each album has songs that I could put on a Roots compilation but the albums as a whole don't last with me as long as they once did. I think I might've listened to The Tipping Point more than the last three or four albums. I know I've heard Phrenology and Game Theory a lot at this point.

Of course, this new album has to settle in with me a little bit more before. And as many people have already said, it could use more Black Thought.

Ultimately, I think what a lot of fans are looking for is an entire Roots album that carries that raw live energy they bring on stage over to songs that stay with you. I hate to use the term but it seems like what a lot of fans really want is for The Roots to be more poppy. Instead of albums that seemed to be more or less made for the critics, I want something that I know can only be made by The Roots: an album filled with awesome, raw, energetic rapping and live instrumentation.

That's what drew me to them originally. I'm 29. In middle school I always messed with The Roots simply because Black Thought rapped for what seemed like an eternity at a time and the band played the shit outta those instruments. It wasn't just some half-baked playing and rapping: it was full-on musicianship.

The Roots might actually be guilty of overthinking these albums at this point.
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