Phrenology
by The Roots

Phrenology by The Roots
Year: 2002
Release date: 2002-00-00
Overall rank: 3,420th   
Average Rating: 
76/100 (from 184 votes)
     
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 2002 (58th)
Award Top albums of the 2000s (583rd)
Award Best albums of all time (3,420th)

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Availability

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Vinyl The Roots Phrenology - NEW 2LP Color Record Limited Edition
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The Roots Phrenology 2023 Tan Colored Vinyl Record - Classic 2000s HipHop [NEW]
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Phrenology Limited Edition By The Roots Performer On Audio CD Album Black
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The Roots bestography

Phrenology is ranked 5th best out of 15 albums by The Roots on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by The Roots is Things Fall Apart which is ranked number 927 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 1,854.

The Roots album bestography « Higher ranked (3,257th)
Game Theory
This album (3,420th)
Phrenology
Lower ranked (3,596th) »
Illadelph Halflife

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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Listen to Phrenology on YouTube

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Phrenology track list

   The tracks on this album have an average rating of 81 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Track
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1.
Average Rating: 73 (14 votes)Comments: View 0
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2.
Average Rating: 82 (26 votes)Comments: View 0
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3.
Average Rating: 79 (8 votes)Comments: View 0
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6.
Average Rating: 76 (16 votes)Comments: View 0
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7.
Average Rating: 82 (22 votes)Comments: View 0
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8.
Track pick (900 - 67 votes)
Average Rating: 90 (67 votes)Comments: View 0
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10.
Average Rating: 81 (22 votes)Comments: View 0
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11.
Average Rating: 81 (22 votes)Comments: View 0
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12.
Average Rating: 80 (20 votes)Comments: View 0
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Track pick (1000 - 100 votes) Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Phrenology rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 3,420th | 2000s rank: 583rd | 2002 rank: 58th

Phrenology collection

Phrenology ratings

Average Rating: 
76/100 (from 184 votes)
   Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 184 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
95/100
 !
12/15/2025 04:40 Kingturtle   7,53073/100
 
85/100
 !
12/07/2025 15:00 Araldo   1,47180/100
 
80/100
 !
11/05/2025 04:12 Larcx13   2,85074/100
 
85/100
 !
08/20/2025 14:03 Lazi   24385/100
 
5/100
 !
06/22/2025 05:35 Proto   4,04533/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 5% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 75.9/100, a mean average of 75.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 76.1/100. The standard deviation for this album is 13.4.

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Phrenology favourites

Showing all 12 members who have added this album as a favourite

Phrenology comments

Showing all 6 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
90/100
From 03/14/2023 02:30 | #294995
This is an incredible album, and laid the groundwork for modern experimental hip hop, and I'd still rate it their fourth-best record. Best discography in hip hop
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 02/13/2022 08:48 | #281236
Rap album #4 in a row.. A break is needed...
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
60/100
From 01/13/2018 03:26 | #205349
I wanted to like this much more than I actually did. I wanted them to have more interesting things to say and have more interesting music to say it with.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 12/16/2015 16:06 | #154659
The hidden track 'Rhymes And Ammo/Thirsty' is dope too.. Make sure you check that out. Features Talib Kweli.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 05/31/2014 02:52 | #113346
Yup, j-dog, under-appreciated. Guilty as charged. Catching up, though.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 04/29/2012 15:45 | #41202
Thoughtful, cutting, and topical lyrics over funky, varied and creative beats. The Roots are woefully under-appreciated, and this album deserves recognition.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (2 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 2002
1. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco
2. Turn On The Bright Lights by Interpol
3. A Rush Of Blood To The Head by Coldplay
4. Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips
5. Songs For The Deaf by Queens Of The Stone Age
6. You Forgot It In People by Broken Social Scene
7. Sea Change by Beck
8. ( ) [Svigaplatan] by Sigur Rós
9. By The Way by Red Hot Chili Peppers
10. Geogaddi by Boards Of Canada
11. In Absentia by Porcupine Tree
12. Up The Bracket by The Libertines
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14. American IV: The Man Comes Around by Johnny Cash
15. Original Pirate Material by The Streets
16. O by Damien Rice
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19. Come Away With Me by Norah Jones
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