Comments on: RISING DOWN

By: colinresponse

colinresponse — Mon, 12 May 2008 18:09:34 +0000

Daahahahaha! Yea, Baron and Laura together hurts me soul. Thanks for checking the blog out KG. “The Playground” GOES and I am an avid subscriber to yalls brilliant/resilient independent thought.

Bless
C

By: KG

KG — Mon, 12 May 2008 04:13:06 +0000

im glad you are feeling this album.

ps. that pic of baron davis and laura bush made me cringe, dont ruin my heroes!

By: The Roots & Santogold « The Cheddar Box

The Roots & Santogold « The Cheddar Box — Thu, 08 May 2008 04:00:51 +0000

[...] brothers Colin and Greg have already written it up, but the new album, “Rising Down” by Philly natives [...]

By: slavename

slavename — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:30:15 +0000

HEll yea you right. that is the truth man-go pickle (no homophobia) down river. Black Thought is dope as fuck and needs to be thought of as so. It’s our job, well mainly Lupe Fiasco since he got the pub to make that “gayass-b*tch-sh*t cool. Not to put it all on him or somethin, of course….hahaha.

By: Hot DAMN!!! « Slavename

Hot DAMN!!! « Slavename — Wed, 07 May 2008 03:38:42 +0000

[...] in a minute so i just wanted to post it especially since in the past hour i’ve read this, this, and this about the new Roots album and i’m really juiced to get that ish. The interviewer [...]

By: colinresponse

colinresponse — Wed, 07 May 2008 02:28:03 +0000

Uz a G, G. Barack Obama just won DECISIVELY in NC, the lit. ca(n)non just got put onto iTunes and im listening to ‘rising down’ as I write this. Im basically feelin’ pretty damn good this very minute despite all the madness and theatircs that surround me.

I SUPER feel you on why you both like and dislike Blackthought. I was always way more into the artsy/thoughtful/’political’ (or as the youngsters call it: “gayass-b*tch-sh*t”) side of Hip-Hop and its potential as a vehicle for social change/movement. Its for this reason that I gravitate towards dudes like ‘thought. There is a part of me that sees through his expression, the undeniable love and respect he has for Hip-Hop in its most original form.

I realize though in my vast appreciation for Rap music, that emcees like him are but a slice of the “whole pie.” There are Hip-Hoppas who love this sh*t because it speaks about the drug game, there are folks who are in it for sport/battles/props, some are into the business side of it, etc. I love it Hip-Hop for all these reasons and I think THE ROOTS GO because they have a bit of allahdat in their music.

I always appreciate yours and Cheddar’s “black/yellow-thought(s)” on all the issues we think about on a daily basis! My next enrty is on some whole other crazy sh*t and is hella long. I hope yall check it out.

Thanx for stopping by. Ill burn all those CDs for you until youre able to handle that debt bruhbruh.

Bless
C

p.s. PeediCrackCocaine (the rapper, NOT the drug) GOES.

By: G-Mitch

G-Mitch — Wed, 07 May 2008 01:46:36 +0000

I never really appreciated the roots until the tipping point came out and i was finally at a point in where i could say, “it’s bout time i give them a shot.” That was in 04 or 05. It was at a point where rap really wasn’t about SHIT, like the lowest point for music to me, and i was in desperate need for somebody who was saying something about something. I found enough of that with the Tipping Point. The knock i always seemed to have with Black Thought is that i KNEW he was spittin’ CRAZY but I never could remember what the fuck he was spittin about. That’s still my knock on him really, but now i’m just able to appreciate that it seems like that cat just BLACKS OUT and what comes out is FIRE. He’s just a pure muhfuckin MC, one of those cats who just came up when fools were really just spittin to spit, freestylin crazy and all that shit. One of the people who would actually FREESTYLE like how FREESTYLING began, not what it has begun, at least as far as the mainstream where it’s almost always written shit, which don’t get me wrong- i’m not hatin’ because i also know that a mainstream audience is in need of instant gratification and doesn’t have time/appreciation for actual freestylin’.

The song that really hit me recently was “Get Busy” wit Peedi Crack and Dice Raw, its BANANAS! That shit was just so much different than other shit i’ve heard from the Roots, it made me know that this would probably be my favorite Roots album (even though i haven’t listened to the others, i know). But i really love that hard/edgy shit. Not hard in the sense of rapping about killing people and homophobia and all that shit, but rather in the sense of really agitated in that I NEED TO BE HEARD RIGHT NOW type of feeling, make sense? But yea man, i havent got the album yet, or the Gnarls yet, and i probably won’t actually buy another one until i get out of this 800 dollar debt and i’m out of school, but everyone who can should definitely support this ridiculously raw shit.

Peace Cheddar and C++ and anyone else,

By: colinresponse

colinresponse — Tue, 06 May 2008 18:49:11 +0000

Great point! I think I am just a huge fan of ‘thought and would really love to hear him do a dolo album that allows him to get some shine and really put himself out there. I think most ppl forget how talented he is because he is always associated as part of a band.

In any case, this album is just too fresh and I havent stopped knockin it since I bought it. I love these dudes and will cotinue to support them til im old and grey.

Falling Up,
C+

By: K-Chedda

K-Chedda — Tue, 06 May 2008 18:40:49 +0000

This ish is straight fire! I bought my copy the day it dropped and was not disappointed. Truthfully, I think Black is stronger when he has other emcees surrounding him, it makes his verses more pronounced to me. I dunno, my favorite Roots album is “Things Fall Apart” like you, and that one had tons of verses from Malik B, Dice Raw, Mos Def and other guests, so I guess I was accustomed to hearing the Roots as comprised of a bunch of different voices on the mic, as opposed to just Thought.

That’s what I love about “Rising Down.” They started bringing back the “multiple emcee” Roots sound on “Game Theory,” bringing back Malik B and adding Peedi, but they totally expanded on it with “Rising Down” and take it to another level. It’s no disrespect to Thought, but I feel like having multiple voices on the mic only further reinforces the concept of the Roots as a collective of emcees, musicians, etc. instead of just being “Black Thought’s band.” I’m a Wu-Tang head so you know I’m all about the rap groups with an army of emcees.

Peace,