Today marks the 10th anniversary of the release of The Roots' Grammy award nominated Game Theory, as well as the 21st anniversary of the release of Conspiracy by the Junior M.A.F.I.A.
Game Theory was released on this day back in 2006, and while the album was only attained a moderate amount of commercial attention at the time of its release, it was beloved by fans and critics alike, and is still widely considered to be one of The Roots' strongest studio albums. Inspired by Public Enemy's It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, Game Theory saw The Roots adopt a more serious, socially conscious direction, with lyrics that directly addressed issues like the Iraq war and the glorification of violence in hip hop. "There was too much going on that we couldn’t just sit back and not speak on it," Questlove said about the album's political themes.
Exactly eleven years earlier, the Junior M.A.F.I.A. got together to release the group's first studio album, Conspiracy. With a line-up that included superstars like Lil' Kim, Lil' Crease, and the legendary Notorious B.I.G., as well as production work from hip hop pioneer Daddy-O (of Stetsasonic fame,) and Clark Kent of The Supermen on multiple tracks, expectations for Conspiracy were high. While some critics drew unfavorable comparisons between the albums and Biggie's solo debut Ready to Die(released just a year earlier,) Conspiracy was nonetheless a huge commercial hit, peaking at number 8 on the Billboard Top 200 and earning a gold certification from the RIAA.
By Michael Lacerna for RAPstation.com
