These days, hip hop group The Roots are known for being the house band on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" as much as anything, which is largely a sad state of affairs for hip-hop, but might not be the worst thing in the world for the group itself. The exposure can only help the long time Philadephia live-instrumentation collective, led by their afro’ed drummer Questlove and lead MC Black Thought, who have continued to further their careers with their latest effort, How I Got Over.

The Roots How I Got Over Should See Better Album Sales Than Recent Efforts

The Roots have seen their album sales dip since 1999's Things Fall Apart, a shame given the consistent quality of music that the group puts out. Questlove is one of the most accessible musical artists of any genre, regularly interacting via his twitter account. He is largely known as the musical backbone of the group; a perfectionist that keeps the group pushing forward and continuously creating.

With The Roots' How I Got Over, their 9th full-length studio album, they don’t so much reinvent themselves as continue to rework their tried and true formula, to the betterment of the music industry and their fans. The Roots might play in your household nightly now, but they will never be a household name like say, their one-time collaborator, Jay-Z (On Jay-Z’s Unplugged, The Roots were the band). It’s a shame too, since they are the only real band that hip-hop has, and they have struggled to broaden their audience.

How I Got Over Displays Vintage The Roots Music

The Roots are occasionally preachy but always socially conscious, as with the title track's chorus. “Out on the streets, where I grew up, first thing they teach ya, is not to give a f-ck, that type of thinking can get ya nowhere, someone has to care,” croons over a pulsating drum beat. The similarly themed Now Or Never sees Black Thought kicking his usual science over a catchy groove.

Elsewhere, The Roots songs playfully bounce from the album's slow piano-laced intro Walk Alone, to mid-tempo tracks like the happy Right On, to faster beats like Web 20/20, their throwback hip-hop battle rap song.

The John Legend assisted The Fire is among the strongest songs here, with its danceable bassline and solid drumline. This sees The Roots in their most vintage form with Thought holding down the the soulful track. They rarely misstep, though Monster of Folk’s guest vocals on Dear God 2.0 slow down an otherwise strong answer to Marvin Gaye’s Mercy, Mercy Me.

The Roots Continue to Satisfy Fans and Pundits Alike with How I Got Over

One of the best things about The Roots is that their albums display an amazing amount of consistency since their Do You Want More?!!!??! days. Every album sticks to the script, and if you are a fan, you can always pick up a new joint knowing exactly what to expect. The only drawback there is that this consistency can be viewed with a jaundiced eye, as if they haven’t pushed themselves beyond their own box, like say, Kanye West did with his risky 808’s & Heartbreak.

The Roots seamlessly blend hip-hop and soul with catchy rock rhythms, which is one of the main reasons they have had such longevity. They are respected across the hip-hop landscape and have gained fans of other forms of music through their solid instrumentation. How I Got Over should only further solidify their place as the best hip-hop band of all time. Sure, it’s a fairly exclusive list, but hip-hop would not be the same without them.