Rising Down. What Else needs to be Said? The Roots are going down, way down...
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I hate to admit it, but I am glad I didnt buy this album. I have a big dilema with this. I usually dont mind if I dont like a cd after buying it, because I am "supporting the cause." The charity so to speak being the music industry, and as someone who tells themself that one day someone will buy a disk of sorts that I am singing on.... I buy albums. Sometimes even twice.
White people really like the Roots. White people really love ?uestlove. I dont. He was really rude to me about a year ago, when all I was trying to do was give him a high five for playing my favorite Sunshine Anderson song ( see " what I am listening to...") and he was a dick. High fives are amazing. He missed out. Just like he did producing some of the weakest tracks on the failed effort "Rising Down." And Down the Roots fell. For sure.
Just because I dont like it doesnt make it bad. That goes for all things, including leychee flavored anything, soy milk and mustard. I find them to be fowl, many adore them.
This album is interesting.. in that nothing blends, each track, for me, is far too distinctive and ends up sounding random. The whole damn thing is random, and while trying to accomplish "otherness" it fails, miserably. The title explains it all, as if they were setting themselves up for the Downward spiral straight to shelf-land and Warptour disaster.
Its a sad day when the only songs you like feature a dude named "Porn," but of course I liked "I Will Not Appologize," because when I looked in the insert ( and i read everything, including thank-yous) it sampled Fela Kuti. Which brought a smile to my face, "I do have musical taste afterall, I am not trippin like BlackThought....."
And that brings me to my final point; BlackThought... step your rap game up homie. Come on now... For real... I cant even quote that shit, it was so simple and elementarty, with a nod to horrific popular booty-popping pills- MTV rap that I just pressed skip. Like I am doing with this whole damn cd.... Next ( I am still vibin to "Seed and Break You Off from the last cd)
Comments (7)
i'm slightly more enthusiastic than you but not much. i played the cd about 4 times and that was it.
honestly I dont even think its about the music anymore, their ego is ridic. Im over it, I will just continue to rotate their old stuff
Hard to read this since they're phellow Philadelphians. But, like you point out, there's always the older stuff.
WOW...dishin' tha dirt
ummm this white ppl loves HENDRIX
hahah welcome to MOG
RAWK
I am a HUUUUGE Roots fan. I don't understand your claims. I have every Roots album and I think that there music has just evolved with time. You talked about how the songs are random, the album is about current state of society. 'Lost Desire,' 'Sining man' is about suicide bombers, school shootings. I honestly think that it is a great album. Just because artist aren't making the happy songs that you used to make, doesn't make their music bad. I don't know, maybe this album wasn't made for you.
P.S. I have been to three roots' shows, and before I leave the show, I have shaken the hand of atleast 3 of the band members. ?uesto included.
well, and if you read my review carefully, I state that just because I dont like it, doesnt mean that someone wont, or that its not good...? right? To each is own, and my experience is different from everyones, but I am glad that ?uest wasnt an asshole to you :)
I gotta admit, I like their older stuff better. Illadelph Halflife is still my favorite, followed by Do You Want More, but I think this is a good album. Either way, I think Thought is one of the sickest lyricists ever. But, still, I base that one his entire catalog and amazing feats of breath control I've seen him perform on stage.
Can't really speak on whether or not ?uestlove is a dick or not. I do remember once in high school I went to a show, and afterwards I took my CD booklet to their tour bus to get it signed. The took it (with my sharpie) on the bus, and after a few minutes I got it back with every group members signature...except ?esto's. I thought, "Wow, what a dick!" And to top it off, I didn't get my sharpie back!
I realized a few days later the reason I didn't have ?uest's signature, was because instead of signing, he drew a little cartoon of a guy with an afro. I guess that was his signature. So, I guess it was a misunderstanding and he wasn't such a dick.
Motherfuckers still stole my sharpie though!