The Tipping Point
by The Roots
  • 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. Mixed: 12 out of 51
  3. 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. Hein
    May 2, 2006
    10
    Tony B for president!!!
  3. FraserM.
    Apr 29, 2008
    7
    It's a funny one. It's not the leftfield experimental brilliance of Phrenology, but it's not the pumping, intelligent Game Theory either, and being sandwiched between those two it seems awkward. Don't listen to the critics, it's by no means a bad album, with highlights such as "Web", "Boom", "Guns Are Drawn", "Star" and "I Don't Care" pounding out like It's a funny one. It's not the leftfield experimental brilliance of Phrenology, but it's not the pumping, intelligent Game Theory either, and being sandwiched between those two it seems awkward. Don't listen to the critics, it's by no means a bad album, with highlights such as "Web", "Boom", "Guns Are Drawn", "Star" and "I Don't Care" pounding out like you'd expect them to, but the more commercial nature of this album does rear its ugly head from time to time, most evidently in "Don't Say Nutin'", apparently the song that sealed their record deal. You can tell that the band felt a bit uncomfortable with this album, but it's still overall pretty solid and underrated.… Expand
  4. AleksiK
    Jul 13, 2004
    9
    The album is great! And it doesn´t lack rhymes, the album is packed with dope tracks. Blackthought is propably the most underrated MC right now. You critics don´t know s**t about hip-hop.
  5. LouReed
    Jul 14, 2004
    9
    The Roots don't mess around. Ever.
  6. beerburp
    Jul 16, 2004
    9
    The Roots always grab you and shake all that phony bling-bling rap crap out of your head and forces you to remember hip hop's true raw form. The Tipping Point is no different. Banging homie! Don't sleep.
  7. petari
    Jul 18, 2004
    10
    the roots are just great as always the phrenology was to ambitious and long so it is no surprise that this time "the groove crew" went back to basic song structure. anyhow, it just kicks ass
  8. 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.
  9. T.E.Walton
    Feb 9, 2005
    7
    Not their best, but a solid, accessible effort. The only real dog is the stiff "Guns Are Drawn," which just doesn't work for me, just as the corny Chuck Berry-ish "The Seed 2.0 " sucked big-time to my ears. BTW I think "Illadelph Halflife" is their weakest album, save "What They Do." But maybe that's just me. They always kill LIVE tho'.
  10. undipsutedsixtysecondassasin
    Oct 11, 2004
    10
    hot original style hip hop
  11. [Anonymous]
    Jul 12, 2004
    9
    Maybe i'm a sucker for good beats, but this is a pretty awsome album. Better than Phrenology imho.
  12. djimao
    Jul 15, 2004
    7
    A decent CD, not as good as the previous one and Things... but still flashes among the mainstream rappers.
  13. TomP
    Jul 16, 2004
    10
    If "The Message" was Elvis, and if "Three Feet High and Rising" was Sergeant Pepper, then this is Nevermind.
  14. 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.
  15. judeM-C
    Jul 18, 2004
    7
    I think theres some very good ryhmes...i think the roots are trying to make their soung more marketable towards radion listeners on this cd. Potentially opening up the doors to new hip-hop, and raising the bar...hopefully they suceed. Overall i think the cd is somehwhat boaring..good for a listen or too, but not much more than that. 'Stay Cool' is the best track.
  16. 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
  17. TonyB
    Jan 21, 2005
    10
    Hotness. Black Thought is the most underrated mc in hiphop today.
  18. 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
  19. karlos
    Jul 19, 2004
    6
    Just below average effort after two classic albums
  20. MacGregorJ
    Jul 28, 2004
    7
    Has ups and downs. Web and Boom are great, but they aren't songs to support an album on. A good album, but a little less than average for the Roots. A good introduction to the casual listener maybe? However, I have experienced some of the songs live, and they bang. It just doesn't translate as well as their other live/album comparisons.
  21. sam
    Jun 21, 2005
    8
    def a wicked album, and so are all there albums! the roots rock!
  22. amberlynn
    Sep 16, 2006
    10
    this album goes everywhere with me and everyone loves it!!!!!!!
  23. 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.
  24. RonaldOVOXO
    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.

Awards & Rankings

81
#81 Most Discussed Album of 2004
65
#65 Most Shared Album of 2004

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
72

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. Playlouder
    60
    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.
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  2. Stylus Magazine
    60
    As a listening experience, The Tipping Point is a decent album, a rough transition at best and a stumble at worst.
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  3. ShakingThrough.net
    74
    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.
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