The Roots used to be a band you would identify with people like Erykah Badu or Jurassic 5. That definitely changed with Game Theory, and it seems this new sound is the way they want The Roots to be in this new era. They are not the same band who recorded “You Got Me” anymore. They are tough; dark synths in almost every track accompanied by crazy drum patterns and crude lyrics. Black Thought spits reality rhymes with no sweeteners. In this album, there are lots of collaborations on the mic but The Roots lose no trace of their original sound, their concept. When a rap album is full of collaborations it usually ends up becoming an empty concept containing a bit of everything and nothing consistent at all. This is not the case. The Roots have succeeded in reinventing themselves every time it was necessary, delivering something new and interesting in every single album. I would only mention them and Gang Starr when it comes to rap artists who have been constantly updating their sound and giving a breath of fresh air to the scene, album after album for longer than, let’s say, 10 or 15 years. - Grey