Surprised at the disappointing turn-out for this one.

I got a chance to run this top to bottom twice...regardless, this one stays in rotation.

I remember when this album dropped. The video for You Got Me came out around Christmas...I want to say Christmas Eve or some shit.

We were highly anticipating this album after Illadelph Halflife.

My boy was working at the record store by this point. I remember seeing the 5 different album covers and thinking it was a dope idea. I copped the one with the cards on the cover and my boy copped the one with the baby and the one with the lady running in the riot.

Definitely a dope concept and I'm surprised I didn't cop all of them back then because CDs was all I spent my money on.

This was around the time we started driving so I recall banging this album in the ride all day along with Busta's ELE and Mobb's Murda Muzik. We also took a road trip to see The Roots up in Mass which was the best hip-hop show I've ever seen to this day. Black Moon, The Roots, Common, Mos Def, Kweli, Dice Raw, Jill Scott...and fucking Scratch blew my damn mind!

Unfortunately that show somewhat ruined my perspective on this record and The Roots records as a whole for a minute. I couldn't understand why they didn't capture the same musicianship from their live show on their albums. That shit pissed me off for real. I remember getting into with ?uest on here over the lack of a bridge on You Got Me. And while that sounds like an elementary argument, I still believe the basis of my opinion is valid. These cats were KILLING the live show. Flipping songs, playing crazy solos, replaying other people's songs. My point was, why is your love song which contains a dope story and Badu over a fucking 4 bar Scott Storch loop? I wanted them to take the foundation of Scott Storch's beat and create a composition from that with a "bridge" included lol. Again...my complaint was valid after seeing them in concert. I just wanted them to sound more like a band and bring even more respect to the musicianship they were capable of.

Obviously today, I know that complaint isn't that serious and regardless of whichever way I wanted them to push their music forward...it doesn't take away from the actual quality of the music as is. Which brings me to my review. Quick track by track and then my final thoughts including flaws in my opinion.

Intro - Their best intro. Only You May Die is better than this in my opinion. The audio selection is perfect. The way they bring in older tracks in the back with them panning is greatness. And then ending it with the same clip from Illadelph works. I feel like it subliminally says "the last one was good, but we're going to perfect it this time."

Table of Contents Pt 1 & 2 - Great opener. The beat is a bit minimalistic but it works for Thought and Malik to go in. I actually like the beat to part 1 better but a beat flip is always welcomed in my book. Thought picked up right where he left off on Illadelph. "It's safe to assume in all confidence / that I'm one of the illest in the 7 continents / you on my dick, thanks for the compliments / you'll be fucked up by my table of content / the Bad Lieutenant, yo I've been rhyming since...the fucking past tense..." that shit is ill right there. And it leads into Malik's section nicely.

The Next Movement - This is one of their classic joints. The ill 11 bar loop! LOL. Not sure how that came about but fuck it, it work beautifully. The background vocals really make this track. Couldn't ask for a better 3rd joint. Thought really goes in.

Step Into The Realm - Instantly a favorite. The beat is so ill. There's something to be said about a basic beat that allows the MC to go to work. The fade out really does intensify the verses too. "Limitless entrance, paid to the order of the cipher slaughterer, my mic slapping you senseless" ...come on man. The shit is real unfair. Thought is just on another level.

The Spark - Ill Malik solo. And there are many dope aspects about this joint here but all I'm going to say is...that fucking baseline is insane!

Dynamite! - Aight yo...I said it in like 2 other posts already but...how much better would this song and ultimately this album be if this joint featured Q-Tip? Now I'm not saying Elo came wack or that the song isn't a favorite. I'm just saying Elo ain't good enough to be trading verses with Thought *on this beat*. Come on yo. You get one of the illest Dilla joints of all-time and the executive decision is "yo, you know what this joint needs son...Elo!" Nah son. That shit ain't right. That is one mis-step on this album and even so...that song is still dope as fuck and Elo actually can rhyme LOL. My boy used to say this joint made him feel like walking a dog. That bass is just dope.

Without A Doubt - Now this is a proper tribute. Thought slays this joint right here. The hook works well also. But the best part of this song is the ending with the ?uest interlude. That could've been a full song right there.

Ain't Saying Nothing New - One of my favorites upon first listen. Dope Dice Raw feature. Beat flips are nice. The hook ad-libs are wonderful. Again, Thought just rides this beat like MCing is too easy.

Double Trouble - Aight...my all-time favorite Roots song right here. Thought and Mos? Sheeeit. Two of the nicest ever on this ill ass beat with the xylophones. These drums are some of ?uest's best work as well. The way the snare flips back and forth. The hook is a highlight. I love the format of the verses. I actually don't know who came nicer. But Mos steals the show with the ending. Pure Hip-Hop right here. One of my top 10 favorite joints of all-time period.

Act Too: Love Of My Life - Common comes with one of his best verses ever right here. The music is beautiful. Thought kills it. The strings are a nice touch. Everything just came together perfectly here.

100% Dundee - Yo...if you listen to this or Concerto of the Desperado and don't come away with the opinion that Thought is one of the nicest MCs of all-time then you simply have no clue on what an MC is. And that's all I got to say.

Diedra Vs Dice - I like this interlude and agree that it could've been a whole song. I don't like how the volume never gets up to the level of the other tracks even at its peak though.

Adrenaline - I remember I had this CD single with the instrumental. This was a dope beat to record to! If 100% Dundee is TFA's Concerto then this is TFA's Clones. 4 MCs...4 crazy verses..swap out punk ass Mars for a hungry ass Beans and you got another winner. I know Beans stole the show as the newcomer with the distinctive verse but I still think Thought has the best verse here.

3rd Act: ? Vs Scratch 2 - Whatever. Doesn't get the skip though. It does seem that with the two interludes at 12 and 14 are just filling space to stretch the album out though. The first half of the album was non-stop and then the second half has these interludes to break up the pace.

You Got Me - Don't really want to hear this joint in 2014 but I don't skip it. I still think it could've been better!

Don't See Us - Always a favorite. The beat with the guitar licks is ill. The format with the 3 MCs trading verse is nice too.

Get this lady OFF these albums!

I'm Out There - Should've been on the album. Absolute LOVE this joint but I never listen to it because of where it's hidden on the album.

Upon listening to this album a few times this past week, it confirmed two things for me; 1) I do like this album better than Illadelph and 2) Regardless of which I like better, this is not better than Game Theory.

So here are my issues with the album;

1) Outside of You Got Me, there is not one damn concept on this album at all other than "hip-hop". Maybe that is the concept but, almost every song is interchangeable outside of a few more laid-back beats. Features aside, Table of Contents, The Next Movement, Step Into The Realm, Dynamite!, Without A Doubt, Double Trouble, 100% Dundee, Adrenaline, and Don't See Us could have ALL started the album off. That's 9 out of 13 songs!

2) I know people like the cover and I even said above that the 5 covers was a good idea but...I feel at times The Roots stretch to attach a concept to their album. If you look at the cover with the lady running in the riot, it would appear that this album is a prequel to Dead Prez' Let's Get Free. Only problem is, the content isn't close to the same thing. I get that it's a metaphor for Hip-Hop but that concept tends to wear thin after a while.

3) Why is Elo on that Dilla classic!!!