After the critical success of last year’s Game Theory, Philadelphia Hip-Hop band The Roots are already at work on their next album, tentatively titled Rising Down.
Roots drummer and de facto leader ?uestlove offered up some details about The Roots’ tenth album
“We’re trying to make number ten as exciting as number one was, as exciting as number five was,” ?uestlove told AllHipHop.com. “I’m amped that not many groups get ten opportunities to make a statement. Not even Hip-Hop, just period. You can’t even count ten records from the same group, that much, maybe on a few fingers. We’re very fortunate, and happy, and we are definitely pushing our envelope again.”
The new album will again feature some trusty collaborators.
“Malik B is on this album more than he was on Game Theory,” divulged ?uestlove. “Peedi just dropped his [verse] and he set a bar so high I don’t even know if we can follow it. I don’t want to use the cliché, ‘It’s crazy!,’ but I’m excited about it.”
While Game Theory’s sales were tepid, selling just 189,807 units, it is still considered one of 2006’s best major label offerings.
The group will record at least sixty to seventy songs and sketches before deciding which 12-14 songs will make the final project.
Nevertheless, ?uestlove and company do not plan on delivering a predictable new album.
“For this record, I’ll say the prominent instrument is the synthesizer, even though it’s the same instrumentation,” ?uestlove revealed. “Kamal’s utilizing more actual keyboards and synth stuff than he is the Fender Rhodes. I will call this the synth record. But thematically we still don’t know where we’re going.”
Though fans can look forward to another chapter in The Roots discography and despite the lukewarm sales of Game Theory, ?uestlove isn’t buying into any talk of the Philly outfit stumbling.
“Success is relative,” ?uestlove said. “I can look at The Lox and say, ‘If them cats left this earth, cats would know [“It’s All About the Benjamins”] like the back of their hand, they’ve been in the Top 10 before.’ But then I can look at my situation and not many people have played Lincoln Center or Carnegie Hall before.”
Will the new album be released on Def Jam? Quickly, and with a chuckle, ?uestlove answered, “Surprisingly!”