I revisited this record recently and was pleasantly surprised at how well it stands the test of time. With The Roots now part of the collective consciousness as Jimmy Fallon’s backing band people tend to forget that their first three albums were some of the best hip-hop ever produced. It’s clear even at this point that Black Thought is the star of the show but you can’t discount the lyrical presence of Malik B or even Dice Raw for that matter. The band, especially Questlove on the drums, were always ahead of their time but the music sounds particularly impressive in the wake of all the computer-generated copycat production you hear featured in the current hip-hop landscape.
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