How I Got Over

The Roots | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 21, 2010)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Def Jam
• ASIN: B0029LX2LC
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,649 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #68 in Music > Rap & Hip-Hop > Experimental Rap

Editorial Reviews

To call it "long-awaited" or "eagerly anticipated" would be the understatement of the year - as hip-hop's most daring pioneers the Roots release their 9th studio album (and third for Def Jam Recordings) on June 22nd, HOW I GOT OVER. The album, which takes its name from Clara Ward's gospel classic (made popular by Mahalia Jackson), is the Roots' first new release since joining Late Night with Jimmy Fallon for a full time gig as the show's house band.

Grammy Award winners the Roots characterize the songs on HOW I GOT OVER as "depicting the everyman's search for hope in this dispiriting post-hope zeitgeist".

The lead single from the Roots new set will be "Dear God 2.0." The track re-imagines the Monsters Of Folk song "Dear God" and features MOF members Yim Yames from My Morning Jacket, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes and M. Ward.

HOW I GOT OVER also includes two appearances from Grammy-winning soul man John Legend: "Doin' It Again" a re-working of his track "Again," and "The Fire," an original song written for the Roots' 2010 Olympic concert performance.

The Roots and Legend have developed a strong musical bond, as the group has produced John's entire upcoming release Wake Up, which shares the socially conscious themes of the "How I Got Over" set and is comprised of late sixties/early seventies covers.

Other guests on HIGO include Joanna Newsom on "Right On," Phonte Coleman (Little Brother, The Foreign Exchange), Blu (Blu & Exile), Peedi Peedi , Mercedes Martinez, Icelandic alt-pop singer Patty Crash, newcomer Sugar Tongue Slim as well as long time Roots' Crew members Dice Raw, Truck North and P.O.R.N.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Roots Still Have The Throne Locked Down!, June 22, 2010

By 

Gary Anderson (Spokane Washington) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How I Got Over [Explicit] [+Digital Booklet] (MP3 Download)

I've long been of the belief that The Roots are not only the best hip hop group out there, but they are one of the top BANDS period. Of any genre of music. The Roots have long been one of the more intelligent staples in hip hop, always counted on to come correct with meaningful thought provoking lyrics, and live music.

A lot of hip hop is done with computers and whatnot, but make no mistake people: This is a BAND! One only has to tune in to Jimmy Fallon's show week nights to see them play.

This album is a special kind of thing. The lyrics are on point, as always, the guest appearances aren't necessarily the same ol' same ol' that you see on every hip hop album. There's no Drake, no Lil Wayne, none of that. It's real hip hop with real hip hop artists.

No talking about killing people, doing drugs, or sleeping with any girl they can get. This is grown folks hip hop.

This album, "How I Got Over" is unique in that it fits together so cohesively. There's nothing that feels like filler, here. It's almost like it blends into the next track, kind of like an album by the group "Enigma" does.

Standout tracks include "Now or Never" (featuring Phonte of Little Brother and Dice Raw), which is my personal favorite after three times listening to the album, Dear God 2.0 (featuring Monsters of Folk), the title track "How I Got Over" (featuring Dice Raw) and "Walk Alone" (featuring Truck North, Dice Raw and someone named P.O.R.N.).

Black Thought is solid once again as the frontman of this band, and if you have any semblance of desire to hear true genuine hip hop, then you have to buy this. There's no ifs ands or buts about it. Support true hip hop, and not that lame stuff you hear on the radio.

I've heard a lot of people complain about the album saying it's too short. And clocking in at a bit over 41 minutes, it's short compared to many hip hop album out there. However, for one, there's not a ton of interludes, which tends to pad hip hop albums when the artists have nothing to say, and also, and this is just me personally, but I'd rather have 41 minutes of solid hip hop that has something meaningful and personal to say, than an 80 minute album that's half average at best, and half decent.

But that's just me.

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Hip Hop, June 22, 2010

By 

Artist "a creator" (tucker , ga usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How I Got Over [Explicit] [+Digital Booklet] (MP3 Download)

Let me begin by saying The Roots are refreshing in the world of Hip Hop not only because they're an actual band, but because they've grown and matured over time musically and lyrically. Some Hip Hoppers claim that they are grown and mature yet still rap about how great they are and all the money they have (see Jay-Z), but The Roots frontman (Black Thought) actually writes about things that a mature person living in American society thinks about. Topics range from the ecosystem to living responsibly to hoping that his daughter grows up to be more than the average consumer.
As far as the sequencing of the album goes, this is a very cohesive listen. The song kind of build into an ultimate climax right before the final track.
If you're a fan of not only Hip Hop but music in general, this is THE album to have this year.
This is one amazing musical journey. It's one of those albums that's going down in history as one of the greats when it's all said and done.

37 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Long Hard Stare In The Mirror, June 23, 2010

By 

J. Johnson "capricornrising1" (CT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How I Got Over (Audio CD)

The Roots have always been one of those bands who I always respected but never fully enjoyed.

They had the chops. Black Thought was is perfectly proficient MC. In that they are an actually hip hop band on a major label, they have their own unique lane. Yet, none of the Roots' previous albums never truly moved me. Similar to the Brand New Heavies, the Roots, while technically gifted, sounded too practiced. For a live band, their music rarely sounded spontaneous or organic. Instead, it sounded overly rehearsed and over considered. As if every micrometer of the album's sound was heavily thought about. (If you ever read any of the fascinatingly brainy interviews with the band's leader, drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, you'd see that it was.) Music is supposed to come from the heart, not solely from the mind.

So although, all nine of the previous Roots LPs were musically impressive, they lacked a lot of soul.

Until...How I Got Over.

This album is such a pleasant surprise. Not only is it instantly captivating and beautifully produced, it's the first album by the Roots that actually has sheer emotion. Not well-thought ideas but genuine feeling. Not only does it sound good, it FEELS good.

How I Got Over is a seamless listen that must be listened to in it's full 42 minute rotation. The album finds the band in a morosely reflective mood. It's the aural equivalent of a man, on the verge of entering another stage of his life (in interviews, Thompson says that stage is entering the fellas entering their 40s), giving himself a deep, hard stare in the mirror. Reflecting his past and pondering his future and wondering where his place is in the world. This deep introspection is achieved by mood and texture, not heavy-handed thought, which makes HIGO even more powerful and intoxicating.

As with the more recent Roots releases, How I Got Over features an eclectic guest list, including career-long affiliates like Dice Raw, underground hip hop geniuses like LA's Blu and North Carolina's Phonte (of Little Brother and Foreign Exchange fame) and indie rock sensations the Dirty Projectors (the ladies in that band give a beautiful performance on HIGO's intro), Jim James and Joanna Newsom (via a sample) as well as R&B crooner John Legend. Yet all the guests flow beautifully with the album's groove. They only add to the album's brilliance, not interfering with it.

How I Got Over is a must-have. It's easily one of the best albums of the year and the new decade. A beautiful album from a band that finally freed their mind and let the groove (and emotions) follow.