Although not all their albums are of the same high level, there is no discussion about it: The Roots is the best hip-hop band in the world. And with Game Theory, the first album to be released by Def Jam (now under the direction of Jay-Z), they endorse this once again. The CD starts quite ominously with the song False Media, and then bursts out with the title track. This is The Roots as we like to
… hear them: the pumping drums of? Uestlove, a ripping soul sample (Sly & The Family Stone) and passionate raps from Black Thought. The subsequent Don't Feel Right is a hit, and Here I Come is also good for a lot of shaking heads. The tempo sometimes slows down a bit, in songs like In The Music, with a kind of Massive Attack-like drum part, the soulful Clock With No Hands, or in Atonement for which Radiohead (!) Was sampled. The closing track Can't Stop This is a nice tribute to producer Jay Dee who died in 2006. Conclusion: The Roots is the best hip-hop band in the world, but that was already known. (IV)more