How I Got Over (studio album) by The Roots

From Larcx13 12/28/2020 22:50

The Roots always release solid records and this is no exception. Not their best however. The first half definitely outshines the second, but still worth a listen or two. The songs themselves are mostly all well arranged, for me I mostly have trouble with the guest singers and the production on their singing. The tracks themselves are not bad at all.

From buzzdainer 09/07/2020 15:20

This genre-exploding hip hop album opens with Dirty Projectors vocalists Amber Coffman and Angel Deradoorian humming along to a lush piano before drummer Questlove sparks a fully-formed instrumental revue. It’s the live formula that the Roots have done better than anyone since the group’s inception in the late eighties. How I Got Over features Monsters of Folk, Joanna Newsom, John Legend, and many more artists from a range of genres. It’s a comprehensive essay in the art of hip hop as a musical endeavor. Questlove’s arrangements and his backing band can go toe-to-toe with the best, no matter the genre. “Radio Daze” could be the album’s most accessible track, in incorporating background soul singers, live instrumentation, a jazz piano, Dice Raw’s silky hook and smooth flows from Blu and frontman Black Thought. But my favorite is "Right On," with its brilliant sampling of Joanna Newsom's "Book of Right-On," bringing one of my favorite freak folk artists into the hip hop mainstream.

Introspective and gripping lyricism really is what makes this album amazing.

Can't even pick out my favorites on this album. It's all good.

First half of this album is among the best work The Roots have done. Last 20 minutes are practically unlistenable.

From jhuik 01/04/2013 17:16

Is it true that white people can never get the real hip hop? What I like about this is that they are searching for positives. And they find real funk and soul with live instruments. And if through the sampling of some very white players like Newsom and Monsters they appeal to people like me, well good on them. To my mind, the Roots might be the only real hip hop band that really matters, precisely because they are universal enough to reach out to me. And this is their wall-to-wall epic. On my lists, this is the highest scoring rap album so I guess I think its's the best hip hop of all time album.

Best rap album of 2010 and a strong contender for The Roots best album. Rare for a rap album, theres no filler. It's a great reminder that rap albums don't need to be 60 min epics, with 16 tracks. They can be short, masterfully crafted works that can have important social messages, as this has. The Roots instrumentation is absolutely amazing here. "How I Got Over" is one of the best songs of the decade so far and the album is my favorite rap album of the decade so far.

no money? no job? sick of your country? put in how I got over

From junodog4 02/22/2012 00:03

The Roots manage to create substantial hip-hop with live instruments, minimal sampling, and no over-reliance on production. A great live band that creates hip-hop. This album shows a level of depth, maturity and reflection that Kanye reaches for, but far less narcissistic. Further, it's jazzy and subtle. A real winner.

From paladisiac 12/08/2011 22:14

Their best album drops the angry ferocity of their last two albums for a more mature, inward-looking approach. A number of alternative acts help the hip-hop roots out like monsters of folk (great collaboration on "dear god 2.0"), the dirty projectors and joanna newsom. It's subdued yet still gripping.