I haven’t listened to an entire The Roots since Game Theory. When I heard that album I had a sense that they had reached their peak. I wasn’t interested in hearing anything else from them at this point in their career. Seeing the albums that have been released since and reading the thought process behind them has made me curious to check out those releases along with other collaborations. In learning over the years how to become a fair listener of music. It is the duty of the listener to allow creative space for artists. Sometimes they are on point and sometimes the miss the mark, and that’s okay. We sometimes think that we (listeners) have a right to dictate what an artists should make, who they work with, etc. Our only job is to receive the music as it is produced then try and wrap our minds around what they’re trying to do. We still may reject it, and that’s okay. It will still reach somebody that is looking for that particular message.