Game Theory (album)
| 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, experimental hip hop | |||
| Length | 46:58 | |||
| Label | Def Jam | |||
| Producer | Owen Biddle, J Dilla, Richard Nichols, The Randy Watson Experience, The Roots | |||
| The Roots chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Singles from Game Theory | ||||
|
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 83/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| The A.V. Club | A− |
| Entertainment Weekly | A− |
| The Guardian |  |
| Los Angeles Times | |
| Mojo | |
| MSN Music | A− |
| Pitchfork Media | 7.7/10 |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Spin | |
Game Theory is the seventh studio album by American hip hop band The Roots, released August 29, 2006, on Def Jam Recordings. The group's first release for the label after leaving Geffen Records, the album was recorded by the Roots mostly using the Apple-developed software application GarageBand. A darker, grittier album with minimal emphasis on hooks in comparison to their previous work,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.
The album debuted at number nine on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 61,000 copies in its first week. It produced two singles and achieved moderate sales success. Upon its release, Game Theory received acclaim from most music critics and earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Album. To date, the album has sold over 200,000 copies in the United States.
In an interview for Rolling Stone magazine, Questlove expressed his view on contemporary black music and described the concept of 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.
Described by Questlove as "very mature, serious, and very dark", the album, unlike the band's previous two efforts Phrenology (2002) and The Tipping Point (2004), 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".
...
Wikipedia