• Record Label: Geffen
  • Release Date: Jul 13, 2004
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 51 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 51
  2. Negative: 0 out of 51

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  1. PabloG.
    Apr 26, 2008
    5
    Easily their worst album. But seeing that it's a 5/10 and not a 0/10, that shows you how good they are even when they're bad. While the previous album Phrenology was very Outkast/Beatles-like in their experimentation(and how they succeeded in it), this album regresses. It's just a pop-album with a few good songs. Luckily for The Roots, their last two albums after this one Easily their worst album. But seeing that it's a 5/10 and not a 0/10, that shows you how good they are even when they're bad. While the previous album Phrenology was very Outkast/Beatles-like in their experimentation(and how they succeeded in it), this album regresses. It's just a pop-album with a few good songs. Luckily for The Roots, their last two albums after this one have been very, very good and continue to push hip-hop instead of what this album did: nothing. Expand
  2. ColinR
    Aug 9, 2004
    6
    I went to a Roots live show earlier this summer and was very excited about their new release, as they played some songs from it in their set. What sounded so good live, was just mediocre when I put the CD in my car, not to mention that the whole CD is over before it really begins.
  3. LawrenceP
    Jul 16, 2004
    6
    ??? What happened??? Their last three LP's were near classics. This is average...the sad truth about it is this might be the best hip-hop cd of the year without Madvillian, Ceelo, Kanye West and The Streets.
  4. VincH.
    Jul 23, 2004
    6
    Either most of the fans here calling this a great album have either A) never heard any Roots albums or B) have heard very few albums this year. This is certainly their weakest yet, which hurts me to say after the knockout 3-run punch of "Illdelph Halflife", "Things Fall Apart & Phrenology...all of which are classic albums in their own right. The beats here are mostly average save for a Either most of the fans here calling this a great album have either A) never heard any Roots albums or B) have heard very few albums this year. This is certainly their weakest yet, which hurts me to say after the knockout 3-run punch of "Illdelph Halflife", "Things Fall Apart & Phrenology...all of which are classic albums in their own right. The beats here are mostly average save for a couple standouts (Stay Cool being the best) and there is none of the great trademarks of their ealier masterpieces like the musical-poety interludes or the more natural organic jam-groove sound of their best work. The production sounds very commercial and mainstream. Still better than most other hip hop albums out there though. Expand
  5. StoP
    Nov 2, 2004
    6
    I guess I went into it expecting Things Fall Apart or Phernology and got something totally off the wall. I saw them play live, 5 times, the last time was a few months before The Tipping Point dropped. At that show, despite the pouring rain, I was engulfed in the music. The album hardly pulls you in like their live show does. Don't get me wrong, The Roots are the dopest thing to I guess I went into it expecting Things Fall Apart or Phernology and got something totally off the wall. I saw them play live, 5 times, the last time was a few months before The Tipping Point dropped. At that show, despite the pouring rain, I was engulfed in the music. The album hardly pulls you in like their live show does. Don't get me wrong, The Roots are the dopest thing to happen to hip-hop since The Native Tongues. You won't know until you give them a shot. Their discography over the last 10 years has revitalized a genre drowning in bling. The Tipping Point is a nice effort that will definitely garner new fans but also turn off people who were fans since Organix. Musically the album is very monotonous and has the same drum beat all throughout. But jems like Web, Boom! and Stay Cool, plus a little comic relief from Dave Chappelle, and mad rapping by Skillz on the hidden track make The Tipping Point worth checking out. Collapse
  6. karlos
    Jul 19, 2004
    6
    Just below average effort after two classic albums
  7. j30
    Sep 28, 2011
    5
    Just an average score here for the Hip-Hop kings. A pretty big disappointment considering (the classics, 10/10's) Phrenology and Things Fall apart came before this.
  8. Feb 24, 2012
    5
    When i heard undun i became a huge Roots fan. But when i heard this album i was a little disappointed with the work on this album. This album doesnt have the caliber that would match with any of The Roots albums or any other album for a matter of fact. Thank God I listened to Undun before The Tipping Point Or i would have never of had listened to the Roots.
Metascore
72

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 24
  2. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. Despite their reputation for distinctiveness parts of 'The Tipping Point' feel distinctly under par by the Roots own high standards suggesting that the departures of MC Malik B (Slacks) and human beatboxers Scratch and Rahzel have, in some ways, led to a successive narrowing down of the range of the Roots' previously loose and eclectic sound.
  2. As a listening experience, The Tipping Point is a decent album, a rough transition at best and a stumble at worst.
  3. Ultimately, The Tipping Point is an ironic title, given the fact that the Roots sound like a group recharging its batteries rather than triggering a momentous shift in how it approaches its music and the world at large.