Vol. 4, No. 6, June 2008
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CD Review
Rising Down The Roots • Def Jam
The legendary Roots are back with their eighth studio release, Rising Down, inspired by William T. Vollmann’s 2004 book, Rising Up and Rising Down: Some Thoughts on Violence, Freedom, and Urgent Means.
As always, the Roots offer biting social commentary via Ahmir ?uestlove Thompson’s ability to rock the tympanic membrane like none other, and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter’s masterful vocals, combining intelligent, conscious lyrics and the best flow in hip-hop.
Thompson calls the CD “probably our most political album to date, dealing with addiction, nihilism, hypocritical double standards in the prison system and overall life in Philadelphia. I’d say it’s more mature and intense than all of our efforts, but not a downer.”
The Roots are true pioneers, the forerunners to bands like Linkin Park and P.O.D. but with a lot more soul. The full-fledged five-piece rock band has some of the best drumming since the heyday of rock, and some of the most politically relevant lyrics as well. In “Rising Down,” Thought sings, “Between the green house gases/And earth spinning off its axis/Got Mother Nature doin’ backflips.”
Another unforgettable track is Thought’s 75-bar freestyle, an actual “Look Ma, no notebook” masterpiece. In it he uses the n-word more times than a Quentin Tarantino movie and delivers a poignant message. Other highlights include cameos from Malik B, Dice Raw, Mos Def and Talib Kweli.
Rising Down is the best record you’ll never hear on the radio—so buy it or download it or catch The Roots live when they play the House of Blues with Erykah Badu later this month.
