Even if it didn't begin with a clip of The Roots at war with
their old label or boast an incendiary cover that resurrects ugly Jim Crow
iconography, the venerable hip-hop outfit's Rising Down would still qualify as a giant "fuck you" to Def Jam
in particular and commercial hip-hop as a whole. After the resounding
commercial failure of the gritty Game Theory, most acts would retreat into pop singles and slick hooks,
but The Roots took the opposite path. Despite guest spots from usual
suspects—Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common—Rising Down is even more uncompromising and less commercial than
its predecessor.
Rising Down is heavy
on the synths—not the shiny, happy synthesizers of '80s pop, but rather
snarling, angry, sinister electronic machines you wouldn't want to come across
in a dark alley. But the foundation remains the electric chemistry between
Black Thought's unrelenting lyrical assault and ?uestlove's epic drums.
Sonically and lyrically, Rising Down sustains a mood of paranoia and dread throughout, though it musters up a glimmer of hope and optimism on its
final song, "Rising Up," thanks largely to the feathery guest vocals of
Chrisette Michele. The Roots' uncompromising sucker punch of an album captures
the sound of battle-scarred survivors intent on being the last band standing in
a world and music industry steadily falling apart.