| | Roots Rising Down CD Roots Discography of CDs
 (9 Customer Reviews)
On album number eight, the Roots continue to pursue their more nihilistic tendencies in the same vein as 2006's exceptional GAME THEORY. With a title inspired by W.T. Vollman's voluminous history of violence, RISING DOWN sees Black Thought (alongside Malik B, Dice Raw and a thick list of formidable guest MCs and vocalists, including Mos Def, Styles P, Talib Kweli, Common, Peedi Peedi, Saigon, Truck North, and Mercedes Martinez, among others) examining violence, oppression, and the pollution of the American Dream in a variety of places and circumstances. The grim subject matter goes hand-in-hand with a noticeably darker production approach. Largely absent are the lighter, electric piano-driven tracks (a longtime Roots trademark). they've given way to murky synthesizers and noisy, distortion-filled instrumentation. The album intro (a band conference call that quickly devolves into an impassioned shouting match) bluntly lets listeners know what they're in for. Mounting frustration, apprehension, outrage, and anger pervade virtually every track, making RISING DOWN anything but a feel-good record. What it is instead is one of the most compelling and urgent hip-hop albums in years. Or, as Dice Raw puts it on "Get Busy," "Kinda like W.E.B. Dubois meets Heavy D and the Boyz."Rolling Stone (p.66) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "RISING DOWN is the Roots' most political album....Rapper Black Thought is in his comfort zone playing the firebrand..."
Spin (p.50) - Ranked #17 in Spin's "40 Best Albums Of 2008" -- "As hip-hop's anxious elders, the Philly crew hum with a riveting focus..."
Entertainment Weekly (p.117) - "[T]he listener is rewarded with 'Rising Up,' in which the Fender Rhodes jazzmatazz of earlier records segues into bell-rocking go-go."
The Wire (p.66) - "MC Black Thought and drummer ?uestlove sound sonically aware and full of righteous anger....RISING DOWN's most immediate qualities are the raw aesthetic and the burning importance of its messages."
Vibe (p.65) - "[T]he Roots rise above on this album, bravely pushing themselves at every turn, proving, in an era full of froth and fancy, that sometimes nightmares are the most important kind of dreams."
Paste (magazine) (p.63) - "[The songs] deliver an honest and abrasive diatribe within The Roots' legacy of civil commentary and inspired musicianship." Rising Down Music | List Price | $13.95 (You save $3.46) | | Category | Rock/Pop Albums, R&B CDs, Rap | | Label | Def Jam | | Orig Year | 2008 | | All Time Sales Rank |  25729  | | CD Universe Part number | 7654944 | | Catalog number | 001113802 | | Discs | 1 | | Release Date | Apr 29, 2008 | | Mono/Stereo | Stereo | | Personnel | Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Styles P., Chrisette Michele, Dj Jazzy Jeff, Malik "M-Ill-itant" B., Dice Raw, Wale, Mercedes Martinez, Patrick Stump, Saigon, Peedi Peedi, Porn, Peedie Crakk, Mailk B, Truck North |
Rising Down Music Review Average Rating: (4.1 out of 5 stars)   List All Reviews three and a half stars on par with game theory
This album to me is just another replica of game theory but rougher. I do think Black thought has displayed better lyricism skills on this album. I feel though that the roots are losing the sound that i used to love. They have hardened up their sound and it's not chill out music anymore! I think the roughness of game theory was good but not overdone. I think on this album the beats come to hard, and the roots aren't known for this. I wish they will go back to the way they used to sound on songs like you got me, star, and distortion to static. I felt that this album is just game theory part 2 because it sounds kind of similar just more bombastic. It is just as great as the last effort if not a small step down.
Submitted by Westonnixon89 (altoona iowa usa)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 4 of 4 found this helpful.
 Pure Fire
One of the only groups that are still out there where you can buy without even hearing a track and not be disappointed, because they always deliver the goods, new different gritty sound but still classic Roots from @15 to track with the usual suspects like Malik B/Dice and Mos & Common Talib. Cop it!!
Submitted by Nate Dizzle (Atlanta)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 2 of 2 found this helpful.
Ńonceptual Hip Hop Music
This album is the great piece from start to finish! If you are lookin' for hard rhymes, dark beats and some grimy sound you gotta get it. Besides Rising Down is the conceptual album, it refers to the past (skits), present and future. Just to understand read review on allmusic guide which says: "Their message in 2008 so much more relevant: they give context. So when Black Thought says "It is what it is, because of what it was/I did what I did 'cause it does what it does" in "Criminal," he's not just looking as his character's current situation, he's drawing from history, and his conclusions are based upon lifetimes of "it being it" and "doing what it does," of struggling and fighting and trying to get by, to make it however he can." This year I saw twice The Roots live shows, bought this CD and was completely amazed. Highly recommended for true hip-hop fans!
Submitted by Alex (Moscow)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No Winter in the Ghetto
The Roots gotta harder, colder sound, spooky keyboard bleeps, distorted bass and the cracklin' Juice Crew type drums with Black THought, best rapper alive, killin it!!
Submitted by chronwell (PG County, MD USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No  Not as good as expected.
this Roots album is not that great. I'm a big Black Thought fan but, I was not impressed by this effort.
Submitted by Smitty (Boston)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No
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Buy Rising Down CD  | | The Roots
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Purchase Rising Down CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Satantango DVDs (1994) Widescreen; Black & White; Subtitled
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NEW AMERYKAH PART ONE (4TH WORLD WAR) is even more experimental and musically diverse than WORLDWIDE UNDERGROUND, with Badu and her collaborators keeping the loose, jam-oriented, soul-jazz style of the EP and adding cutting-edge hip-hop beats. Lyrically, the album is as politically themed and downbeat as the title and subtitle suggest, with songs nodding ...
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Nasir Jones's controversially untitled LP follows the impressive trifecta of GOD'S SON, STREET'S DISCIPLE, and HIP-HOP IS DEAD. This latest record leans on gritty, often metallic production and a mission of personal catharsis, often in congress with a current sociopolitical pointedness. Nas's most aggressive eviscerations are saved for the hard-rocking rampage of "Sly Fox," which stands up for Ludacris and other MCs assaulted by conservative pundits, as if playing the role of the protective older brother. But for all the album's candid nihilism, perhaps the most moving moment is still one of hope, as articulated on "Black President." Poignantly sampling a 2Pac lyric about it seeming "heaven sent," Nas ponders the pros and cons of Obama's ascension. And the use of Shakur's words serves as a way for Nas to communicate a message to the fellow free-thinkers who inspired him, but who didn't live to see such progress in the face of relative chaos.
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2000 lbs of blues formed by michael arguello aka “pink” (don’t ask where the pink came from) playing early 40’s style piano driven jump blues in the spirit of big joe turner, wynonie harris, amos milburn & louis jordan are among the major influences of this band, being true to the music and at the same time creating new and interesting ways to present it to audiences, in hopes of keeping this great american music around for years to come. with a large and loyal following, 2000 lbs . . . has performed at countless major events & festivals, bringing down the house wherever ...
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