back in 99 the whole idea of awarding an album a "@" was new to me. and the very first review of the TFA was hip hop site's @@@@@ review. it set a high proud standard for me. so im happy to say that 9 records into my career im still happy to get this rating, cause on the real most cats make the most exciting shit of their career early on and then its off to ichiban.
and since most of the new blog city journalists seem to be judging based on how they think we will sell....its good to read a review truly based on and from a classic hip hop perspective.

http://www.hiphopsite.com/SEARCH/?ITEM=A13BFDB8-569F-4D94-9264-17F32BD7C37E#review

great show on Sunday in San Diego.

www.smokingsection.net

Co-sign on the show Sunday. Niiiiiiice

I went to school at UNLV with that cat Pizzo that wrote that review!

shit is classic imo. although it does have me wondering "whats next?" 3030

i wonder how many there get that. things to make you go hmm, indeed.

nice work, pizzo.... but what about "Long Time" ? ... lol

Rotating
Andrew Bird - Mysterious Prod.
Gnarles Barkley - St Else
Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liquor
Dilla - Shinin'
DJ Shadow - In Tune

"everybody gets hated on. a nigga on this board hated on me because I hated him for hatin" Darryl Reeves

It clearly is the best album you've done since Things Fall Apart and one of those albums way ahead of it's time for what everyone expected

>its good to read a review truly based on and from a classic hip hop perspective.

'cause i can guarantee you that the mainstream rock press has a SERIOUS vendetta against you and every other middle-ground group (i.e., LB, com, talib, etc.).

i used to think it was that they hated ish that doesn't sell, but on the contrary, these are the same mofos who will big up mr. lif and the coup (along with jeezy and t.i.).

what it truly is is that they hate nigras--for lack of better wording--that ain't fullfilling a certain stereotype (e.g., coons and/or saints).

which is why i love game theory; its sheer musicality and anal-ass attention to detail raises their rockist red flags, but 'riq being 'riq is still a little too threatening to them. (he ain't jig dancing?--OMG, what does he have to offer??)

so you're gonna get some dissapointing-ass reviews in the end, which champion your "growth" and musical inventiveness, but totally shit on 'riq as an MC.

i'm sayin', get used to it, 'cause these mofos ain't gonna change; this rap shit is truly the new minstrel show.

sheeit, i'm thinking that if rakim (who thought is, for all intents and purposes, the modern-day version of) came out today, he'd get dismissed as "boring" and "pretentious," you know, the same shit y'all get accused of.

it's a dirty game (c) 'pac

ranked in its top 30 albums of the year

http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/roots/gametheory

with an overall score of 82 (9.5 user rating)

100
Stylus Magazine
With Game Theory, the Roots have finally delivered on nearly every once-broken promise.
Read Full Review

91
Entertainment Weekly
It's all ghetto vérité and political paranoia, with claustrophobic production to match the doom and gloom.
Read Full Review

91
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Especially in its superior second half, the album resonates with casual ambition as it reconciles ?uestlove's effortless bohemian cool and sonic perfectionism with Black Thought's dark swagger, street-level sociology, and silver-tongued virtuosity.
Read Full Review

90
Dot Music
This is not merely a good album, but a truly great one.
Read Full Review

90
All Music Guide
Game Theory is a heavy album, the Roots' sharpest work. It's destined to become one of Def Jam's proudest, if not most popular, moments.
Read Full Review

90
RapReviews.com
There are plenty of unexpected surprises to be found.
Read Full Review

90
Tiny Mix Tapes
It is an excellent album that has taken them seven long years to finally get to, but those are seven years that have been evidently well spent: After years of mediocrity and being, to some degree, marginalized -- just when the world needed them -- The Roots are back like never before.
Read Full Review

80
NOW Magazine
If anything, the grooves have gotten tougher and funkier on Game Theory.
Read Full Review

80
PopMatters
The Roots’ darkest, grimiest, most unrelenting and possibly most focused effort to date.
Read Full Review

80
Blender
Whatever style the Roots take on their eighth album, whether it’s 21st century Sly Stone ("Baby"), flute-inflected freak-folk ("Living in a New World") or epic black rock ("Game Theory"), they do better than anyone else in pop.
Read Full Review

80
The Guardian
This taut, turbulent piece of work is the Roots' best yet.
Read Full Review

80
Vibe
Like prior Roots albums, Game Theory boasts top-notch craftsmanship... but it's continuity that makes this album unique.

80
Spin
Game Theory is the Roots at their heaviest.

77
Pitchfork
A streamlined product that die-hards can justly revel in.
Read Full Review

76
ShakingThrough.net
A few throwaways... keep Theory from attaining the rarified heights of earlier efforts. But in the final count, it’s just nice to hear this criminally underappreciated outfit sounding so sharp and revitalized.
Read Full Review

75
Los Angeles Times
"Game Theory" helps rescue a remarkably anemic hip-hop summer.

75
E! Online
downcast disc is actually an improvement on its predecessor.
Read Full Review

71
cokemachineglow
Game Theory’s highs never quite reach those of Do You Want More?!!!??! or Illadeph Halflife (1996), and those albums, even with those highs, are still inconsistent affairs. Which means that the Roots are back on track, but the track itself was never something we praised wholeheartedly in the first place.
Read Full Review

70
Rolling Stone
For every head-nodding beat, Game Theory has a head-turning treat.

70
Urb
The Roots' energy is claustrophobic and thus, jaded. It still has a prominent place on Game Theory, but when it's not subdued, it's downright bitter.

70
Village Voice
They've resurfaced sounding dark, mysterious, and pissed off.
Read Full Review

60
The New York Times
Black Thought... sounds more focused than he did on the Roots’ last album, “The Tipping Point,” and more engaged than on the one before it, “Phrenology.” But because he’s not the kind of rapper to modulate his emotional pitch, his intensity can level off into monotony.

they'll (or we'll, i should say) give the album love but constantly say that 'riq is "boring" on the mic.

so while many of the reviews compiled by metacritic will praise the album, you'll notice that there seems to be an underlying tone of contempt for the group's main lyricist.

that's what i was talking about.

am i not right in saying that a majority of these reviews, however flattering, sort of dismiss black thought?

not a dis 'cause i love black thought as an mc, but isn't this the whole "gang-up-on-'riq" era with most of these critics?

isn't that in fact why this hiphopsite review stands out so much, because it actually has some context about the roots?

you have a rick ross avatar--never mind.

LOL...

"get used to it"

BWAH!

i really do dig that this record is on def jam.

and i'd agree that 'game theory' can stand right alongside the 'def jam classics' of my youth

if only the label reflected that in its support

I do love this album. I love that it is more than a hip hop album to me, it's real music. Great work for real.

^^

The Roots: Game Theory (9/10)

Even running the risk of reiterating the same sentiments as recent relevant reviews, one has to concede that The Roots‘ latest longplayer Game Theory is a rare accomplishment. At least as far as hip hop is concerned. Not that people were doubting the band’s general capacity to produce interesting music but due to internal turmoil (the band’s changing line-ups) and external pressures (there’s no place like home – unless it’s Geffen Records) as well as a disease that Roots drummer and bandleader ?uestlove describes as “overthinking”, Game Theory’s two predecessors lacked focus and hence cohesiveness.

Fortunately, the new record abandons bad habits without sacrificing the band’s characteristic playfulness. Unlike previous endeavors Phrenology and The Tipping Point however, it never feels forced or self-indulgent but works within the context of the album. Game Theory achieves its persuasiveness by injecting songs with a concurrent spirit that insinuates desolation and despair. Even reckless uptempo tracks like In The Music with its Knight Rider Theme-turned-sinister synths or the frantic Here I Come which is propelled by abrasive drums provide for a menacing atmosphere.

Lyrically, Black Thought is channeling the madness of the Bush era. On the otherwise bland opener False Media he impersonates the commander-in-chief with poignant lines: Aim fire/holler ‘bout a dollar/nothing is sacred/we gone pimp the shit out of nature/send our troops/to get my paper. Further observations of an Orson Welles-imagined future are augmented with personal reflections about growing up poor in the hostile environment of South Philly. When he tucks the Superman MC cape away to become Tariq Trent it is both an act of growth and fear of being pigeonholed as a one-dimensional, personality lacking, crowd-rocking breath control phenomenon. Still, the transformation, is never entirely convincing. Riq G’s sounds best rhyming for the sake of rhyming when he is flanked by frequent collaborator Dice Raw or his former partner-in-rhyme Malik B., who makes a frenetic return on three tracks. Despite all of his technical precision and craftiness, Black Thought remains the ultimate workman MC. A well-respected yet unheralded hero, a hard-laboring rhyming expert who has his natural place right next to the lofty poet. Knowing this place is the key to persistency.

Certainly, The Roots didn’t reinvent the wheel with Game Theory, not even in their own universe. One could easily find finer selections of likewise themed and executed cuts in their back catalogue, now encompassing nine albums. Ironically, Baby is The Seed’s smaller sibling and since a lot of the album’s lyrics were inspired by the events surrounding Hurricane Katrina, the final track – a manifesto directed at one of their fallen brethren – pulls like the undertow to Phrenology’s centerpiece. As we all know, when the levee’s broke you Can’t Stop This/Water. What is laudable about Game Theory is its streamlining of ideas to create a theme-oriented album. As business has trumped art, the raison d’etre for this kind of musical experience has slowly diminished. Now – in spite of their reputation as one of hip hop’s cultural countercurrents – one must hope that with The Roots at the genre’s most legendary label, they will serve as trend-setters for once.

GK.

taking the longest for me to digest. i should still holler at my editor, even though it's jive late, and i don't have a local angle for it.

i'm still reading up on game theory, though. and the triple entendre has fascinating implications (based upon your comments on a&e viz band, hip hop, world).

thought left a lot of little gems strewn around the album, too. y'all deserve every bit of success you can squeeze out of this one, though.


peace & blessings,

x.

sigless for the summer, y'all.

I thought it was ?uest, too, until i read this:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=44449326&blogID=87022920&MyToken=89cc6cfd-f937-49c2-97e0-7cb7ce71f693

Peedi Peedi is wack.

>back in 99 the whole idea of awarding an album a "@" was new
>to me. and the very first review of the TFA was hip hop site's
>@@@@@ review. it set a high proud standard for me. so im happy
>to say that 9 records into my career im still happy to get
>this rating, cause on the real most cats make the most
>exciting shit of their career early on and then its off to
>ichiban.
>and since most of the new blog city journalists seem to be
>judging based on how they think we will sell....its good to
>read a review truly based on and from a classic hip hop
>perspective.
>
>http://www.hiphopsite.com/SEARCH/?ITEM=A13BFDB8-569F-4D94-9264-17F32BD7C37E#review

Game Theory is the best album I've heard in a looong time, prolly since De La's Grind Date joint. Ya'll stay coming with creative/innovative and thought provoking work. Keep up the good work!!!

The Roots...you all deserve the highest praise; all accolades are well deserved! Game Theory is your masterpiece.

Having been on the hip-hop scene since 1980, the thing that troubles me the most in the evolution of the "genre" is the corporate manipulation: stealing the rich flavor of the music, message and artistry, & churning out a stereotype that perpetuates racism. Whether the image produced is ganster-thug, minstrel show or booty-ho that is sold to the masses, it's an enormous insult to the intelligence,humanity and variety of black experience and expression.

It is so refreshing to have an album like "Game Theory" revive the Def Jam label and receive the benefit of great marketing without compromising the artistic vision. I whole-heartedly agree with the review...GT has it all: exquisite sound, intelligent words, on-point message, seriousness, humor (how do so many reviews miss this, ie: Baby & Livin' In A New World?!!) and that rarity that is the total point of view. How rare it is to have an album (pardon my ancient-ness) that flows from start-to-finish as a total package, yet all individual parts stand on their own!

I've loved all your work since Organix, but GT is truly your mature vision: on-point and modern, yet timeless. Kudos to The Roots, and kudos to Jay-Z & Def Jam!

side note: you capture the sound & soul of Philly perfectly. I grew up in the region in the 1960-70's, and the sound is so hard to put into words...
much love, elisa

"If hip-hop itself never lost its way, The Roots' Game Theory would be an example of what all modern rap records would sound like."

full of respect ...

... and truth.

not that everything should sound the same, just it would be nice if more of these 'artists' put some depth in their craft...

Fuck The New York Times for real - Black Thought's delivery is unmatched. I'm from Pittsburgh, I was at the Club Elixir spot you was DJin at (sorry for the bad looks that place is kinda small) - I got a show at CMU's radio station for the public called "The Good Word" - if you come thru this side of the state its a good venue to promote any clubs or spots you might be supportin, its like the only REAL hip-hop show on the radio here (and its all volunteer I do it for the love of the art ya know) ... anyways, Ive lived everywhere from Harrisburg, West Chester, Millersville, Pittsburgh, Erie and beyond - so I seen you guys live like 20 times and I look forward to hearing the new joints live soon - do the damn thing, 1.

"Either I'm one of the strongest people left ...
or y'all should stone me for even trying to steal breath" - Brother Ali


- B.