Phrenology

What a ride. Coming off of their breakthrough (and my favorite Roots album) "Things Fall Apart," this was incredibly ambitious to make. It veers in a lot of directions, but I feel like the message gets across no matter which way it takes you. I read something once that said "The Roots are not a band you put on for your backyard BBQ." We've got straight forward hip-hop, neosoul, punk, hard rock, and the closer "Thirsty" is some hard house all about the Black experience. So yeah not great sunshine feel good tunes. Black Thought, for me, is one of rap's all time greatest lyricist, so I felt he really captured aspects of the culture that shape the Black mindset in America. A repurposing of the racists study of Phrenology. Gotta love "The Seed 2.0" and the Talib Kweli feature on "Rolling With Heat." I've had the pleasure of seeing them live a few years ago, and I felt like they brought a lot of that energy to this record. It does feel a little jarring and disjointed at times with the abrupt stylistic shifts, so for that I'm going with a 4. This is a fantastic example of what a hip-hop album can be as a work of art.

Ambitious, mature. The Roots never settle. For me this album suffers from a bit of the same issues I have with later Roots albums...almost too much scope, leaving it feeling fractured and lacking cohesion. Black Thought's lyrical skills combined with their expert instrumentation at times feels like drinking from a sonic firehose. But nonetheless, for 2002 this was such a genre-busting effort.

Sounds nice. Nothing for me. Reliance on n-bombs makes it hard for me to enjoy all but the most trancendant rap

I 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 dont like rap

Half an hour was as much of this mysogynistic tripe as I could stand.

The Roots? Like from the Jimmy Fallon talk show? Unfortunately, this will be many people's initial exposure to these east-coast hip-hop legends. While this isn't the most prominent album in the discography, there is still great music here. There's clear Mos Def influence here, and I fuckin love Black On Black so I'll happily listen. And for the most part it's great! Around the mid-point it does seem to get a little aimless and experimental, which causes it to lose steam for me. This, combined with the 70 minute runtime, makes for a overly long album that maybe could've been broken up into two separate releases (maybe an experimental EP?) and reorganized for a more concise listening experience.

This was a chill rap album until the song "Water" took me into another dimension. The range on this project is very broad. Almost to a detriment as it feels disjointed. But there's no denying that Phrenology is fire from cover to cover.

I really like the combination of rock, hip hop, and some whacky electronic influences. Quite a few bangers on this album.

It's not exactly bad, but it's very bland and so bloody boring.

This is horrible haha

It's funny I was just listening to this album the other day digging through albums that had sampled The Incredible Bongo Band. And they did sample "Apache" in the song "Thought@Work." This is The Roots' fifth studio album and has a lot of contributors including Ursula Rucker, Nelly Furtado, Talib Kweli, Cody Chesnutt, Musiq, Jill Scott and poet Amiri Baraka. The album is named after the discredited pseudoscience of Phrenology which was the study of head shapes to determine intelligence and character and rationalized racism in the 19th century. Wow! Learn something new everyday, some which make you shake your head or worse. Anyway, subject matter-wise, I did not hear a songs about racism per se, but on a variety of other subjects: anti-ganster, certain aspects of the inner city and hip hop culture, relationships and band member issues. Yeah, covering a lot, as does the music described as hip hop incorporating elements of rock, jazz, techno, hardcore punk and soul. This is a big album trying to do a lot and it accomplishes it with everything I heard. It is not really sprawling but has a focus to it as you listen. Lots of good songs on this album. As previously mentioned, " Thought@Work" samples "Apache" and has a great groove. Talk about a great groove, "The Seed (2.0)" featuring Cody ChesnuTT and remixing his song sounds like vintage 1973 Isley Brothers with a very soulful feel. The song is based on Muddy Waters' "The Blues Had a Baby and Named it Rock and Roll" using that forvhip hop to neo-soul in a very innovative way. The first single off the album "Break You Off" is another great soul-based song about trying to steal someone's girlfriend. A great majestic orchestra ending. This album is 77 minutes but does not seem nearly that long and is well- worth the listen.

The Roots’ greatest strength is also their greatest weakness; their exemplary musical skill means they can play any style and genre - but just because they can, should they? The album is ambitious, but at times lacks a cohesive satisfying overall mood. But when they’re good they’re very good - The Seed 2.0, Rolling with Heat, Rhymes and Ammo are straight up fire and Black Thought solidifies his reputation as one of the great - but slept on - rappers.

Why this album by the Roots rather than “Things Fall Apart” which contains the Grammy-winning romantic rap ballad “You Got Me”??

This was a real slog. Overlong, half acerbic and irritating rap, half bland nu-soul, neither very good. Black Thought's voice and lyrics are pretty uninteresting, and the "it's a real band" conceit leaves little room for innovative (or even catchy) samples or effects. About as entertaining as a piece of dry brown toast. Saved from 1* due to an unexpected dash of one of my fey favorites in the mix

Author Jason Pargin recently noted that the concept of "selling out" is no longer the insult it once was. Prior generations of artists sought to maintain their authenticity by avoiding anything that sniffed of money-seeking or corporate involvement. Today artists begin their careers seeking monetization via sponsorship deals and mass media exposure. While Kurt Cobain said, "Corporate Rock Sucks", modern artists will bend over backwards and set themselves on fire to get a foot in the door with Amazon. This album made me consider the point more deeply. The Roots were truly original in their approach to Hip-Hop. Live instruments, agile lyricism, and thoughtful arrangements melded with vast knowledge of musical history to create a unique sound. Then NBC tapped them to be the house band for "The Tonight Show". No one even batted an eye when The Roots were thrown a whole bunch of money to abandon the traditional recording and touring life for the stability of a corporate overlord. Prior "Tonight Show" bandleaders like Skitch Henderson and Doc Severinson built their careers in the role. Max Weinberg and Branford Marsalis were already dismissed as sellouts before they joined the NBC Orchestra (or whatever they were called at the time.) The Roots were somehow granted a pass and suffered no loss of integrity when invited to serve under "The Man." By "The Man", I am referring to the corporate trustees who meddle in artistic endeavors , seeking greater profits for shareholders. Now I can't hear this music without feeling that Jimmy Fallon just announced that he'd be right back after these messages. "That is how you do it!", indeed.

A heap of fine craft, thought, good faith and intention leaves me wishing for something with anything near the edge of Public Enemy's :"Elvis was a hero to most/ I said Elvis was a hero to most/ He never meant shit to me/...Motherfuck him and John Wayne". Amiri Baraka made me listen: his poem blazes out of the throng, but I'd be happier listening to it without the music. The Cobain/Burroughs "The "Priest" They Called Him" came to mind as the right approach - instrument counterpoint to the reading, rather than background. Most alternative hip-hop on this list is a chore; this is no exception.

I will admit that this may be one of my more generous 5s, and it has a little to do with the best Roots album not being on here (as far as I know), but I do still stand by it. There are other affiliates, but the core of The Roots is the dynamic between Questlove and Black Thought, and it works unbelievably well. A lot of rap albums from the early 2000s sound pretty dated by this point, and a lot of the more "conscious" of these albums even more so, but Phrenology still sounds improbably fresh. It really comes down to two things. Firstly, the beats on here are all live percussion, courtesy of Questlove, and it gives this entire album an organic feel that has kept the beats from getting stiff or clunky with age. And second, Black Thought is *so* fucking good at rapping. He operates at an incredibly high level, and more importantly sounds completely natural while doing it. He raps with words like "sovereign" and "tantric" with the casualness that most people discuss the weather. He constantly sounds natural on the beats, he just gets into a pocket and rides it. And his flow is good enough that even on a first listen, before I've completely digested what he's saying, he's compelling to listen to. Throw other talented features in here and deliver great songs for over an hour, and its hard to go wrong. If you're usually not convinced by rap, check out Water, his storytelling is fantastic and the song takes some really adventurous turns in the second half. This is just amazing rap music that has barely aged a day, and even if this isn't Things Fall Apart, it's pretty jaw dropping in its own right.

I started out thinking I'd like it and then after the first listen wasn't so sure if it fulfilled my expectations but then it rewarded repeat listens. Some pretty cool tracks on this and lots of interesting ideas throughout even some things might need a bit more time to gel. Overall, it's still pretty spectacular and varied and definitely worth returning to even if I wasn't sure it was quite "it" at first.

This is the most surprising album I've so far heard on this list! It's not what I thought The Roots were about, and even when I thought I'd got my head around what to expect they kept flipping on me! Great record, strong 4.5*

Don't think I've ever heard a hip-hop album quite like this. Wildly creative and boundary-pushing, every song is completely different from the last and still manages to feel coherent. Even manages to use filler tracks in an interesting way. Something for everyone to enjoy. Top tracks: Sacrifice, Break You Off, Water, Rhymes And Ammo

Phenomenal album. From start to finish.

Some songs were a bit too experimental but most were great - the seed (2.0) was definitely my favourite and thirsty! is a great party and hype song.

I'm not saying I wouldn't be married to my wife if not for this record, but I'm also not not saying that. When we were dating we had the best time seeing The Roots on this tour at the Roseland Ballroom. One of the best shows I've been to, and I've been to many. To me, this record is head and shoulders above their others, not the least because of their borrowing of Cody Chestnutt and his instant classic "The Seed."

Fantastic hip hop album! More electronic than I was expecting.

Har aldri hørt dette albumet b2b før. Men, WOW, for en overraskelse! Særdeles variert med alt fra "klassisk" rap, til hardcore punk ('!!!!!!!'), frijazz-aktige-greier ('Water') og techno ('Thirsty!'). Favoritter: Quills, Rock you og Thought@Work.

I mean. It's a top 5 hiphop album for me for sure. The whole album is just packed with top-of-the-game, unrelenting, socially-concious spitting backed by power beats. Impossibly good.

An amazing masterpiece!

Heard Before? Not since it came out. Notes: - sequencing! it's an art, and one that this album exemplifies. everything in the right order, with a near-magical flow between tracks. - it helps that there is a huge variety of sounds and styles, with a well-curated guest roster. - "Water" is quite the centrepiece, with a huge glitch-hop coda. wow. - the conscious-rap lyricism certainly works and is clever and complex in all the right ways, although I'm more of a production person. Verdict: I remembered this as a second string Roots album, behind "Things Fall Apart" and "How I Got Over". But the more I listen to "Phrenology", the more impressed I am. Listen Again? Three times in one day is probably enough for a while. But yes.

I've heard the Roots plenty of times, but I think their Fallon years have somewhat shaded my perceptions. It's been a while since I really sat down and listened to them so I was surprised by how out-there this album was. A lot of experimental eclecticism (in a good way), but it really coheres. The soul vibes are immaculate, they picked all the right rappers, and even the rock songs work. I would definitely give this another listen. On a side note...I really need to steel myself before reading reviews of any hip hop albums on this website. What on earth do people hear as "misogynist" on this album?? It's THE ROOTS! We're not talking about Ice Cube or the early Beastie Boys here. I swear to G-d some people are just so racist they've developed an allergy to hearing Black men talk about sex. Someone else called this "violent afro rap"?!? Lots of white people complaining about hearing Black people use the n-word. For chrissake, it's the 2020s, get your head out of your ass and read a book or two.

Eclectic, creative, and fun. I enjoyed this and want to return for a closer listen. +1 ⭐️ for Philly representation

why is this on the list. the guy definitely heard of the roots second hand and just put their at the time latest album on. its genuinely their 6th best album. how the heck do you not put on things fall apart

Uncool people need rap albums too

Felt like doing a chore of a subject have an interest in, there is some passing regard but in the end it was more of a task to get through than actual enjoyment. It was nice enough but really did feel more than most to be more a listen because on the list than anything else unfortunately, it’s experimental nature is probably it’s strength and it’s weakness for me as the odd track grabbed me, the odd track left me cold. So ends up averaging decent but nothing more for me. 3 Star

3.5

Actually liked it way more than I expected to. Was ready for some spiritual lyrical miracle boom bap jazz rap but was pleasantly surprised at how pop-minded it was and the different sounds going on. Ultimately not the kind of rap album I will ever voluntarily listen to again but I COULD and I wouldn't hate it In other words 3/5 needs more Nettspend Fav song: Sacrifice

(50/100)

Old school rap con algunas canciones experimentales, pero no me gustó mucho. Liked songs: Seed Break your way off Something in the way of things

not a big fan of violent afro rap

Meh

1. fren -0 2. rock - 1.5 3. ezclamation - 0 4. zacrifice -1 5. heat -1 6. call - 0 7.work - 1.5 8. Seed -1 9. Break - 0 10. Water -0 11. Quills - 1.5 12. Pussy - 0 13. Complex - 1 14. Things - 1 15. Ammo - 1.5 16. Thirsty - 0 Disappointing :(

All I hear is misogyny and violence, coupled with bad electronically generated music. Pure trash.

Not as long as the hole in my backside points down would I listen to this crap. Hate this grunty genre that are obsessed with how many times they can say niggah in a track. Really pathetic, I hate it.

It's amazing how you can take a group of very talented individuals and produce an album that I can't stand to listen to. Good job.

Not a good start to find Spotify #plays under 1500 for some of the songs. And was for good reason. The only songs that do not offend the ear are those where The Roots teamed up with other artists. "Sacrifice" with Nelly is OK and some melody. "The Seed" with Cody Chesnutt is a lot more mainstream, but still falls very short. Big fat zero. F

What lyrics I could understand I did not enjoy. Some of the samples were grating. I gave it a few songs before I was done.

a lot of variety with some good sounds, but fairly inconsistent

Allegedly this is a more difficult and uncommercial album than its predecessor *Things Fall Apart* (which is a formative album for me and an inexcusable omission from this list), yet I don't know where that reputation comes from. Black Thought spends this entire collection making a damn compelling argument that he belongs on the Mount Rushmore of MCs (and I genuinely mean that), while ?uestlove cements his status as hip-hop's musical conscience, with perfect beats, riffs, and collaborators. And all of it is energetic and vibrant and compelling; the only even potentially off-putting thing here is that this a full seven-course meal of music, and even then the energy never flags. The opener "Rock You" references both A Tribe Called Quest and "California Love" within a few bars of each other, as if gathering steam from the past to urge the entire genre forward.

fuck yes. finally some more hip hop. this album is great, and it's a real breath of fresh air after all the soft rock we've had recently. there's too much good stuff here to list it all, the production and lyrics go hard as hell throughout. i particularly enjoyed the beats on "thought @ work" and "complexity", as well as the back half of "water" where it goes full instrumental and gets straight up scary, but my favourite track is "thirsty!", which feels way ahead of its time with that aggressive techno sound. and i gotta mention the skit at the end of "rolling with heat", that one got my ass. joke that got funnier with age. despite being over an hour long it never feels it. time doesn't matter when the music is this good. it's an easy 5.

Surprisingly perfect! I like it! Track Water is super!

Illadeph for life. The Seed 2.0 has always been my fave.

Crazy this is the only Roots album on this list. I have no choice but to give this 5 stars then.

This slaps. No notes

Just a fantastic early 00s hip hop record, well-produced and effortlessly transitioning in and out of electicism and neo-soul and rock influenced pieces as well. Great lyrics with a few certified bangers.

if i could give this 6 stars, i would

Sometimes getting to listen to something you would not have naturally listened to is a big let-down. Sometimes it's not. This is one of the not times. Wow! The songs just kept coming while I was trying to keep straight who was the writer(s) and who was playing with whom...So I had to keep going back just to listen to the songs. And each time, I was impressed. This went by so fast, obviously I wasn't bored. And after reading through contemporary reviews, I have to agree this was/is a classic. Great music. And 5 impressive stars.

Fire tbf

Its hard to accept I love this type of songs. Its not the usual me!

Stupendous! And the collabs are fire!

Love this album. Had a burnt copy courtesy of the Indianapolis Public Library for the longest time. The Seed 2.0 is a fucking banger.

Really good. don't know if I understand the whole thing but some all time bangers. I also don't know if Things Fall Apart will show up so automatic 5 stars.

The best of early-naughties hip hop.

Loved it

Phenomenal stuff, great band.

i could really feel the sensuality of the music. i was involuntarily gyrating to 90% of the tracks. favorites: sacrifice; the seed 2.0; break you off; water

one of the weirder quirks of the list is that this is somehow the only roots album, and even with what i feel like is a p good understanding of the methodology i rly dont know how this happened ghjsdghsd. killer album tho, ive needed to listen to more of the roots for a long time. this is arguably very Uncohesive but questlove and black thought are such strong and instantly recognizable voices in their own lanes that they do most of the unifying work on their own. questlove clearly found renewed direction for his inspiration after working with d'angelo, and many people default to calling this "the neo-soul roots album" because even tho thats a slightly misleading description, just about any description would be. a lot of tracks feature the band at their most Produced and Precise and electronic-sounding, others turn into funky and experimental workouts that just swirl outwards. black thought is easiest to identify for his high-stamina complexity but the thing that sends him so far past lyrical miracle-isms is that ive just never once heard a rhyme from the man that felt Contrived or Uncomfortable, either verbally or rhythmically. maybe not the best roots album but id have to hear more of them to be confident in that tbh...cool stuff!!!

I listened to this album repeatedly when I worked at the record store nearly 25 years ago, and it is as fresh today as it was then. Excellent.

Staggeringly good 45 minute album, somewhat undermined by it being 70 minutes long

Five for The Seed alone

Sick album! Expansive yet cohesive, covers a lot of ground musically but still makes sense. Really good flows to the rapping and a surprising psychedelic freak out jam in the middle. Loved it

Really dug it, but I also have always enjoyed The Roots. See them live if you ever get a chance!

Good hip hop album with some really good tracks.

I never listen to music while I'm walking in downtown Brooklyn, but I did with this album and it all made perfect sense (even though Roots are a Philly group, I guess). I heard this as an inventive, exuberant celebration of Black music and culture. And of course, Questlove is great - he's probably done as much for hip-hop as Brian Wilson did for surf music. Anyway, it's a really good record. Though I'll confess, as a rock and roll guy, "The Seed" is probably the song I'll always come back to first.

The beats are incredible, the lyrics are phenomenal, just a great album. My first 5* I think.

Mega sztos. Pewnie jeden z najbardziej nieoczywistych albumów rapowych, jakie kiedykolwiek słyszałem. Bardzo rozbudowany muzycznie, różnorodny, wychwalający nie tylko muzykę tradycyjnie czarną, ale też współczesne białe gatunki takie jak indie rock czy techno.

Very happy to see this record on this list. Without even listening, it's a 5 for me. This record resonated so much with me when it first debuted, and it still very much stands the test of time. Such diversity in mood and momentum throughout. From the punk/thrash interlude of "!!!!!!!" to the cool, head-nodding and experimental "Water, and everything around and in-between, there's so much to be inspired by. Black Thought has continued to make his mark in the music scene to this day - check out the record "Cheat Codes", where he collaborates with Danger Mouse - absolutely fantastic record from 2022. Long live The Roots!

what the fuck did I just listen to

Very rich

Super funky hip hop with one of the best lyricists ever. 5/5

Much more of a progressive, crazier space for a Hip Hop album during the tailend of the Gangsta Rap era. People cite Kanye West and The College Dropout for the mainstream hip hop appeal moving to a rapper's more personal matters rather than the old-fashioned "gangsta shit" but for the headier hip hop, that train was grooving and Phrenology gave The Roots a place for alternative hip hop again, mainly cause Dead Prez refused to get that commercial. Anyways, this album is the shit, Kanye is a piece of shit (derogatory) and this is a stellar, creative and fun hip hop album that goes to places and spaces you wouldn't normally take hip hop to go to. Not in the jazz fashion like Guru or Tribe, but even further than that into other genres.

rap music that has a central theme about the idea of self. for those of you who don't know, phrenology refers to the study of someone's head to indicate someone's personality and perceived intelligence. with fat and stylish hip hop beatflips... this album is nice little soundscape of spoken word and creative instrumentation. the whole album is produced a little messy and a little crazy, with some tracks sounding like they'd come from an entirely different album, but it's the perfect amount where it makes it accessible for a lot of audiences. a window to the mind, this album is...

Very good album. Every song sounds different and the transitions to song to song is amazing. Production is great as well.

This is not the best Roots album. But, this album is definitely one of the most ambitious and genre-encompassing. My preference is to lean towards Things Fall Apart, The Tipping Point or even Illadelph Half-life when I choose a Roots CD to pop on. That said, a re-listen today shows just how much these guys can master music in all of its varieties, and there are still some absolute bangers on here to boot.

Underrated rap album, I get why people dislike it but I am not one of those people. It is not a great album statement, but it is an amazing collection of songs 4.75 Favorite song:Water Least favorite:Break you off

Come on, 1001. Just entering that Friday night vibe and you drop Phrenology on my lap to crank on my headphones, as if to challenge me: “rate this one two-stars…I dare you.” The game is rigged. Listening to Phrenology is the best I’ve felt all week. Rolling Stone Magazine watch: I’m tired of this joke.

This was such a party album from university days I felt drunk listening to it again

Really surprised by how much I enjoyed this album. One of the easiest albums so far to return to and just enjoy — really listenable. Favorite track is “Break You Off.”

5 stars

Thought @ work is the standout. Conscious and thought provoking

Excellent

Very good album

10/10 - actually a super cool hip hop album, lots to respect here, even if a few songs were kinda corny lol

Cool album!

Phrenology is probably my favorite The Roots album. It's adventurous, spanning hardcore punk to chill neo soul to hard trance thanks to Rahzel. The first song I remember hearing from this record is “The Seed 2.0”, specifically the music video. It got me to listen to the rest of the album right away. I think it is their best work, creatively speaking. Everyone is at their best. The flow, the vibe, the lyricism is all there. “Rock You”, “!!!!!!!”, “Sacrifice”, “The Seed 2.0”, “Break You Off”, and “Complexity” are all favorites of mine from this album.

Amazing live band!!

Surprised how well this album still holds up. More surprised it isn't still in my rotation.

7/4/25. Happy Independence Day despite a lot of negative feelings toward my country right now. However, receiving this 2000s gem improved my vibe! Love the instrumentation and storytelling throughout.

no notes this shit slaps

So much good here. I actually hadn't given it a proper listen in quite a while, and really hadn't given credit to the non-hit songs. Some weirdness in some of the latter half of the album, but not enough to bring it down for me.

Masterpiece. I know of The Roots, and I even know a couple of their songs, but I never knew they could hit like this. I really missed out by skipping them in the early aughts. 4.5 stars.

Phrenology is an absolute beast of an album. I always was aware that The Roots are a very talented band with them doing some pretty great stuff in The Tonight Show but this album did show just how outstanding they really are. This is probably my favorite Hip hop album on this project so far because it goes beyond being a simple hip hop album and takes inspirations from many genres other than hip hop including rock, punk, folk, jazz, blues, R&B, electronica among many others. Every single element on this album is handled incredibly well from the flows to the beats to all the other elements. This is one amazing album and definitely one of the best hip hop albums ever. Best Song: Sacrifice Worst Song: Phrentrow