This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
To call The Roots a great hip-hop band is somewhere between a disservice and an insult.
Let’s face it: These days the hip-hop realm is overpopulated by typically shirtless, mostly talentless individuals who bark expletives while tugging at their crotches. Whereas these inventive Illadelphians have based their career on the very virtues that hip-hop has all but currently abandoned: Stellar musicianship, winning melodies and intelligent, poetic lyrics.
Those qualities, I am pleased to report, remain the driving forces behind their latest stellar outing The Tipping Point. And on these 10 tracks they’re joined by samples of Sly Stone, shows of respect for Joe Tex and George Clinton, smoky grooves, coherent thought and a near-endless assortment of bumptiously slinky backbeats. Granted, The Tipping Point may not be their most groundbreaking album. But by anybody’s definition, it’s a great record. And that’s because The Roots are a great band. Period.
