Game Theory (album)

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Game Theory
Studio album by The Roots
Released August 29, 2006
Recorded March–May 2006
The Studio, The Boom Room, A House Called ?uest
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Encore Studios
(Burbank, California)
Conway Studios, Glenwood Studios
(Los Angeles, California)
Integrated Studios, Quad Studios, Platinum Studios, Electric Lady Studios
(New York, New York)
Genre Hip hop
Length 46:58
Label Def Jam
Producer Owen Biddle, J Dilla, Richard Nichols, The Randy Watson Experience, The Roots
Professional reviews
The Roots chronology
The Tipping Point
(2004)		 Game Theory
(2006)		 Rising Down
(2008)

Game Theory is the seventh studio album by American hip hop band The Roots, released on August 29, 2006 on Def Jam Recordings in the United States. It is their first album for the Def Jam label.[11] A darker, grittier album with minimal emphasis on hooks in comparison to their previous work,[12][13] Game Theory features a stripped-down sound similar to the work of Public Enemy, with lyrics that concern sociological themes and the late hip hop producer J Dilla.[14][15][16]

Upon its release, Game Theory debuted at number 9 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 61,000 copies in its first week.[17] It was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2007 Grammy Awards, losing to Ludacris's Release Therapy (2006). The album received mostly universal acclaim from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 83/100 from Metacritic.[18] According to the website, Game Theory was one the twenty-fourth best-reviewed album of 2006.[19]

Contents

[edit] Music

In an interview for Rolling Stone magazine, Questlove expressed his view on contemporary black music and described Game Theory, comparing it to previous works:

“ In this day and age, I'm kind of noticing that nobody in urban music really has the balls to just stop partying for one second... I mean, partying is good and whatnot, and it's cool to get down, but I really think that 2006 called for a very serious record. This ain't the Debbie Downer record, or the political, save-the-world record, but this is definitely not the MC-based, battle-themed album that the Roots have been known for. This is our most serious record to date.[20] ”

Described by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson as "very mature, serious, and very dark."[21] the album, unlike their two previous efforts, Phrenology and The Tipping Point, combines The Roots's progressive tendencies and lush, jazz influenced hip-hop into a more homogenous and cohesive recording than past efforts had shown. In what could be a salute to a fellow experimental band, The Roots sample Radiohead's "You and Whose Army?" for the track "Atonement".

The subject material for Game Theory follows the more serious tone of the album, with topics ranging from the war in Iraq to violence in music. Questlove was quoted as saying "There was too much going on that we couldn’t just sit back and not speak on it."[21] In accordance with its more-serious tone, the album heavily references Public Enemy's highly-political It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back on its lead track "False Media".

[edit] Track listing

# Title Producer(s) Performer (s)
1 "Dilltastic Vol Won(derful)" J Dilla J Dilla *Instrumental*
2 "False Media" Kamal Gray,
The Randy Watson Experience		 Black Thought,
Wadud Ahmad
3 "Game Theory" The Roots,
Khari Mateen		 Black Thought,
Malik B
4 "Don't Feel Right" The Roots,
Tahir Jamal		 Black Thought,
Maimouna Youssef
5 "In the Music" The Roots,
Richard Nichols,
Pedro Martinez,
Owen Biddle,
Kevin Hansen		 Black Thought,
Malik B
6 "Take It There" The Roots,
Questlove,
Richard Nichols,
Pedro Martinez,
Adam Blackstone,
Kevin Hansen		 Black Thought,
Wadud Ahmad
7 "Baby" The Roots,
John McGlinchey		 Black Thought,
John-John
8 "Here I Come" The Roots,
Richard Nichols,
Owen Biddle,
Pedro Martinez,
Brook D'Leau		 Black Thought,
Dice Raw,
Malik B
9 "Long Time" The Roots,
Kevin Hansen,
Owen Biddle,
Darryl Robinson,
Richard Nichols,
Omar Edwards		 Black Thought,
Peedi Peedi,
Bunny Sigler
10 "Livin' in a New World" The Roots,
Khari Mateen		 Black Thought,
John-John
11 "Clock with No Hands" The Roots,
Khari Mateen,
Brook D'Leau		 Black Thought,
Mercedes Martinez
12 "Atonement" The Roots,
The Randy Watson Experience		 Black Thought,
Jack Davey
13 "Can't Stop This" J Dilla,
The Roots,
The Randy Watson Experience		 Black Thought
14 "Bread & Butter"
(UK, Japan, iTunes bonus track)		 Black Thought, Truck North
Sample credits
  • The intro track "Dillatastic Vol Won(derful)" used a sample of Slum Village's first album, Fantastic Vol.1's intro track, "Fantastic", which J Dilla produced. ("Fantastic" incorporates elements of a Herbie Hancock composition "You'll Know When You Get There," from VSOP (album).)
  • The track "Game Theory" contains a sample of Sly and the Family Stone's "Life of Fortune and Fame".
  • The track "False Media" contains interpolations of Public Enemy's "Don't Believe The Hype".
  • The track "Don't Feel Right" samples Kool & The Gang's "Jungle Boogie" & The Ohio Players's "Ecstasy".
  • The track "Atonement" samples Radiohead's "You and Whose Army?"
  • The track "Cant Stop This" contains a sample of The Jackson 5's "All I Do Is Think Of You". It should be noted that this song's backing track is an extended version of J Dilla's "Time: The Donut of the Heart" from his third solo album Donuts.
Notes
  • A shortened, uptempo version of "Here I Come" is used as the opening theme for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, performed by The Roots in their role as house band for the show. Towards the end of the shortened song, they typically shout out the episode number.[22]

[edit] Chart history

Album
Year Album Chart positions
Billboard 200 Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums Top Internet Albums
2006 Game Theory #9 #5 #9
Singles
Single information
"Don't Feel Right"
  • Released: June 20, 2006
  • B-side:
"In The Music"
  • Released: 2006
  • B-side: "Here I Come"

[edit] References

  1. ^ Adaso, Henry. Review: Game Theory. About.com. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
  2. ^ Kellman, Andy. Review: Game Theory. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
  3. ^ Endelman, Michael. Review: Game Theory. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
  4. ^ Wang, Oliver. Review: Game Theory. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
  5. ^ Dombal, Ryan. Review: Game Theory. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
  6. ^ Vrabel, Jeff. Review: Game Theory. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
  7. ^ Relic, Peter. Review: Game Theory. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
  8. ^ Schwartz, Barry. Review: Game Theory. Stylus Magazine. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
  9. ^ Jones, Steve. Review: Game Theory. USA Today. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
  10. ^ Dukes, Will. Review: Game Theory. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
  11. ^ Lynskey, Dorian. Review: Game Theory. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
  12. ^ Johnson, Brett. Review: Game Theory. XXL. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
  13. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: Game Theory". MSN Music: December 2006. Archived from the original on 2009-10-05.
  14. ^ Rabin, Nate. Review: Game Theory. The A.V. Club. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
  15. ^ Chinen, Nate. Review: Game Theory. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
  16. ^ Baron. Review: Game Theory. Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
  17. ^ Adaso, Henry. U.S. Rap Albums Chart - May 17, 2008. About.com. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
  18. ^ Game Theory (2006): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
  19. ^ Best Albums of 2006. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
  20. ^ "The Roots' New Album: Heavy But No Debbie Downer". http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/10617577/the_roots_new_album_heavy_but_no_debbie_downer. Retrieved September 22 2006. 
  21. ^ a b "The Roots Get Serious About Their "GAME THEORY"". http://www6.defjam.com/site/news.php?news_id=102077. Retrieved September 22 2006. 
  22. ^ http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/late-night-with-jimmy-fallon/

[edit] External links

v • d • e
The Roots
Owen Biddle · Black Thought · Captain Kirk Douglas · F. Knuckles · Kamal Gray · Questlove
Hub · Ben Kenney · Malik B · Rahzel · Martin Luther · Dice Raw · Scratch · Scott Storch
Studio albums
Organix (1993) · Do You Want More?!!!??! (1995) · Illadelph Halflife (1996) · Things Fall Apart (1999) · Phrenology (2002) · The Tipping Point (2004) · Game Theory (2006) · Rising Down (2008) · How I Got Over (2010)
Live albums
Songs
The Next Movement (1999) · You Got Me (1999) · The Seed (2.0) (2002)
EPs
Related
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Theory_(album)"