The Roots latest release,
Game Theory, remodeled a usually raw sound into a tightly produced and refined hip-hop album.
All of the innovation on the album was lost in its live presentation at the University of Cincinnati on Saturday night.
To be fair, the Roots had the deck stacked against them from the beginning. The three-fourths empty arena killed the atmosphere. The decision to not sell beer kept those who were there even more somber than their suburban upbringings should dictate. And the fact that the seat-assigned floor was not even half full while eager fans were pushed to the back of the bleachers in the name of assigned seating didn't help either.
Not your typical jam-packed Roots concert at Bogart's.
All outside factors aside, The Roots delivered an uninspired, uneven performance. Fans of the Roots' music, and hip-hop in general, were put-off by the seemingly 30-minute Bob Dylan cover put forth by ?uestlove, the guitarist and the tuba player. The cover, an anti-war tune written 40 years ago, was played with the band's heart in the right place, but people don't go to hip-hop shows to experience Woodstock.
Obscure tunes were played all night. Determine to prove their above hip-hop musical prowess, they lost touch with their base of fans in the process.
The most invigorating part of the whole evening was a medley of current and old hip-hop played as a tribute to refute Nas' assertion that "hip-hop is dead." The crowd finally got amped when they heard Mims' "This is why I'm hot," or other mainstream songs by the likes of Lil John – music The Roots have spent a career separating themselves from.
When they played their own tunes, the reactions from the crowd matched the performance by the band. Muddled and confused. Most cuts of the "Game Theory" weren't even recognizable from the album versions of the same songs. It took a few bars of each song for the crowd to even know what was hitting them.
Overall, a disappointment from the hardest-working group in hip-hop.
Labels: Cincinnati, Hip-Hop
