How I Got Over (album)

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This article is about an album. For a gospel song, see How I Got Over.
How I Got Over
Studio album by The Roots
Released June 22, 2010
Recorded 2008-2010
A House Called Quest, The Boom Room
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
MSR Studios
(New York, New York)
Genre Hip hop, neo soul
Length 42:25
Label Def Jam
Producer Richard Nichols (exec.), Black Thought, Questlove, Dice Raw, Rick Friedrich
The Roots chronology
Rising Down
(2008)		 How I Got Over
(2010)		 Wake Up!
(2010)
Singles from How I Got Over
  1. "How I Got Over"
    Released: June 25, 2009
  2. "Dear God 2.0"
    Released: May 22, 2010
  3. "The Fire"
    Released: June 1, 2010

How I Got Over is the ninth studio album by American hip hop band The Roots, released June 22, 2010 on Def Jam Recordings. Production for the album was primarily handled by band members Black Thought, Questlove, Dice Raw, and Rick Friedrich during 2008 to 2009. It contains a subtle, somber sound that incorporates musical elements of soul, jazz, indie rock, and gospel music, and features lyrics concerning themes of existentialism, perseverance, and modern society.

The album debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 51,000 copies in its first week. Upon its release, How I Got Over received general acclaim from most music critics, earning praise for its eclectic, cohesive style and profound lyrical themes. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, presented at the 53rd Grammy Awards in 2011.[1]

Contents

[edit] Background

In 2008, The Roots stated that their final album would be Rising Down (2008), until drummer and producer for The Roots, Questlove, stated via his Twitter account that the band would release an album called How I Got Over in the summer.[2] How I Got Over was recorded during The Roots' tenure as the house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.[3] The album was set to be released in February 2010,[4] but was subsequently pushed back to June 8, 2010.[5] Their ninth album,[6] it was released June 22, 2010 on Def Jam Recordings.[7]

[edit] Music

From the tracks initially expected to make the album, only 'The Day', 'Walk Alone' and the title song 'How I Got Over' made the final track listing.[3][8] Similar to the previous The Roots full-length, 2008's Rising Down the album features a wide array of guest singers and rappers. John Legend appears on the single 'The Fire' and alternative rock group Monsters of Folk help The Roots remake their own song, 'Dear God' into an updated '...2.0' version which was released as the most promoted single.[3] The album also feature a track that samples Joanna Newsom's "Book of Right-On," a track featured on her 2004 release The Milk-Eyed Mender, as well as new overdubs for the track, The Roots' version appears under the title 'Right On' here.[3][9]

The album was expected to have political content relating to the presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. On June 23, 2009, Billboard reported: "Among the tracks expected to make the cut are 'Walk Alone,' the vintage R&B-leaning 'Make a Move,' 'The Day' featuring Icelandic vocalist Patty Crash and a cover of Frank Zappa's instrumental classic 'Peaches en Regalia.' 'How I Got Over' is also expected to include a version of Cody Chesnutt's 'Serve This Royalty;' the singer-songwriter rose to fame in 2002 when the Roots re-recorded his song 'The Seed' for their album 'Phrenology'".[10]

[edit] Reception

[edit] Commercial performance

The album debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 51,000 copies.[11] It also entered at number three on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Rap Albums charts,[12][13] and at number four on the Digital Albums chart.[14] In its second week, the album dropped to number 17 on the Billboard 200 and sold 21,000 copies.[15] The album fell to number 25 on the chart and sold 14,000 copies in its third week.[16] To date the album has sold 151,000 copies in the US.[17] In Canada, the album entered at number 14 on the Top 100 Albums chart.[18] It also charted at number three in Switzerland, at number 117 in France, at number 61 in the Netherlands, and at number 35 in New Zealand.[19]

[edit] Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 4/5 stars....[20]
Robert Christgau (A)[21]
Entertainment Weekly (A-)[22]
The Guardian 4/5 stars....[23]
The New York Times (favorable)[24]
Pitchfork Media (8.1/10)[25]
Rolling Stone 3.5/5 stars....[26]
Slant Magazine 3/5 stars....[27]
Spin (8/10)[28]
URB 4.5/5 stars....[29]

How I Got Over received general acclaim from most music critics.[30] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 86, based on 22 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[30] Music critics commended the album's slow-grooving sound, its guest artists' contributions, and its content's lyrical depth.[31] Allmusic writer Andy Kellman gave it 4 out of 5 stars and described it as "deeply planted in realism... gracefully and cleverly sequenced".[20] Entertainment Weekly's Simon Vozick-Levinson complimented the album's "funk/soul/jazz vibes".[22] Steve Jones of USA Today gave it 4 out of 4 stars and stated "The band's daring genre-bending eclecticism and insightful socio-politicism make Over worth revisiting time and again".[32] Nate Jackson of OC Weekly wrote that the band sounds "like they've taken some notable artistic leaps with this record without losing the core of what makes them special".[33] Rolling Stone writer Nathan Brackett complimented The Roots' incorporation of indie rock elements into their "in the pocket" sound.[26] Under the Radar's Matt Fink gave it a 7/10 rating and called it "their leanest, most economic release, using smoky jazz flourishes, aching soul, and lushly arranged backdrops to glide through a tight 14-song set".[34] Pitchfork Media's Nate Patrin called it "a particularly efficient album... the Roots' shortest (a lean 42 and a half minutes), one of their most lyrically straightforward, and a work of strong stylistic cohesion".[25]

In contrast, Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine found it lyrically inconsistent and "mildly self-delusional", and described it as "stylistically the most inert, contemplative, offputtingly soft music they've possibly ever released".[27] Sputnikmusic's Sobhi Abdul-Rakhman noted that "some tracks come off as 'light' on the beats spectrum and slightly unfocused filler", but ultimately called it "a step in a different direction" and "a great record".[35] Steve Juon of RapReviews gave it a 9/10 rating and stated "The Roots are pleasing you musically at the same time they stimulate you intellectually. The message doesn't usurp the groove or vice versa".[36] Jon Pareles of The New York Times called it "a serious deliberation on perseverance: a message for an era of recession", stating "Even in its boasts, 'How I Got Over' is selfless: an album of doubts, parables and pep talks".[24] Spin's Charles Aaron praised its profound themes, writing "You'd have to rewind early-'90s Scarface or Wu-Tang for such convincingly cold-eyed hip-hop existentialism".[28] In his consumer guide for MSN Music, critic Robert Christgau praised its rappers for expressing "garden-variety upper-middle-class anxiety... directly, thoughtfully, eloquently, and entertainingly", while writing that "they up the ante and confront those anxieties with a fortitude and even optimism embodied by Kamal Gray's keyboards, never my idea of this band's strength, and, especially, ?uestlove's drums".[21]

Jesse Serwer of The Washington Post described the album's guest artists as "augmentation" to Black Thought's "always stellar, if stiff, rhymes".[37] Lou Thomas of BBC Online expressed that "the importance of collaborators is paramount", and found the album similar to Curtis Mayfield's Super Fly (1972).[38] Crawdaddy!'s Daniel Alvarez wrote that The Roots "push the stylistic and sonic boundaries of their sound without eschewing their foundations of soulful beats, socially conscious lyrics, and the underlining spirit of musical and emotional collaboration".[39] New York Daily News writer Jim Farber praised the band's musical fusion as "a new level of invention" for hip hop and stated "their words pour out in a thoughtful, assertive, funky rush".[40] James Shahan of URB compared it to their previous album Rising Down, stating "While How I Got Over is cut from the same cloth... the fabric of it is unique to itself. It’s dark and tragic in places, but also enlightening and empowering".[29] Chicago Tribune writer Greg Kot characterized its first-half as a "brooding meditation" with a "jazz-soul vibe", while noting its second-half as more upbeat "where the mellow melancholy of the album subtly brightens and the beats harden".[41] The A.V. Club's Nathan Rabin stated "The sound is as airy and intimate as Rising Down was claustrophobic and menacing".[42] Matthew Fiander of PopMatters called it "a timely, and honest, record about making it through tough times" and commended its "unified feel".[43] The Guardian's Dave Simpson compared the album to Marvin Gaye's What's Going On (1971) and stated "their rejections of negativity and belief in humanity are inspiring".[23]

[edit] Track listing

The track listing was confirmed by Okayplayer.[44]

No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "A Peace of Light" (featuring Amber Coffman, Angel Deradoorian & Haley Dekle) Ahmir Thompson, Ray Angry Thompson, Angry 1:50
2. "Walk Alone" (featuring Truck North, P.O.R.N. & Dice Raw) Tariq Trotter, Jamal Miller, Greg Spearman, Karl Jenkins, Jeremy Grenhart, Rick Friedrich Thompson, Grenhart, Jenkins, Richard Nichols 3:55
3. "Dear God 2.0" (featuring Monsters of Folk) Trotter, Thompson, Pedro Martinez, Nichols, Jim James Thompson, Nichols, Martinez 3:52
4. "Radio Daze" (featuring Blu, P.O.R.N. & Dice Raw) Trotter, Johnson Barnes, Spearman, Jenkins, Grenhart, Friedrich Thompson, Grenhart, Jenkins 4:16
5. "Now or Never" (featuring Phonte & Dice Raw) Trotter, Phonte Coleman, Grenhart, Jenkins Thompson, Grenhart, Jenkins 4:34
6. "How I Got Over" (featuring Dice Raw) Trotter, Jenkins, Grenhart, Friedrich Thompson, Grenhart, Jenkins, Nichols, Friedrich 3:36
7. "DillaTUDE: The Flight of Titus"   Thompson, Angry Thompson, Angry 0:42
8. "The Day" (featuring Blu, Phonte & Patty Crash) Trotter, Thompson, Coleman, Barnes, Jenkins, Katrin Newman, James Poyser, Kirk Douglas, James Gray, Owen Biddle, Franklin Walker, Damon Bryson The Roots, Nichols 3:44
9. "Right On" (featuring Joanna Newsom & STS) Trotter, Thompson, Don Carlos Price, Joanna Newsom, Delon Lawrence Thompson, Alectrick.Kom 3:36
10. "Doin' It Again"   Trotter, Thompson, John Stephens Thompson 2:24
11. "The Fire" (featuring John Legend) Trotter, Thompson, Friedrich, Jenkins Thompson, Jenkins, Nichols, Friedrich 3:41
12. "Tunnel Vision"   Thompson, Angry Thompson, Angry 0:40
13. "Web 20/20" (featuring Peedi Peedi & Truck North) Trotter, Thompson, Pedro Zayas, Miller Thompson 2:46
14. "Hustla" (featuring STS) Trotter, Thompson, Price, Thomas Pentz Thompson, Pentz 2:56

[edit] Personnel

Credits for How I Got Over adapted from liner notes.[45]

  • Executive producer: Richard Nichols
  • A&R: Lenny S., Karl Jenkins
  • A&R operations: Leesa D. Brunson
  • A&R administration: Mark Tavern
  • Mastered by: Dave Kutch
  • Marketing: Chris Atlas, Paul Resta
  • Management: Shawn Gee, Richard Nichols
  • Business management: Shawn Gee, SEFG LLC
  • Creative management: Richard Nichols, CoolHunter LLC
  • Art direction: Richard Nichols, Kenny Gravillis, Todd Russell
  • Design: Gravillis, Inc.
  • Art, photography coordination: Kristen Yiengst, Tai Linzie
  • The Roots photography: Ben Watts
  • Styling: Rebecca Pietri, www.hommepourfemme.com
  • Gromming: Fahim
  • Legal counsel: Brad A. Rubens
  • Business affairs: Randy McMillan, Antoinette Trotman, Ian Allen
  • Sample clearances: Deborah Mannis-Gardner for DMG Clearances, Inc.

[edit] Chart history

Charts (2010) Peak
position
Canadian Albums Chart[18] 14
Dutch Albums Chart[19] 33
French Albums Chart[19] 117
New Zealand Albums Chart[19] 35
Swiss Albums Chart[19] 3
US Billboard 200[19] 6
US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[12] 3
US Billboard Rap Albums[13] 3

[edit] References

  1. ^ Nominees: 2010 - 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards. Grammy.com. Retrieved on 2010-12-02.
  2. ^ Roots Do Residencies ?uestlove Twitters Album Title. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2010-05-18.
  3. ^ a b c d The Roots Enlist John Legend, Others For "How I Got Over". HipHopDX. Retrieved on 2010-06-07.
  4. ^ "The Roots Push Back "How I Got Over"". okayplayer. 2009-06-10. http://www.okayplayer.com/news/The-Roots-Push-Back-How-I-Got-Over-.html. Retrieved 2009-06-11. 
  5. ^ "The Roots' 'How I Got Over' Out in June". 2010-03-05. http://www.theboombox.com/2010/03/05/the-roots-how-i-got-over-out-in-june/. Retrieved 2010-03-25. 
  6. ^ ?uestlove Reveals New Roots Album Title 'How I Got Over'. Showhype.com. Retrieved on 2010-05-18.
  7. ^ Island Def Jam
  8. ^ Roots Working With Dirty Projectors. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2010-05-20.
  9. ^ The Roots enlist Joanna Newsom, John Legend, Jim James for new album. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2010-05-20.
  10. ^ Roots to Debut New Singles on Jimmy Fallon. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-05-18.
  11. ^ Caulfield, Keith. Eminem's Huge 'Recovery' Leads Big Week On Billboard 200. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-06-30.
  12. ^ a b R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - Week of July 10, 2010. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-06-26.
  13. ^ a b Rap Albums - Week of July 10, 2010. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-06-26.
  14. ^ Digital Albums - Week of July 10, 2010. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-06-26.
  15. ^ Jacobs, Allen. Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 7/4/2010. HipHopDX. Retrieved on 2010-07-15.
  16. ^ Jacobs, Allen. Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 7/11/2010. HipHopDX. Retrieved on 2010-07-15.
  17. ^ [1]
  18. ^ a b Top 100 - For the Week Ending 1 July, 2010. Jam!. Retrieved on 2010-06-31.
  19. ^ a b c d e f Album Performance: How I Got Over. acharts. Retrieved on 2010-07-15.
  20. ^ a b Kellman, Andy. Review: How I Got Over. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-06-22.
  21. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (November 30, 2010). Consumer Guide: How I Got Over. MSN Music. Archived from the original on 2010-11-30.
  22. ^ a b Vozick-Levinson, Simon. Review: How I Got Over. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2010-06-19.
  23. ^ a b Simpson, Dave. Review: How I Got Over. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2010-07-02.
  24. ^ a b Pareles, Jon. Review: How I Got Over. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2010-06-21.
  25. ^ a b Patrin, Nate. Review: How I Got Over. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2010-06-25.
  26. ^ a b Brackett, Nathan. Review: How I Got Over. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2010-06-22.
  27. ^ a b Henderson, Eric. Review: How I Got Over. Slant Magazine. Retrieved on 2010-06-23.
  28. ^ a b Aaron, Charles. Review: How I Got Over. Spin. Retrieved on 2010-06-21.
  29. ^ a b Shahan, James. Review: How I Got Over. URB. Retrieved on 2010-06-21.
  30. ^ a b How I Got Over (2010): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2010-06-21.
  31. ^ Burns, Zeenat. June's Best New Music. Metacritic. Archived on 2010-06-29.
  32. ^ Jones, Steve. Review: How I Got Over. USA Today. Retrieved on 2010-06-23.
  33. ^ Jackson, Nate. Review: How I Got Over. OC Weekly. Retrieved on 2010-06-22.
  34. ^ Fink, Matt. Review: How I Got Over. Under the Radar. Retrieved on 2010-06-31.
  35. ^ Abdul-Rakhman, Sobhi. Review: How I Got Over. Sputnikmusic. Retrieved on 2010-07-07.
  36. ^ Juon, Steve. Review: How I Got Over. RapReviews. Retrieved on 2010-06-23.
  37. ^ Serwer, Jesse. Review: How I Got Over. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2010-06-22.
  38. ^ Thomas, Lou. Review: How I Got Over. BBC Online. Retrieved on 2010-06-29.
  39. ^ Alvarez, Daniel. Review: How I Got Over. Crawdaddy!. Retrieved on 2010-07-07.
  40. ^ Farber, Jim. Review: How I Got Over. New York Daily News. Retrieved on 2010-06-29.
  41. ^ Kot, Greg. Review: How I Got Over. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on 2010-07-08.
  42. ^ Rabin, Nathan. Review: How I Got Over. The A.V. Club. Retrieved on 2010-06-29.
  43. ^ Fiander, Matthew. Review: How I Got Over. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2010-06-26.
  44. ^ Audio: The Roots "The Fire" feat. John Legend. Okayplayer.com. Retrieved on 2010-06-10.
  45. ^ Track listing and credits as per liner notes for How I Got Over album

[edit] External links

The Roots
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) · Wake Up! (2010) · Undun (2011)
Live albums
Extended plays
Songs
"You Got Me" (1999) · "The Next Movement" (1999) · "The Seed (2.0)" (2002) "Wake Up Everybody" (2010)
Related articles
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