The Tipping Point (The Roots album)

Last updated
The Tipping Point
The Tipping Point (album).jpg
Studio album by
the Roots
ReleasedJuly 13, 2004
RecordedSeptember 2003 – April 2004
Genre Hip hop, [1] neo soul [2]
Length65:27
Label Geffen
Producer Questlove, Scott Storch
The Roots chronology
Phrenology
(2002)		The Tipping Point
(2004)		 Game Theory
(2006)

The Tipping Point is the sixth studio album by American hip hop band the Roots, released July 13, 2004 on Geffen Records. It is named after Malcolm Gladwell's book of the same name (2000), [3] and is the follow-up to Phrenology (2002). [1] [4] The album is a musical departure from their previous work, featuring a more diverse, yet pop-oriented sound, and it contains lyrics associated with rapping-prowess, political insight, and social commentary. [5] [6] [7] [8] The Tipping Point has been noted by music writers for exhibiting and emphasizing soul, jazz, and funk influences as well. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] The song "I Don't Care" was featured on the soundtrack of the game Gran Turismo 4 .

Contents

The cover image is a stylised rendering of a 1944 Boston police mug shot of Malcolm X, following his arrest for larceny.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 72/100 [14]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Blender Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [15]
Entertainment Weekly B+ [16]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [17]
NME 8/10 [18]
Pitchfork 5.4/10 [2]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [19]
Spin B [8]
The Village Voice A− [20]

The album debuted at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 109,000 copies in its first week. [21] Despite mixed criticism towards its production and lyrical substance, [5] [9] [17] [22] The Tipping Point received generally positive reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 72 out of 100 on Metacritic. [14]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
103."Star/Pointro" (featuring Wadud Ahmad)
7:36
104."I Don't Care" (featuring Dom)
  • Questlove
  • Tidd
  • Walker
  • Richard Nichols
4:02
105."Don't Say Nuthin'"
3:35
106."Guns Are Drawn" (featuring Aaron Livingston)
  • Douglas
  • Gray
  • Hubbard
  • Livingston
  • Thompson
  • Tidd
  • Trotter
  • Walker
  • Questlove
  • Tidd
  • Walker
  • Nichols
5:15
107."Stay Cool" (featuring Martin Luther)
  • Jenkins
  • Melvin 'Chaos' Lewis
  • Griffin
  • Trotter
  • Paterno
  • Chaos
3:34
108."Web"
  • Hubbard
  • Trotter
  • Thompson
  • Robert 'LB' Dorsey
3:16
109."Boom!" (featuring Dice Raw)
  • Chaos
2:57
110."Somebody's Gotta Do It" (featuring Devin The Dude, Jean Grae & Mack Dub)
  • Floyd Carson
  • Douglas
  • Gray
  • Tsidi Ibrahim
  • Hubbard
  • Jenkins
  • Trotter
  • Thompson
Tahir Jamal
4:08
111."Duck Down!" (featuring Dom)
3:56
112."Why (What's Goin' On?)" (featuring Latif) / "In Love With the Mic" (featuring Dave Chappelle, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Skillz & Truck North) (hidden track) / "Din Da Da" (hidden track)


16:22
Japan / UK bonus track / US vinyl release
No.TitleLength
113."Melting Pot" (cover of song of the same name by Booker T. & the M.G.'s)10:40
Sample credits
Extra Notes

Personnel

The Roots
Production

Charts

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References

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  2. 1 2 Sylvester, Nick (July 14, 2004). "The Roots: The Tipping Point". Pitchfork . Retrieved October 5, 2009.
  3. ↑ DeRogatis, Jim. "Review: The Tipping Point". Chicago Sun-Times : 7. July 11, 2004. Archived from the original on 2009-10-05.
  4. ↑ Frosch, Dan. "Review: The Tipping Point". Vibe : August 2004.
  5. 1 2 3 Wolk, Douglas (July 12, 2004). "The Roots: The Tipping Point". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on May 10, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
  6. ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide . Simon & Schuster. pp.  702–03. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  7. ↑ Rabin, Nathan (July 20, 2004). "The Roots: The Tipping Point". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on November 7, 2009. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
  8. 1 2 Ryan, Chris (August 2004). "Sowing the Seed". Spin . 20 (8): 101–102. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
  9. 1 2 Bieritz, Erick. Review: The Tipping Point. Stylus Magazine. Retrieved on 2009-12-05.
  10. 1 2 Jeffries, David. "The Tipping Point – The Roots". AllMusic . Retrieved October 5, 2009.
  11. ↑ Columnist. Review: The Tipping Point Archived 2010-08-24 at the Wayback Machine . IGN. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
  12. ↑ Pareles, Jon. Review: The Tipping Point. The New York Times . Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
  13. ↑ Empire, Kitty. Review: The Tipping Point. The Observer . Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
  14. 1 2 "Reviews for The Tipping Point by The Roots". Metacritic . Retrieved October 5, 2009.
  15. ↑ Rosen, Jody (August 2004). "The Roots: The Tipping Point". Blender (28): 134. Archived from the original on May 4, 2006. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  16. ↑ Fiore, Raymond (July 16, 2004). "The Tipping Point". Entertainment Weekly . No. 774. p. 76. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
  17. 1 2 Baker, Soren (July 11, 2004). "This diet of Roots fails to nourish". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved October 5, 2009.
  18. ↑ "The Roots: The Tipping Point". NME : 41. July 31, 2004.
  19. ↑ Cross, Charles R. (2004). "The Roots". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp.  702. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  20. ↑ Christgau, Robert (August 3, 2004). "Looking Past Differences". The Village Voice . Retrieved October 5, 2009.
  21. ↑ Gelder, Laurence Van. Arts Briefing: Thursday, July 22, 2004. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-12-05.
  22. ↑ Wang, Oliver. Review: The Tipping Point. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
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  24. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Roots – The Tipping Point" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Albums : Top 100". Jam! . August 5, 2004. Archived from the original on December 10, 2004. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  26. ↑ "R&B : Top 50". Jam! . July 29, 2004. Archived from the original on August 3, 2004. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
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  32. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Roots – The Tipping Point". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  33. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
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  36. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  37. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  38. ↑ "The Roots Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  39. ↑ "The Roots Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
  40. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2004". hitparade.ch. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  41. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2020.

Notes

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