Phrenology is the fifth studio album by American hip hop band The Roots, released November 26, 2002 on Geffen Records. Following the breakthrough success of Things Fall Apart, its release was highly anticipated and highly delayed, as recording took two years. The album includes guest appearances from artists including Nelly Furtado, Cody ChesnuTT, Musiq, Talib Kweli, and Jill Scott. It was named for the discredited pseudoscience of phrenology, the study of head shapes to determine intelligence and character. Phrenology was sometimes used to justify racism in the past. The album cover artwork was created by artist/printmaker Tom Huck, who is known for his large scale satirical woodcuts. Primarily a hip hop album, Phrenology also contains elements of rock, jazz, and psychedelic soul. While it did not parallel the commercial success of the band's previous album, Phrenology sold steadily and was eventually certified gold, signifying sales of at least 500,000 units. The album earned universal acclaim from music critics, based on an aggregate score of 87/100 from Metacritic.
