The Tipping Point (The Roots album)

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),^[3] and is the follow-up to Phrenology (2002).^[1][4] 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.^[5][6][7][8] The Tipping Point has been noted by music writers for exhibiting and emphasizing soul, jazz, and funk influences as well.^{[9][10][11][12][13]} The song "I Don't Care" was featured on the soundtrack of the game Gran Turismo 4.

The Tipping Point
Studio album by the Roots
Released	July 13, 2004
Recorded	September 2003 – April 2004
Genre	Hip hop,[1] neo soul[2]
Length	65:27
Label	Geffen
Producer	Questlove, Scott Storch
The Roots chronology
Phrenology (2002) The Tipping Point (2004) Game Theory (2006)

The cover image is a stylised rendering of a 1944 Boston police mug shot of Malcolm X, following his arrest for larceny.

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	72/100[14]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
Blender	[15]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[16]
The Independent	[1]
Los Angeles Times	[17]
NME	8/10[18]
Pitchfork	5.4/10[2]
Rolling Stone	[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[19]
Spin	B[8]
The Village Voice	A−[20]

The album debuted at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 109,000 copies in its first week.^[21] Despite mixed criticism towards its production and lyrical substance,^{[5][9][17][22]} The Tipping Point received generally positive reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 72 out of 100 on Metacritic.^[14]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
103.	"Star/Pointro" (featuring Wadud Ahmad)	Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson James Kamal Gray Leonard 'Hub' Hubbard Sylvester Stewart Tariq 'Black Thought' Trotter	Questlove	7:36
104.	"I Don't Care" (featuring Dom)	Kirk Douglas Gray Hubbard Karl Jenkins Thompson Anthony Tidd Trotter Frank 'Knuckles' Walker	Questlove Tidd Walker Richard Nichols	4:02
105.	"Don't Say Nuthin'"	Trotter Scott Storch	Scott Storch	3:35
106.	"Guns Are Drawn" (featuring Aaron Livingston)	Douglas Gray Hubbard Livingston Thompson Tidd Trotter Walker	Questlove Tidd Walker Nichols	5:15
107.	"Stay Cool" (featuring Martin Luther)	Jenkins Melvin 'Chaos' Lewis Griffin Trotter Paterno	Chaos	3:34
108.	"Web"	Hubbard Trotter Thompson	Robert 'LB' Dorsey	3:16
109.	"Boom!" (featuring Dice Raw)	Antonio Hardy Jenkins Lewis Thompson Trotter Marlon Williams Nathaniel Wilson	Chaos	2:57
110.	"Somebody's Gotta Do It" (featuring Devin The Dude, Jean Grae & Mack Dub)	Floyd Carson Douglas Gray Tsidi Ibrahim Hubbard Jenkins Trotter Thompson	Tahir Jamal	4:08
111.	"Duck Down!" (featuring Dom)	Trotter Scott Storch	Scott Storch	3:56
112.	"Why (What's Goin' On?)" (featuring Latif) / "In Love With the Mic" (featuring Dave Chappelle, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Skillz & Truck North) (hidden track) / "Din Da Da" (hidden track)	Bey (i) Douglas (i) Gray (i) Hubbard (i) George Kranz (iii) Donnie Shaquan Lewis (ii) Jamal Miller (ii) Thompson (i) Trotter (iv) Williams (i)	Zoukan (i) Questlove (ii) The Grand Wizzards (iii)	16:22

Japan / UK bonus track / US vinyl release

No.	Title	Length
113.	"Melting Pot" (cover of song of the same name by Booker T. & the M.G.'s)	10:40

Sample credits

• "Star" samples "Everybody Is a Star" by Sly & The Family Stone
• "Stay Cool" samples "Harlem Hendoo" by Al Hirt
• "Web" samples "Dance Girl" by The Rimshots

Extra Notes

• i = "Why (What's Goin' On?" only
• ii = "In Love With The Mic" only
• iii = "Din Da Da" only
• iv = "Why (What's Goin' On?)" and "In Love With The Mic" only

Personnel

The Roots

• Vocals: Tariq 'Black Thought' Trotter
• Bass: Adam Blackstone & Leonard 'Hub' Hubbard
• Drums: Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson
• Guitars: Anthony Tidd, Captain Kirk Douglas & Martin Luther
• Horns: Kevin Hanson
• Sound Manipulation: Si McMenamin
• Keyboards: Kamal Gray & Omar Edwards
• Percussion: Frank 'Knuckles' Walker

Production

• Producers: Questlove, Scott Storch, Melvin 'Chaos' Walker, Anthony Tidd, Frank 'Knuckles' Walker, Richard Nichols, Robert 'LB' Dorsey, Tahir, Zoukhari
• Executive Producer: Richard Nichols

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2004) Peak position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[23] 57 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[24] 51 Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[25] 11 Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[26] 5 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[27] 44 French Albums (SNEP)[28] 35 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[29] 22 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[30] 44 Italian Albums (FIMI)[31] 30 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[32] 20 Scottish Albums (OCC)[33] 99 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[34] 37 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[35] 3 UK Albums (OCC)[36] 71 UK R&B Albums (OCC)[37] 13 US Billboard 200[38] 4 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[39] 2

Year-end charts Chart (2004) Position Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[40] 95 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[41] 86

References

1. Gill, Andy (July 9, 2004). "Album: The Roots". The Independent. Archived from the original on April 20, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
2. Sylvester, Nick (July 14, 2004). "The Roots: The Tipping Point". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
3. DeRogatis, Jim. "Review: The Tipping Point". Chicago Sun-Times: 7. July 11, 2004. Archived from the original on 2009-10-05.
4. Frosch, Dan. "Review: The Tipping Point". Vibe: August 2004.
5. Wolk, Douglas (July 12, 2004). "The Roots: The Tipping Point". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 10, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
6. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. pp. 702–03. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
7. Rabin, Nathan (July 20, 2004). "The Roots: The Tipping Point". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on November 7, 2009. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
8. Ryan, Chris (August 2004). "Sowing the Seed". Spin. 20 (8): 101–102. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
9. Bieritz, Erick. Review: The Tipping Point. Stylus Magazine. Retrieved on 2009-12-05.
10. Jeffries, David. "The Tipping Point – The Roots". AllMusic. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
11. Columnist. Review: The Tipping Point Archived 2010-08-24 at the Wayback Machine. IGN. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
12. Pareles, Jon. Review: The Tipping Point. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
13. Empire, Kitty. Review: The Tipping Point. The Observer. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
14. "Reviews for The Tipping Point by The Roots". Metacritic. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
15. Rosen, Jody (August 2004). "The Roots: The Tipping Point". Blender (28): 134. Archived from the original on May 4, 2006. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
16. Fiore, Raymond (July 16, 2004). "The Tipping Point". Entertainment Weekly. No. 774. p. 76. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
17. Baker, Soren (July 11, 2004). "This diet of Roots fails to nourish". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
18. "The Roots: The Tipping Point". NME: 41. July 31, 2004.
19. Cross, Charles R. (2004). "The Roots". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 702. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
20. Christgau, Robert (August 3, 2004). "Looking Past Differences". The Village Voice. Retrieved October 5, 2009.
21. Gelder, Laurence Van. Arts Briefing: Thursday, July 22, 2004. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-12-05.
22. Wang, Oliver. Review: The Tipping Point. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2009-10-05.
23. "Austriancharts.at – The Roots – The Tipping Point" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
24. "Ultratop.be – The Roots – The Tipping Point" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
25. "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. August 5, 2004. Archived from the original on December 10, 2004. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
26. "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. July 29, 2004. Archived from the original on August 3, 2004. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
27. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Roots – The Tipping Point" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
28. "Lescharts.com – The Roots – The Tipping Point". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
29. "The Roots: The Tipping Point" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
30. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Roots – The Tipping Point" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
31. "Italiancharts.com – The Roots – The Tipping Point". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
32. "Norwegiancharts.com – The Roots – The Tipping Point". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
33. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
34. "Swedishcharts.com – The Roots – The Tipping Point". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
35. "Swisscharts.com – The Roots – The Tipping Point". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
36. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
37. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
38. "The Roots Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
39. "The Roots Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
40. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2004". hitparade.ch. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
41. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2020.

Notes

• Nathan Brackett, Christian Hoard (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide: Completely Revised and Updated 4th Edition. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.

External links

• The Tipping Point at Discogs
• The Tipping Point at Metacritic