At some point, The Roots have to sound like everyone else in hip-hop, right? After all, the group has been making progressive hip-hop since the late-90’s/early aughts. And yet, on ‘Dear God‘, the new single from the band’s upcoming album, How I Got Over, Questlove, Black Thought, and the rest of The Roots crew continue to sound nothing like anything else we’re hearing on radio.
‘Dear God’ is a somber, eery rap record. Even by The Roots’ standards it’s a little left field. This is probably because it’s a remake of a record by the same name, originally performed by rock supergroup, Monsters of Folk. The singer on the hook is Monsters of Folk member Jim James, who is also a member of My Morning Jacket.
For those of us who enjoy our MCs and rap crews going the experimental route, ‘Dear God’ is going to be an enjoyable listen, for those of us who fall in line with more traditional-sounding hip-hop, get ready to skip. We still don’t know if this is good or bad, but we know it’s different, which for The Roots, is more of the same.
The Roots’ How I Got Over hits stores and iTunes, June 22.
NEXT PAGE: LISTEN TO ‘DEAR GOD’ AND CHECK OUT THE ALBUM COVER FOR HOW I GOT OVER
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What do you think of The Roots’ ‘Dear God’? Take a listen and comment
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