The Roots have become hip-hop's consummate professionals. Evidence of this fact can be found on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, but it has more to do with the remarkable consistency of The Roots without the benefit of a true smash hit or what one would define as a typical classic album. Still, The Roots not only perform one of the best live shows in hip-hop, but they are also able to put out a new album every so often that sounds like it's just a little bit further ahead than everything else everyone is trying, and that is certainly the feeling that their latest album, How I Got Over, presents.
The album features the same unbelievable production that seems to be formulaic for The Roots, but would be revolutionary for everyone else. It also features the rhymes of Black Thought, one of the most underrated rappers of this era. But the Roots also branch out slightly on this album, calling on the services of the Monsters of Folk and Joanna Newsome.
With all of the indie rock guest appearances and the late night show, it's easy to think The Roots have gotten complacent. That their music has perhaps become a little too business. However, on multiple listens to How I Got Over this thought is easily dispelled. For most other groups, The Roots subject matter would immediately earn them the label of conscious rap. The Roots, for the most part, escape this categorization. This is mainly because The Roots have created their own lane in rap, and there is no other musician (or group of musicians) to even compare them to. In an age where flash is one of the several defining themes, The Roots still manage to make great music and people still manage to depreciate it.
The Roots - How I Got Over
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