The Tipping Point (album)
Encyclopedia
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), and it serves as the follow-up to Phrenology
(2002). 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. The Tipping Point has been noted by music writers for exhibiting and emphasizing soul
, jazz
, and funk
influences as well.
is uncredited on the hidden track
"In Love With The Mic". The album is named after the Malcolm Gladwell
book of the same name, while the album photo is the mugshot of an 18-year-old Malcolm X
before his conversion to Islam
in prison. Some later releases of the albums, including the iTunes
version, replace Malcolm X with a similarly-posed image of Black Thought
as seen in on the "Stay Cool" single cover (see below).
chart, selling 109,000 copies in its first week. Despite mixed criticism towards its production and lyrical substance, The Tipping Point received generally positive reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 72/100 from Metacritic
.
Bonus tracks
Sample credits
Production
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
band The Roots
The Roots
The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...
, released July 13, 2004 on Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
. It is named after Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell, CM is a Canadian journalist, bestselling author, and speaker. He is currently based in New York City and has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996...
's book of the same name
The Tipping Point
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference is a book by Malcolm Gladwell, first published by Little Brown in 2000....
(2000), and it serves as the follow-up to Phrenology
Phrenology (album)
Phrenology is the fifth studio album by American hip hop band The Roots, released November 26, 2002, on Geffen Records and MCA Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during June 2000 to September 2002...
(2002). The album is a musical departure from their previous work, featuring a more diverse, yet pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
-oriented sound, and it contains lyrics associated with rapping
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
-prowess, political insight, and social commentary. The Tipping Point has been noted by music writers for exhibiting and emphasizing soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, and funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
influences as well.
Music
The Tipping Point is arguably the most commercial-sounding of all The Roots albums with radio-friendly tracks such as "Don't Say Nuthin'". At the same time, The Tipping Point stays true to The Roots style of going deep into a groove for longer than most hip-hop artists; this is evident on the album's hidden track "Din Da Da". Comedian Dave ChappelleDave Chappelle
David Khari Webber "Dave" Chappelle is an American comedian, screenwriter, television/film producer, actor, and artist. Chappelle began his film career in the film Robin Hood: Men in Tights in 1993 and continued to star in minor roles in the films The Nutty Professor, Con Air, and Blue Streak. His...
is uncredited on the hidden track
Hidden track
In the field of recorded music, a hidden track is a piece of music that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, vinyl record or other recorded medium in such a way as to avoid detection by the casual listener...
"In Love With The Mic". The album is named after the Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell, CM is a Canadian journalist, bestselling author, and speaker. He is currently based in New York City and has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996...
book of the same name, while the album photo is the mugshot of an 18-year-old Malcolm X
Malcolm X
Malcolm X , born Malcolm Little and also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz , was an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its...
before his conversion to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
in prison. Some later releases of the albums, including the iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
version, replace Malcolm X with a similarly-posed image of Black Thought
Black Thought
Tariq Trotter , better known as Black Thought, is an American hip-hop artist who is the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group The Roots and occasional actor...
as seen in on the "Stay Cool" single cover (see below).
Reception
The album debuted at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, selling 109,000 copies in its first week. Despite mixed criticism towards its production and lyrical substance, The Tipping Point received generally positive reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 72/100 from Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
.
Track listing
- "Star/Pointro" (feat. Wadud Ahmad)
- "I Don't Care" (feat. Dom)
- "Don't Say Nuthin'"
- "Guns Are Drawn" (feat. Aaron Livingston)
- "Stay Cool" (feat. Martin Luther)
- "Web"
- "Boom!" (feat. Dice RawDice RawDice Raw is a hip-hop artist associated with The Roots, and one of the founding members of musical group Nouveau Riche.In 2000, Dice Raw recorded his solo debut album, Reclaiming the Dead on MCA Records....
) - "Somebody's Gotta Do It" (feat. Devin The DudeDevin the DudeDevin Copeland , better known by his stage name, Devin the Dude, is a Houston hip hop artist, and rapper. He is best known for his unique rapping style, his long career signed to Rap-A-Lot Records, and his 2002 song, "Lacville '79"....
, Jean GraeJean GraeJean Grae , born November 26, 1976 is an American hip hop artist who hails from South Africa. She rose to prominence in the underground hip-hop scene in New York City, and has since built an international fanbase.- Early life :...
& Mack Dub) - "Duck Down!" (feat. Dom)
- "Why (What's Goin On?)" (feat. Latif)
Bonus tracks
- "In Love with the Mic" (feat. Dave ChappelleDave ChappelleDavid Khari Webber "Dave" Chappelle is an American comedian, screenwriter, television/film producer, actor, and artist. Chappelle began his film career in the film Robin Hood: Men in Tights in 1993 and continued to star in minor roles in the films The Nutty Professor, Con Air, and Blue Streak. His...
, SkillzSkillzShaquan Lewis, also known as Mad Skillz, Skillz, is an American rapper known for his acclaimed 1996 album From Where???, a reference to his origins in Virginia, not the stereotypical New York City or Los Angeles rapper, and he's also known for his yearly "Rap Ups", which he has done since...
& Truck North) - "Din Da Da" (cover of "Din Daa Daa" by George KranzGeorge KranzGeorge Kranz is a German dance music singer and percussionist. He is best known for his song "Trommeltanz", otherwise known as "Din Daa Daa". The song hit No. 1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1984 and then returned to the chart in a new version in 1991, peaking at No. 8...
) - "Melting Pot" (cover of song of the same name by Booker T. & the M.G.'sBooker T. & the M.G.'sBooker T. & the M.G.'s is an instrumental R&B band that was influential in shaping the sound of southern soul and Memphis soul. Original members of the group were Booker T. Jones , Steve Cropper , Lewie Steinberg , and Al Jackson, Jr....
) (Japan bonus track)
Sample credits
- Star/Pointro" samples "Everybody Is a StarEverybody Is a Star"Everybody Is a Star", released in December 1969, is a 1970 hit single recorded by Sly & the Family Stone. The song, double a-sided with "Thank You ", reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1970 and was the final classic-era Family Stone recording...
" by Sly & The Family StoneSly & the Family StoneSly and the Family Stone were an American rock, funk, and soul band from San Francisco, California. Active from 1966 to 1983, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music... - Stay Cool" samples "Harlem Hendoo" by Al HirtAl HirtAl Hirt was an American trumpeter and bandleader. He is best remembered for his million selling recordings of "Java", and the accompanying album, Honey in the Horn . His nicknames included 'Jumbo' and 'The Round Mound of Sound'...
- "Web" samples "Dance Girl" by The Rimshots
Personnel
The Roots- Vocals: Tariq TrotterBlack ThoughtTariq Trotter , better known as Black Thought, is an American hip-hop artist who is the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group The Roots and occasional actor...
- Bass: Adam Blackstone & Leonard HubbardHub (bassist)Leonard "Hub" Hubbard is a former band member of The Roots and played bass for the Philadelphia outfit from 1992 to 2007. He played on all of their records until his departure from the group, including 1999's Things Fall Apart and 2004's The Tipping Point. He is known for always having a chew stick...
- Drums: Questlove
- Guitars: Anthony Tidd, Kirk DouglassCaptain Kirk Douglas"Captain" Kirk Douglas is an American guitarist who plays with the hip hop band The Roots. He has also performed with the Dave Matthews Band.-Guitars:...
& Martin Luther - Horns: Kevin Hanson
- Sound Manipulation: Si McMenamin
- Keyboards: Kamal GrayKamal GrayJames "Kamal" Gray is the keyboardist with American hip hop group The Roots. He is from Philadelphia and has relatives in North Carolina. He joined the band as Scott Storch's replacement in 1995, while he was still in high school. He wrote the popular Roots' tracks "The Next Movement", "Sacrifice",...
& Omar Edwards - Percussion: Frank Knuckles Walker
Production
- Producers: Questlove, Scott StorchScott StorchScott Storch is an American record producer. He produces a variety of music, particularly hip hop, reggaeton, and R&B. His label, Storch Music Company responsible for signing Brooke Hogan and Nox...
Album
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
4 |
| US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
2 |
| US Billboard Top Internet Albums | 15 |
Singles
| Year | Song | Peak positions |
| US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
||
| 2004 | "Don't Say Nuthin'" | 66 |
External links
- The Tipping Point at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- The Tipping Point at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
- Album Review at Slant MagazineSlant MagazineSlant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...