The Roots have always seemed to exist somewhere on the periphery of the hip-hop world. 2004’s The Tipping Point, however, suggested that they were moving in the right musical direction. Free-flowing and upbeat, it was easily their best record to date.
Although darker in tone, Game Theory is no less engaging, and has strong political undertones. In the context of the bling-obsessed mainstream hip-hop scene, this is a sharp, and welcome, departure from the norm.
From the war on terror to The Roots’ own war on injustice at home, the album gives the listener plenty to chew over. The music, too, is tough and focused, with the six-piece supplemented by a range of MCs, each bringing their own particular skills and insights to the party. For all its energy and anger, however, Game Theory still has a mournful air, provoked not least by the loss suffered by the band’s friends and allies in New Orleans.
As a result many hip-hop followers may be tempted to write off the record as dreary and heavy handed. The loss is theirs. Never afraid of giving us the unvarnished truth, The Roots are a band worth cherishing.