Album Review: The Roots - How I Got Over
by Afriyie "Free" Amankwaa

To call The Root's latest album, How I Got Over, "long awaited" or "anxiously anticipated" is an understatement. As usual, the band brings nothing but a jazzy sound combined with old school flows to their latest album. How I Got Over finds The Roots in a somewhat pensive mood by discussing society’s “cutthroat” behavior mixed with politics and religion. Thus, the message the album gives is clear: The Roots are awake.

Two songs that stood out to me the most on How I Got Over are “Walk Alone” and “Dear God 2.0”. The track “Walk Alone” is as diverse as its message. The MCs on this track, Black Thought, P.O.R.N., and Truck North bring different levels of intensity with their rhymes on their relationship to the subject. “Dear God 2.0” is a much more blatant track. Black Thought goes in and has nonstop energy discussing the hardships of living in 2010 (you know, things such as the economy.) In the first verse, he says, “ignoring the prophecies/ more beef than broccoli corporate monopoly/ weak world economy/ stock market topplin” Enough said.

All in all, hip hop’s most beloved band isn’t even talking about music this time. They’re talking about real issues that their audience can relate too. The album’s brilliance just may make it one of the best releases of 2010. Good stuff.