Top 10 Albums of the Decade - 5

5. The Roots - Phrenology

I love The Roots. They are easily one of my favorite groups off all-time. I'll never forget the first time I heard The Roots on Much Music - the song was "You Got Me." That got me instantly hooked.

Phrenology was The Roots' first album of the 2000's, and though it did not fair as well as Things Fall Apart did in the mainstream, it was a much played and much appreciated album in my books (and respectively, the charts). Everybody knows the hit single "The Seed 2.0," which interestingly enough, when played live is mixed with Curtis Mayfield's "Move on Up." Much like Things Fall Apart, Phrenology weighs heavily on The Roots' traditional edgy, jam funk hip-hop style that created a huge following after Illadelph Halflife in '96. Lyrically, Black Thought can compel you (Break You Off), make your head bop (Seed 2.0), or just straight up blow you away (Rock You) with his talent and different styles of delivery throughout the album. And though Black Thought is a crucial member of the group, the band itself is nothing short of amazing. Questlove, The Roots' iconic drummer, provides the listener with authentic drumming that you do not get with many other hip-hop acts. Though The Roots perform with a keyboard, the involvement of the entire band is crucial to their unique, yet amazing sound.