Get To Know H.E.R.

As I was going through my blog the other day, I realized two things. One was that because of the NY Odyssey section, NY rappers were gonna get all the shine and other worthy rappers from different regions will be unintentionally pushed to the side. The second was that I’d done a whole article about the Roots before, but have yet to actually review an album of theirs. At that moment, I realized this review was necessary to rectify both wrongs. As for why I picked this particular album out of their extensive discography, there really is no reason other than that it was my favorite hip hop album of 2006 and I had the itch to listen to it again. So without any more of an intro, let’s jump right into it.

The album starts off the intro track, Dillastic Von Wonder, a short instrumental tribute to the late J-Dilla (RIP). It’s nothing spectacular but it does set the overall tone for the rest of the tracks, as it continues right onto the next song, False Media. Fans of the Roots, including myself, had their doubts about the Roots being moved to Def Jam to record this album. I mean, I was glad the Roots found a proper label, but at the same time Def Jam isn’t particularly known for fostering artistic growth and creativity. False Media effectively put those fears to rest with its dark rhymes, Public Enemy sampled hook, and thoughtful lyrics. As the album continues with the title track, Game Theory, it becomes clear that this is a new, mature, serious Roots we’re dealing with now. The song was the reunion track between Thought and former rhyme partner, Malik B, and it the two rhyme their ass off as if there never was a period apart from each other.

After Game Theory comes to an end, It Don’t Feel Right, In The Music, and Take It There flow right on the path of greatness. Take It There in particular is great for its build the beat up style instrumental and gets even better when the beat changes up totally and gives the song a sudden spurt of energy. Baby is also good song but a bit less so in comparison to the previous five great freaking songs. The next song also blows it out of the water. Fans of Superbad may recognize Here I Come as the song playing in the beginning of the final party scene. Those who recently saw Hancock will probably recognize it as the song playing during the end credits. I know there are some people who complain that the song sticks out and doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the album. All I can say is, no it doesn’t, and even if it did, who the hell cares? Black Thought, Malik B, and Dice Raw rip the beat a whole new asshole and the result is a sick nasty song.

Following the energetic Here I Come, is the more laid back Long Time, featuring former State Property member, Peedi Crakk (Peedi Peedi). I’ve always thought that some members of State P (specifically Peedi, Young Chris and Freeway) need more shine, and it’s great to see Peedi being featured on both this and the next Roots albums. The next two tracks (Living In A New World and Clock With No Hands) are enjoyable as well but the flow of the album comes to a halt with Atonement. I never cared for this track and I probably never will. The beat is boring, the hook is not any better, and the lyrics aren’t particularly spectacular enough to save the whole thing. It’s not long, but it’s a shame that this is the last song on the album before the outro comes in. The outro, Can’t Stop This, is another tribute to Jay Dee and should’ve come right after Clock With No Hands, pushing Atonement out of the picture.

The Good: False Media, Game Theory, Don’t Feel Right, In The Music, Take It There, Here I Come, Long Time, Livin In A New World, Clock With No Hands, Can’t Stop This

The Solid: Dillastic Von Won, Baby

The Bad: Atonement

Final Score: 9.5

Even though it marked a departure from the Roots’ previous sound, Game Theory is still an excellent album. You can almost listen to this album straight through with no skips, which is not a very common thing these days. I say almost because I still think Atonement is a pretty bad track. I guess you can just zone out for about two minutes and pretend that the song doesn’t exist. Yeah, then I can guarantee a skip free listen.