It was supposed to all be over for The Roots, said and done. Couldn’t really blame ‘em, they’d been reppin for over a decade, and in the current state of hip hop, they weren’t selling that many albums. Then again, they’d never been a group with platinum intent. Their transfer into recent years has been a bit odd, however, as they ended up the band on the Jimmy Fallon show – who woulda thought that could happen in ‘96? They’ve reached a time when the majority of people have no idea that Do You Want More?!!!??! exists.
But they couldn’t leave the game alone. How I Got Over is coming in a few weeks, the same day as Recovery in fact, so these poor guys probably won’t be going platinum any time soon, either. In any case, “Doin’ It Again” just hit the net, and The Roots are coming on strong.
Featuring John Legend, the track is guided by a largely drum-based beat, the thumping bobbing the listener forward with the piano holding up the background. Not really surprising for The Roots, but it works, Questlove is still largely infallible. On the track, John sings (sampled, rather than truly featuring), “I’m doin’ it again / I said it would end,” which makes perfect sense considering the group’s supposed retirement from making records. Yet, his delivery is more than a bit emotional, and gives the impression that the track should be more serious than it is – his chorus could’ve allowed for so many things, and instead Black Thought simply talks about his return. This isn’t so bad, with his flow nearly nothing can be, and, true, every rapper ever seems to find such a statement necessary with a back-to-it-album. Still, one nearly wishes he’d talked about more than how he’s succeeded and how important and cool he is. The track almost seems oddly short, coming in at two minutes. In any case, it’s great to have The Roots back, just wish there was a bit more here than a nice tune.
