In an age of hip-hop where people are getting paid off Playstation beats and ring tones out selling CDs and vinyl - it's refreshing to get back to the roots. For Droppin' Science, your boy Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson of the Roots has taken the liberty of going through the legnendary Blue Note vaults and selecting some truly choice cuts that have been sampled for many of hip-hop's greatest joints. Every song on here is pretty much the business (and you'll probably recognize most - though you might not know it by title) but check the samples if you still need convinving: Ronnie Foster's "Mystic Brew" as sampled by ATCQ for "Electric Relaxation," Donald Byrd's "Think Twice" as sampled by J Dilla, De La, ATCQ, and Main Source, David McCallum's "The Edge" aka the monster sample for Dre + Snoop's "Next Episode", Grant Green's "Down Here On The Ground" as sampled by ATCQ and Madonna, Jeremy Steig's "Howling For Judy" aka the killer flute sample on the Beastie's "Get It Together", and Lou Donaldson's "Who's Makin' Love" as used by Biggie, Marley Marl, De La, and Mary J Blige. Not only a history lesson, but a great listen through and through. 13 tracks total (3 bonus cuts on the vinyl).

• music label: Blue Note 2008

reviewed by snackmaster 04/2008