The Roots' Rising Down Has Definite Appeal

The Roots are one of the most prolific groups in hip hop. They have released seven chart-topping and critically acclaimed albums. Now The Roots are back with their latest effort, Rising Down. Will Rising Down live up to The Roots' historic legacy?

Rising Down (Hum Drum), teams The Roots with rappers Mos Def, Styles P and Dice Raw. The song has an old school hip hop feel melodically. The lyricists involved on the track drop very solid verses.

75 Bars (Black Reconstruction) is a very different sounding track. The song starts off with very solid percussion from Questlove. The beat is very minimalist, however that just shows off the incredible lyrical ability.

On Get Busy, The Roots are joined by Peedi Peedi, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Dice Raw. The song has a harder feel than most of the material on the album. The song has the feel of a modernized Wu-Tang Clan track.

Common teams with The Roots on The Show. The song has a very 70's feel to it melodically. The track is solid and fairly catchy. Common proves just how strong of a lyricist he is on the track.

Saigon and Truck North join The Roots on Criminal. The song is catchy and very strong melodically. Saigon drops a solid verse over the bouncy beat.

Lost Desire adds Talib Kweli and Malik B to the mix. The song is not the strongest track on the album however it is solid. The beat just fails to do the strong lyricism justice.

@ 15 shows just how strong a lyricist Black Thought was at fifteen years old.

Becoming Unwritten is an interesting interlude which is fairly catchy and introduces the later Up There (Unwritten).

Up There (Unwritten) is a solid break from the general feel of the album. The song features Mercedes Martinez.

Rising Up teams The Roots with Chrisette Michele and Wale. The song has a very positive and uplifting vibe. The track is definitely the most commercially viable track on the album. The song is incredibly catchy.

Rising Down is exactly what you would expect from The Roots. The album delivers numerous very solid tracks that will appeal to The Roots' hardcore fan base. The album has a definite story and a feel to it that is well represented in the material. Rising Down gets 8 out of 10. If you are a fan of The Roots, make sure you pick up Rising Down when it is available in stores on April 29.