Tracks like uAppeal and Boogiroot (The Anthem) set a great vibe for this disc. Maj continues to feature many, many artists on his discs, but he takes the frontman role. His work musically and lyrically on both of these tracks create some great stuff. And the addition of manCHILD of Mars Ill on uAppeal only adds another great touch to that track. Boogiroot (The Anthem) also gives listeners a great track to bump, and the addition of relative unknown Gabe Real (another artist most well-known for his work at a tobyMac concert...he is one of Toby's back-up dancers) really does add a nice bit to the track.
Pretty much every track on this disc features some artist or another. Many of the featured artists are almost expected on a Maj disc. tobyMac is featrued on the rockin' track Can't Take It Away. The track as a whole is solid, but it really is brought down a notch with the addition of Toby. When listening to this track, the rap breaks make it sound like Maj is the one more experienced in the hip hop realm than Mac, not the other way around (and, though Toby has really shyed away from pure hip hop as of late, he has been doing the hip hop thing for many, many years. All you have to do is go back to the debut disc from dc Talk to know that). A few other appearances on this disc aren't all that surprising either. Verbs makes a quick entrance and exit on Rhyme Pocket Interlude (which is kind of cheap, whetting the people's appetite for a little bit of Verbs and then taking him away a minute later), LA Symphony appears on Up All Nite, and Shonlock (another one of the tobyMac back-up dancers who has made numerous appearances on Maj's previous discs) shows off his skills on Let's Go, and KJ-52 shows up on Through The Night.
But arguably the most surprising artist seen featured on this disc is Michael Tait on H.A.N.D.S, one of the most intriguing tracks on the disc. As opposed to the straight hip hop and rock feel of nearly all of the rest of the disc, Michael brings with him a very gospel feel to this song. There's a choir in the background, there's Michael's personal gospel flavor that has always been apparent in his vocals, and then it's mixed with Maj's skills on the mic and on the tables. It creates quite a track, arguably the best on the disc.
And then, of course, there is the introduction to the hip hop world of Liquid Beats. Featured twice on the disc, Liquid Beats manages to make quite a splash with this disc. Gotta Go Now, the final track on the disc, is more of a straight hip hop track that puts forth some solid beats. However, earlier on the disc is where Beats truly shines. On Love (So Beautiful), Maj and Beats come together to create a sound best described as hip pop. And somehow, it works. And it doesn't just work, it becomes one of the best on the disc. This disc is a very solid introduction to the hip hop world for Liquid Beats.
Overall, Boogiroot is a disc that should allow DJ Maj to jump out of the tobyMac shadow so often cast over him. As solid as Maj's mix tape discs were, having him behind the mic on his own, original songs is clearly an advantage that he needs to use. This one is definitely a solid release that will garner a lot of attention in the Christian community, with much of that attention put forth thanks to the lead single, Love (So Beautiful). But most all of this disc is worthwhile as well. This is one worth checking out.