Great Independent Hip-hop release, sure to be slept on
joe_momma | 12/07/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Thank the Almighty for NAFTA... Coming straight from Toronto, the 3 dj/producers Mr. Attic, Swiff, and Mr. Murray, collectively known as Da Grassroots, come out with an incredible hip-hop album sure to blow 'heads off the map. Along for the ride are lyricists from the Canadian scene, and the final product is an album with VERY tight production values and equally tight lyrics. The grooves are more on the subdued tip, lots of jazzy piano loops ( incredibly done on tracks 15 and tracks 19 ) and effective drum beats; each song compliments the various MCs very well. The only real party joint is track 22, the "Three Rhyme Superstars" which livens things up a bit,with the microphone being constantly exchanged between the three rhyme- stylers. Though there is nothing here that is groundbreaking, it is some REALLY good, creative, sample-based hip-hop. I never even heard of the MC's on this album, let alone da Grassroots themselves, yet after hearing one of the cuts, "Thematics", on an underground hip-hop station, I was impressed enough to buy the CD, and I was not dissapointed. My only gripe is that the case doesn't correctly label the song names to the track numbers. Other than that, this a very good album, showing that the Canadian hip-hop scene is alive and thriving. On a side note: AAmazon lists only 2 songs when there are 24 tracks on the album itself."
Back to Da Grassroots
eric podell | 03/05/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is the best new album since Common's Ressurection, or The Roots, Do You Want More. This hip hop trio creates a smooth and hypnotic background of roots-like instrumentation that does for the world of hip-hop what fusion did for the 1960-70s Jazz scene. On top of that, the ingenius rhyming skills of da Grassroots offers a bouncing vocal line atop head-bouncing musical tones. For those hip hop heads interested in REAL HIP HOP, have a love for the talent of the underground world, and truly have a love for hip hop rhythms and rhymes, this album will not let you down."
Passage Through Time
hipnotik | Atl, Ga | 02/09/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you enjoy very smooth and relaxing hip-hop, pick this one up. It's a mix of beats like Prince Paul (DeLaSoul) & Hi-Tek (BlackStar). The flow is tight along with their rhymes. If you have a booming system in your ride and a girl you wanna impress, this album had such variety it can make the mood for both."
Track Listings (24) - Disc #1