The outro to I Cant Help It felt most like a Roots song (fancy bells & whistles)
I have no issues with this album other than the fact that the group previously set the bar so high for themselves

like just imagine if Q-Tip was in press releases talking about "My new shit is gonna be better than your beloved Marauders", your appetite would be whet then you'd hear it like "yeah this is hot, but..."

the fact that I recognize it's good (I feel stronger about Rising Down than I did The Tipping Point the first time I heard that album) yet I'm not totally blown away (I felt stronger about Game Theory the first time I heard it) says that there's definitely space for this album to grow on me in time

It's very focused musically at its strongest moments, but it lacks that rawness where you felt the group had something to prove like Illadelphhalflife, Do You Want More, Things Fall Apart and Game Theory, and instead is just another solid addition to the group's catalog

Yeah, Thought is nasty with the words.
Yeah The Negaz have a crazy ear for melody

I dont take the creative process for granted, but it's almost like they're solid professionals who can do this with their eyes closed.

I hope nothing I said here was taken as an insult

Finally, I think we all *need* that Malik B contrasting element for whole albums for it to really feel like old times.

I fuck with this album though.