The Tipping Point | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 13, 2004 | |||
Recorded | September 2003 – April 2004 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 54:41 | |||
Label | Geffen | |||
Producer |
| |||
The Roots chronology | ||||
|
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 Canadian journalist 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 .
The cover image is a stylised rendering of a 1944 Boston police mug shot of Malcolm X, following his arrest for larceny.
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 72/100 [14] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Blender | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ [16] |
The Independent | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Los Angeles Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | 8/10 [18] |
Pitchfork | 5.4/10 [2] |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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] selling 428,000 in the US, as of 2008. [22] Despite mixed criticism towards its production and lyrical substance, [5] [9] [17] [23] The Tipping Point received generally positive reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 72 out of 100 on Metacritic. [14]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
103. | "Star/Pointro" (featuring Wadud Ahmad) | 7:36 | ||
104. | "I Don't Care" (featuring Dom) |
|
| 4:02 |
105. | "Don't Say Nuthin'" |
| 3:35 | |
106. | "Guns Are Drawn" (featuring Aaron Livingston) |
|
| 5:15 |
107. | "Stay Cool" (featuring Martin Luther) |
|
| 3:34 |
108. | "Web" |
|
| 3:16 |
109. | "Boom!" (featuring Dice Raw) |
|
| 2:57 |
110. | "Somebody's Gotta Do It" (featuring Devin The Dude, Jean Grae & Mack Dub) |
| 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 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
113. | "Melting Pot" (cover of song of the same name by Booker T. & the M.G.'s) | 10:40 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|