The Roots
The Tipping Point  
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  Customer Reviews         1-5 of 147  |  NEXT >>       

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2008-03-28
I love the cd--it's musical, has great lyrics, and overall very enjoyable to listen to--plus, it was delivered in good time
2008-01-17
Hip-hop band The Roots grace us with another release, The Tipping Point, to elevate hip-hop/rap to being more than just a genre of music but an art form. Tilting the tip of the album is "Star/Pointro" is uplifting with scenarios of just being who you are. Picking up the pace with a guitar driven lead on "I Don't Care" where it is all about the sounds and rhythm guided by the smooth chorus. "Don't Say Nuthin'" sounds like an urban theme to the classic television show Knight Rider. Fighting for rights on "Guns Are Drawn" has a classic hip-hop feel with its guitar licks and the reggae vibe of the hook. Looped sample of horn section change atmospheres with the crisp bridge on "Stay Cool". "Web" is a simple drum track where Black Thought flows continously without any pause or breaks to display his lyrical ability. "Boom!" featuring Big Daddy Kane & Kool G. Rap has a fast pulse to match the agression of the performence of each artist. Taking a more mellow approach to the industry and keeping the art form to when it was about having skills on "Somebody's Gotta Do It" featuring Devin the Dude, Jean Grae & Mac. Having a bounce playing offense to a showdown on "Duck Down!". Track ten or 112 as stated on the album's sleeve contains "Why (What's Goin On?)" and two hidden tracks to close out the album. The Tipping Point has many subtleties but is highlighted with memorable hooks and choruses for a near perfect release.
2006-07-28
Everyone is going to complain and disagree with that statement, but I feel its true. Okay okay, Do you want more?!?! is just as tight. Things falling appart is tight, but not as tight as The Tipping point. Illadelph Half life is all right, I didnt enjoy it as much as The Tipping point. Organix is tight as well, but the Tipping point is the joint! Phrenology was good, experimental in some areas and convential in others. The Tipping point is agressive, beautiful, tight, soft, hard, fast, slow and real all at the same time. It doesnt compare to their live album, but I did say best "studio" album. I love this album. This is the Roots at the top of their game. ?uestlove's drum beats are the illest on this album, and Black Thought's rhymes flow like water or butter. A must have for all Roots fans and all hip hop heads. This is one hip hop masterpeice instant classic
2006-04-10
Buy it for song #9, "Web". I think the whole almun is great, so I don't know what kinda [...] the rest of y'all call good hip-hop. I just need to say that "Web" embodies what the Roots are. ?uestlove layin' down a sick beat in the back on some real drums, not overproduced Paul Wall/Mike Jones/ Swisha House [...]!. Then, you got Thought puttin the lyrical slaughter to all the rest! Prolly the best hip-hop song I've ever heard. How hip-hop was meant to be.
2006-04-05
This cd is dope. Black Thought is the truth. He is the perfect blend of conciousness and swagger in an emcee. At only 10 tracks long, this cd is short in length, but what it lacks in duration it makes up for in lyricism.

In my oppinion, Don't Say Nuthin is a genius single. The song casually makes fun of rap songs that lack substace while the hook is literally Black Thought mumbling a bunch of words together. Although it sounds contradictory, my interpetation of the song is to say that a lot of rap songs now days don't have any genuine meaning in them and that record labels promote this kind of music. Thought kills the final verse, and I love the eerie beat that accompanies the song.

Other highlights include: the reggae influented "Guns Are Drawn", the smooth and layed back "Somebody's Gotta Do It" (which features an intresting collaboration with Devin the Dude), and the socially concious "Why"-a track guarenteed to make you think. Overall this is not the roots best cd, but I feel at times Thought is at his best here.

Don't hit the snooze button again if you've been sleeping on The Roots, pick up this cd.
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  Editorial Review           
On their sixth album, the Roots backslide a bit on the creative promise they showed with 2002's Phrenology. Instead of expanding into more ambitious and experimental areas--the way Outkast has, for example--the Roots tend to fall back to basics with vigorous, but ultimately conventional, lyricism. There are definitely some truly great moments here: the album opens with near-magic on "Star," a mesmerizing song that is one of the finest of the group's career, and Black Thought is a one-man tour de force on "Boom!" where he mimics Big Daddy Kane and Kool G Rap down to their velour sweats. But The Tipping Point also has some of their blandest production ever, and, at 10 tracks (plus two hidden cuts), the compactness of the album makes the problem spots stand out more than usual. "I Don't Care" and "Duck Down!" in particular seem derivative and commercially tailored. The main thing missing here is an overall guiding concept, something the Roots have never lacked before. --Oliver Wang

UK pressing of the alternative rap act's 2004 album includes one bonus track 'Melting Pot'. Universal.



If you like "The Tipping Point", you might also like ...


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