Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this album is The Roots' darkest album of their 20-year career, but not in hip-hop's typical guns, drugs, and girls manner. The album is dominated by songs about government surveillance, urban crime and poverty, the war in Iraq, and racial profiling. Four-letter words (s--t, f--k) and the "N" word are scattered throughout, and there are veiled references to illegal activities (smoking pot), but these songs can educate with the right guidance.
Families can talk about the subjects that The Roots bring up on this record. How much should the government be able to monitor its citizens in an effort to thwart terrorism? Is enough being done to combat poverty at home as we wage wars abroad? Also, The Roots are one of the few full bands in hip-hop, as most groups are simply rappers and a host of producers. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a band with instruments in hip-hop?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Jim Welte
The Roots, the Philadelphia-based group that has made a reputation over a two-decade career for exciting live shows and soulful, jazz-inflected hip-hop, have made their most serious album to date. GAME THEORY is music for grown ups or curious teens, but not in the lascivious ways that might worry many parents. Recorded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and in the midst of the war in Iraq, the album reflects The Roots' desire to comment on the world around them, but they address issues like racial profiling and government surveillance skillfully and without sounding self-righteous.
The music on the album reflects the darker tone, with heavier guitar than on previous records and a more frenetic pace. Drummer and musical director ?uestlove leads the quintet through a diverse set of both up-tempo and soulful songs that provide a solid canvas on which rapper Black Thought performs his lyrical wizardry.
Following a short instrumental tribute to late hip-hop producer J Dilla, to whom The Roots dedicate an entire track at the album's conclusion, the record kicks off with "False Media," which features poet Wadud Ahmad re-working Chuck D's famed lyrics from Public Enemy's 1988 song "Don't Believe the Hype."
Live instrumentation mixes easily with classic soul samples on standout songs like "Long Time" and the title track, the latter of which samples Sly Stone's "Life of Fortune & Fame" and features the welcome return of formerly estranged Roots MC Malik B. On the moving "Clock With No Hands," Black Thought takes a wistful look at tenuous friendships.
Game Theory is one of the best albums of 2006, period, as few bands have taken such a serious look at the complicated issues of the day in a way that makes for both head-bobbing and brain-feeding listening.
To listen to more hip hop with a message, check out Common, Talib Kweli, and A Tribe Called Quest.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentMild references to sex but nothing graphic: "He out late nights, probably smashing (having sex)" |
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ViolenceNon-explicit lyrics about violence and drugs in the ghetto ("I'm from the side of town/Where shots get sprayed around"). Also, rare intense lyrics: "Dreams when M16's with infrared beams/Blowin up presidents' cribs with cans of kerosene." |
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LanguageThe occasional four letter word (s--t, f--k) and a handful of appearances by the "N" word. |
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Message |
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Social Behavior"Long Time" talks about "Making somethin outta nothing." There is some well-founded government paranoia that doesn't advocate any specific behavior. |
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Commercialism |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoA few references to smoking cigarettes and pot. |
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