ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 9 – THE ROOTS – How I Got Over

“Out on the streets where I grew up. First thing they teach us is not to give a f*!k. That type of thinking can’t get you nowhere, someone has to care.”

With ‘How I Got Over’, The Roots have held up Hip-Hop and Rap as a music art form with something to say. Don’t come here if you want your rappers bigging up their wealth and their harem of bitches. Don’t expect a collective who can’t put down a decent vocal without the assistance of Autotune. Their vision isn’t softened with the glitz of a joyous lifestyle. They actually paint one of the harshest portraits of the troubled, tumultuous times we live in and it’s utterly compelling. They point the finger too, at “technology turning us into zombies”, at the messed up economy, the environment and when easy answers aren’t forthcoming they’re looking to God and wondering “why is the world ugly when you made it in your image?” But they don’t lay low beaten by the failure and broken world around us; just hear ‘The Day’ to witness cracks of light breaking through the debris and a clearer vision drifting in, accompanied by the sweetest soul sounds you’ll ever hear.

The success of this album is threefold. Firstly it’s in the way The Roots tap into the side of the Rap tradition that can be traced right back to the earliest Bluesmen of the 1920s, throwing a harsh realistic light on the ills of the times we live in. Secondly they’re just so amazing in their eclecticism, you believe these guys when they rap about listening to Charlie Parker, this is no mere name dropping. Who could have thought a Monsters Of Folk meditation on God could be utilised with such cinematic vision? Who would have thought that anyone could make Joanna Newsom sound like a streetwise Soul diva? Personally; who would have imagined I could enjoy a record with John Legend on it? And finally, whilst The Roots are by no means breaking down barriers by being essentially a Rap and Hip-Hop act that use live instruments but, they are leading the field here by virtue of the fact that they’re so shit hot at it. Apparently they regularly feature on a popular US chat show where the host challenges them to jam in a musical genre of his choosing. You’re not going to get that from The Editors now are you? Listen to the whole album below:

Free music - How I Got Over (Explicit Version)