1 post tagged “yale”

So, the Roots came to Yale for Spring Fling. Needless to day, I was very excited. I was disappointed with the choice of acts this year: Sean Kingston (terrible, just terrible), and the Roots as OPENERS for Jimmy Eat World. Umm… excuse me? Jimmy Eat World? I don't even have them in my iTunes Library (and I have a HUGE iTunes library). Apparently, the majority of the student population was against a hip-hop main act. Clearly the survey didn't tell us that the Roots were an option. But people said they put on a good show, so the Spring Fling was flung successfully. The Roots were AMAZING - their rendition of "You Got Me" made my day, especially the guitarist, Kirk Douglas, in a guitar solo where he matched his vocals with notes on the guitar.

Of course, afterwards, I downloaded their new album, Rising Down, off Ruckus to check it out. The way I listen to new albums is I play them while doing something else and wait for songs to jump out at me. "Get Busy" is a great one - they performed it during their set at Yale, and everyone went crazy. The tuba (technically a sousaphone, but whatever) bass line makes the track, as well as ?Questlove on the drums. And Peedi Crak, who I never expect anything from, actually put down a good verse. (This album is full of guest rappers, by the way). Black Thought spits fire on "@ 15" and "75 Bars". I think some people forget how great this man is. In the "best rappers" argument that a couple of my friends had recently, his name didn't come up once. "I Can't Help It", also performed at Yale, is another great track. "Singing Man" is good - I think it's the chorus that gets me. Talib Kweli and Common make good showings on "Lost Desire" and "The Show" respectively. As a side note, I hate it when people hate on Common. He may have his off albums, but his verse on that song shows he's still got it, in my opinion. But the Roots saved the best for last in "Rising Up". Classic fare from the Roots, great verses, great beats, and Chrisette Michele on the chorus (that woman is AMAZING) - it's musical heaven, honestly.

All in all, this is a great album. As I'm still a virgin Roots fan, I can't say it's their best, but it's worth your money. Listen to it for free on imeem here, and tell me what you think. Also, what's your favorite Roots album?