibility among rock fans. The legendary Philadelphia phinest perfected their jazz-inflected moody hippety-hoppety on earlier classics such as "Do You Want More?!!!!?!??!" and "Illadelph Halflife". With 1999's "Things Fall Apart", they proved that YES! THEY DO WANT MORE?!!!!!!??!! by releasing one of the greatest hip hop albums of the twentieth century, standing alongside masterworks such as The Beastie Boys' "Check Your Head", Nas's "Illmatic", A Tribe Called Quest's "The Low End Theory" and Outkast's "Aquemini". In 2002, them Rootz confuzzled fans and critics alike with the head-spinning all-over-ze-place messterpiece that was "Phrenology". 2004's "The Tipping Point" brought them in a more traditional rap direction, filled to the brim with old-school nods and grooves galore. However, any fears of the group heading too far into bland conservatism are dissolved within a minute of "Game Theory".

Prior to the release date, ?uestlove described the album as "very mature, serious, and very dark", clearly moreso than any past user-friendly Roots record. He wasn't lying. The album is book-ended by tributes to the late producer J. Dilla: the intro, "Dilltastic Vol Won(derful)" and the poignant 8-plus-minute closer, "Can't Stop This". However, in between, there's really no time for eulogies - the first drum claps of "False Media" prove that the Roots are innit to winnit. From the dark, spoken-word chorus to the vivacious (yes) production, the track kicks arse. "That's why I don't rhyme for the sake of riddlin`, false media, we don't need it, do we?" *Orgasm*

The rest of the album never lets up the relentless, yet serious vibe. From the stomach-punching, Sly Stone-sampling, Malik B.-featuring assault of the title track to the Radiohead-sampling downbeat, solemn meditations of "Atonement" (for the record, it's "You and Whose Army"), this album further proves the notion that the Roots are the band to play to convert any of them genrelising, musically-prejudiced cockbags who claim that all rap is crap, or it's just talking over a beat, or any common variations of these ignorant slogans, really. But this album brings ze funk and ze rock and ze paranoia in equal measures. "Game Theory" will touch your heart, tap your feet, blow up your spleen and sleep with your mother in just 46.9 minutes (hip hop albums don't need to be 79 minute epics, you know *cough*Kanye!*cough*). Just listen to "Baby"! Concentrate on those funky "Ooh!"s and "Ahh!"s during the verses? I don't even know who the hell guest-star John-John of Nouveau Riche is, but this song makes me wanna find him and buy him an egg-salad sandwich at noon! "Livin` in a New World" features the same dude, and it's snazzy in a way I can't even begin to describe.

"Today's gonna be the day....we start livin` in a new world."

Poetry poetry poetry. And I don't even have room to describe the head-bumpin` intensity of the unmentioned tracks. It's besides the point. Just buy the album. And that other Roots album! And that other one! You know the one. With the thing on it.

Hip Hop album of the preceding year, fo` sho`.

"In this day and age, I'm kind of noticing that nobody in urban music really has the balls to just stop partying for one second," says ?uestlove. "I mean, partying is good and whatnot, and it's cool to get down, but I really think that 2006 called for a very serious record. This ain't the Debbie Downer record, or the political, save-the-world record, but this is definitely not the MC-based, battle-themed album that the Roots have been known for. This is our most serious record to date."
-?uestlove (Papa don't preach!)

(I feel oddly obliged to post a badass video somewhere around here, but Youtube seems to be down at the moment. Oh my! Good day.)

(c) 2007 by Hilbert_Cheesecake for Hilbert_Cheesecake productions