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Artist: The Roots
Album: Things Fall Apart
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Album Background
To understand the lead-up to Things Fall Apart’s release, its important to recognize the dilemma The Roots found themselves in as they set out to record the follow-up to 1996’s Illadelph Halflife. The Roots were a bit….out of place - at least within the context of the day’s hip-hop environment. While hip-hop’s mainstream was dominated by the East Coast-West Coast beef, the larger-than-life personalities of Puff Daddy and Jay-Z, and the bubbling rise of Southern hip-hop, The Roots were at a bit of a cross-roads. They represented the push-back to Bad Boy, a critical darling that combined jazz and hip-hop in a way that satisfied everybody – except the mainstream. They weren’t the only acts pushing back, but The Roots lacked what other acts that managed to push through the East Coast-West Coast beef had: an identity. This isn’t to say The Roots didn’t have anything to say, they just hadn’t figured out a way to package together their unique blend of neo-soul, jazz, and hip-hop in a way that the masses could latch onto.
While their previous record had pulled from the grittier New York sound that Wu-Tang had helped bring to the forefront of hip-hop, a different set of influences would help shape Things Fall Apart. While band-leader ?uestlove spent time working on D’Angelo’s Voodoo¸ he focused on learning from his contemporaries, citing DJ Premier and J Dilla as major influences in his evolution of sound. They helped him learn to play “dirty”, making his beats off-kilter and less – well – clean. Nobody doubted ?uest’s capability as a drummer, but if anything he was too studied for the era. His beats didn’t give rapper Black Thought much room to explore his grittier side, and in the era of Biggie’s violent narratives snatching the spotlight, The Roots needed a darker edge to help snatch some of the spotlight. In his 2013 memoir Mo’ Meta Blues, ?uestlove talks about a turning point in his production career, in which he played an early version of eventual Things Fall Apart stand-out “Double Trouble” for Dilla and DJ Premier. “I knew that the other guys respected me as a drummer… but I also wanted them to respect me as a producer”.
What the record came to be was nothing short of pioneering: a seamless combination of the burgeoning neo-soul movement and the gritty sounds dominating the hip-hop charts; a masterful combination of the live instrumentation they had perfected over their previous three projects, and the new-age sampling that was dominating much of hip-hop’s sound. This combination of sound - so inherently old and new, chaotic but focused, hard-hitting but psychedelic – gave Black Thought room to flex his lyrical muscles, cementing himself as one of the top lyricists of the era (and his place in my top 3 rappers of all-time).
Album Review
Before getting into the tracklist, I feel as though it is important to discuss both the album’s title and it’s art. Things Fall Apart is named after the classic (and often spark-noted) novel of the same name by Chinua Achebe. The Roots – and associated acts within their lane, such as Common and Mos Def – were meant to parallel the main character of the novel, Okonkwo. Okonkwo leads an African tribe during the rise of European colonialism, and despite being respected by his peers and being considered the strongest warrior amongst his peers, he is unable to fight back against the colonizers, with his peers submitting to the invaders’ authority. While not explicitly stated, The Roots’ “colonizers” are the previously mentioned acts that dominated the airwaves in the late 90’s, as the “bling era” truly got into full-swing. Much like Okonkwo, The Roots were not simply going to cower and accept this new leadership in hip-hop. That being said (spoilers if you for some reason haven’t read the novel, and are interested in doing so), The Roots know this is ultimately a losing battle. The labels (read: colonizers) had too many resources invested to overcome, and the most that could be done was to hold the line.
The main artwork, known as “Woman Running”, comes from a riot in Brooklyn during the height of the Civil Rights era. It depicts two black teenagers being chased by dozens of police officers, and the genuine fear in the woman’s face is as powerful of an image as you’ll find: aggressive, unflinching, in-your-face. This iconic image represented the injustice of the Civil Rights era and captured the eye of anybody who happened upon it. There were four alternative covers as well: “Ace in the Hand”, showing mob boss Giuseppe Masseria’s dead, outstretched arm holding a single Ace playing card; “The Church Bombing”, depicting a mostly-destroyed church, with remaining stained-glass that portrays persevering hope and spirituality; “Baby in the Rubble”, an iconic shot of a baby left behind in the aftermath of Japanese destruction in China in the 1930’s; and “Crying Child”, showing a malnourished Somalian child and representing the famine that still ruled much of the world.
Track-by-Track Review

1. Act Won (Things Fall Apart)

The album begins with two samples of dialogue, laid over brooding instrumentation that at times sounds like it is trying to cut through into the forefront, with drum-kicks and the spinning of records cutting into and out of the audio. The most important part, however, is the dialogue: a conversation cut from Spike Lee’s 1990 movie Mo’ Better Blues, and a quote from Harry Allen, an activist and PR genius who helped Public Enemy invoke emotion in their audience to inspire conversation and change. The first clip seems to represent The Roots’ internal dilemma, in which Denzel Washington’s character complains that black people aren’t supporting their art. “If we had to depend upon black people to eat, we would starve to death…..It incenses me that our own people don’t realize our own heritage, our own culture, this is our music.” This same dialogue had to have been happening internally, as The Roots were unable to find support for their music amongst a market dominated by braggadocio that they felt wasn’t doing enough to talk about the very real issues plaguing their community.
Wesley Snipe’s character retorts back that “The people don’t come because you grandiose motherfuckers don’t play shit that they like. If you played the shit that they liked, then the people would come. Simple as that.” By beginning the album with this clip, the band acknowledged their own reputation, of making brilliant music that nobody wanted to listen to outside of their core fanbase. They had a dedicated following, but if you weren’t a Roots fan, then you didn’t particularly give a shit about them. It foreshadows what is to come for the rest of the record: a change in sound, combining the brilliant music they knew they could create with the sounds that piqued the interest of the public. The Harry Allen quote furthers this, suggesting that hip-hop records and, by extension, The Roots are “treated as though they are disposable…they are not maximized as product, not to mention as art”.

1. Table of Contents (Parts 1 & 2)

This track begins with Black Thought seemingly killing time, waiting on the drum-line to kick in, building up towards his verse as the instrumental builds up to the kick. When the instrumental does kick, it is meant to immediately let the listener know: this isn’t like the previous records from The Roots. It’s messy, even chaotic, and showcases the influences of the contemporaries he’s spent ample time with – namely, J Dilla, as it’s mixed in a way that keeps listeners on their toes at all times. It creates a platform for Black Thought to stretch out over the track, with the drumline cutting in and out to allow for Thought to mix up his flows. While on its surface, Thought’s verse may come across as aimless and simply a well-constructed way for him to say that he’s the best rapper out, it is important to remember what this track represents. This is the turning point in The Roots’ career, as they blossomed out of their shell from a technically proficient but at times tasteless jazz rap band, into an interesting and unique group determined to stand out in the now-crowded hip-hop scene. As Black Thought’s verse fades out, an abrupt switch brings about Part 2, with Malik B on the vocals. A more focused, albeit barer, beat gives Malik room to lay down a verse chock-full of internals and dense rhyme-schemes that switch up constantly, showing that it isn’t just the instrumentals that were going to be constantly changing up on this record.

1. The Next Movement

While Table of Contents showcased the new, chaotic direction TFA was about to undertake, The Next Movement made a more explicit statement: this isn’t just the beginning of a new record; it’s a change within hip-hop. The Roots weren’t going to let the more profound, raw hip-hop styles they loved be pushed to the side by the Bling era, and Thought makes that abundantly clear, spitting

Yo, the whole state of things in the world ‘bout to change
Black rain fallin’ from the sky look strange
The ghetto is red hot, we steppin on flames
Yo, it’s the inflation on the price for fame
And it was all the same, but then the antidote came

With DJ Jazzy Jeff scratching and Jazzyfatnastees provided background vocals, ?uestlove’s funky drumline provides a base for Black Thought to lay not only two energetic and technically impressive verses, but also one of the most addictive hooks he’s written to date. While Thought exclaims that he’s “The Dalai Lama of the mic”, The Roots as a collective hit you with a right hook meant to prove that they can make accessible, hit music while still being true to who they are as artists.

1. Step Into the Realm

On Step into the Re(a)lm, ?uestlove showcases a little-known technique used often in the early 90s: the pause tape. ?uest described this process in an interview with DRUM! Magazine, saying

“When you wanted to create a drum loop, you get a recorder, press record and pause at the same time. When the drum break came, you would let the paused tape go right on the 1, and then pause it on the 1 again. After you did this about 20 times, you would have about five minutes of drums.”

Obviously this process was incredibly tedious, and was left behind by improved sampling technology that was prominent by the time the group was recording this project. Yet, a not so subtle homage can be heard on this track, with the backing track fading in and out, with the break coming at the end of the 45. This makes the already somber instrumental give even more room for Malik B and Black Thought’s hard hitting bars to pack an even bigger punch. The beat fades away for Thought to spit about his “mic slapping you senseless” and rolling through your hood “cocked back, Me and Hot Mack, the ’98, El Dorado Cadillac Jacks”.

1. The Spark

While Black Thought can tend to get most of the shine when talking about The Roots’ pens, Malik B showcases on “The Spark” why he’s not an MC to be trifled with. With another head-bopping drumline from ?uest backing him, Malik spits on his purpose in life, driven by his faith in Islam. His faith is at odds with his violent tendencies, which he states are products of his environment. While he struggles with this internal conflict, he warns any who oppose him that are “wondering what’s in my heart, velocity or piety; yo, it depends on which one you bring to surface; at times I get trifled but to worship is my purpose”. He continues his exploration of this internal struggle between peace and violence, stating his full Islamic name is Abdul Malik, meaning servant of God. But just bars later, he spits “show me the vault or the safe, cause I’m on the paper chase”. While Malik explores this internal struggle, a smooth bassline combines with a keyboard-laden backtrack (both courtesy of D’Angelo) to give him room to shine, and they way his vocals are layered on certain bars really helps make his bars hit on what feels like his chance at the spotlight on this record.

1. Dynamite!

While it feels almost wrong to use the word “banger”, given its connotations and tendency to be used to describe records lacking lyrical muscles or real meaning…..this track’s kind of a banger. J Dilla’s production hand shines, sampling a funky guitar from Nirvana (not that one, a 60’s jazz band by the same name). The track manages to stand out amongst an already stacked tracklist, with Black Thought’s hook proving to be infectious (edit: it’s taken me way too long to write the next track review, I keep coming back to this). Thought and Rehani Sayeed go back and forth throughout the track, effortlessly weaving into and out of each verse, talking about the importance of being present while riding this beat with some absolutely insane flows. And god DAMN is the beat on this thing sick. It’s quintessential Dilla, seemingly basic on the surface, but the more you listen to it the better it sounds. And while it may not seem like some technically complex thing, there’s a reason nobody could go toe-to-toe with Dilla: he was the only one who could make beats like this. For that matter. As soon as you finish reading this….go spin Donuts. I mean, listen to Things Fall Apart first if you haven’t. But like, right after. Donuts.

1. Without a Doubt

This Lady B-assisted joint features a sample flip from fellow Philadelphia artist Schoolly D’s “Saturday Night”, and you’d be hard-pressed to argue that they don’t do the beat justice. With ?uest’s production hand spinning the sample into and out of the drumline, it gives the song a lot more unpredictability, and this gives Black Thought room to lay two of his most under-rated verses in his illustrious discography. That being said, this song acts as an ode to Philadelphia, with Lady B’s hook bringing things together. Thought’s verses constantly change flow, and the beat almost sounds like it reacts to his bars, giving them more space where he needs it. And this song further pushes what this entire album seemed to state: “Warn, ring the alarm, cause here The Roots come”.

1. Ain’t Sayin’ Nothin’ New

So you like rapping? What about when one of the greatest MC’s of all-time raps his ass off, with one of his greatest influences matching him bar-for-bar? I don’t say this lightly when I say this is some of the best rapping you’ll find on this entire project, with Black Thought and Dice Raw absolutely spazzing on an infectious ?uestlove beat. They make it clear that the popular acts of the day don’t impress them, and suggesting that those guys, well, aint sayin nothin new. Dice Raw raps like HE’s the one who belongs on everybody’s top 10 lists, and honestly might have gotten the better of Thought on this track. That’s not to say Thought doesn’t deliver great verses, but Raw has more moments in which he shines.

Straight from the old school, ayo, Raw’s in full effect
I’m like, Lex Luther with rifles filled with kryptonite
When you grip the mic, its like, c’mon kids, lets say goodnight!
You don’t like me? But don’t even know why you should hate me
You scared to face these so I still remain safely

1. Double Trouble

I feel like I wasted the “So you like rapping?” line a song too early. A song meant to pay homage to the original “double trouble” routine from the movie Wild Style, Black Thought and Mos Def put together one of hip-hop’s greatest examples of rappers trading bars. Ever. The beat, which ?uest told Drum Magazine took him about five hours to get the drums right for, is the epitome of the “dirty” sound that has come up so often throughout this write-up. Right from the get-go, Black Thought steers into this dirty sound by scatting at the top of the hook. As far as the bars go, there isn’t really anything I can say that does it justice. If the idea of Black Thought and Mos Def trading bars doesn’t speak for itself, then I probably can’t help you.
It’s also crazy to think that this song originally featured Talib Kweli as well, but there were too many bars for one song. Black Thought chose to steer into a Run-D.M.C. style track, with the back-and-forth bars meant to play like a tug-of-war between the rappers. This song’s background has one of my favorite hip-hop stories as well, with Black Thought recounting Mos leaving mid-recording to “go get a fish sandwich” and not coming back for a week. So there’s that.

1. Act Too (The Love of My Life)

This song acts as an ode to hip-hop itself, with Thought calling it the love of his life throughout the track. He weaves in stories of struggling in his quest to make it in hip-hop, saying “it was all for you” and that he wouldn’t have made it in life if it weren’t for hip-hop. While Thought’s verse isn’t much deeper than just being a love letter to hip-hop, the guest verse provided by Chicago rapper Common is far more critical of the direction of hip-hop. While referencing his incredible song “I Used to Love H.E.R.” from Resurrection, Common expresses his discontent with the state of hip-hop, with bars aimed at N.W.A. (when we touch, it was more than just a Fuck the Police) and Puff (Her Daddy’ll beat H.E.R., eyes all Puff-ed). He seems to have the same underlying attitude of hip-hop being the love of his life, but instead expresses his discontent with the way hip-hop’s other suitors choose to treat her. For Common, it was always about love, and hip-hop had been overrun by hate. The beautiful beat acts as a perfect backdrop for these two to portray their love of hip-hop.

1. 100% Dundee

While not the most popular song on the album, this one has stood out as one of my favorites from day one. Right from the get, Thought comes out the gate just spazzing – “Yo, on these seventy-three keys of ivory and ebony; I swear solemnly that I’ll forever rock steadily”. The title and hook act as a reference to Crocodile Dundee, where if hip-hop is the wild, the Roots are the absolute best out there, akin to Mick Dundee hunting fake MCs. With Rahzel beatboxing and Kamal Gray shining on the piano, the beat is just dirty enough to give Black Thought and Malik B room to spit some of their best verses on this whole project (Note: I think I’ve said that on almost half the songs on this project. It’s just that kind of album. Sorry). As far as the content goes, it basically re-iterates the ideas presented by calling the track 100% Dundee. They’re a level above everybody else in hip-hop, and they’re out to kill any fake MC’s who dare stand in their path.

1. Diedre vs. Dice

A short 45-second interlude, Diedre vs. Dice consists of a short Dice Raw verse that was probably just too dope to be left off the project, but wasn’t able to be extrapolated into a full-fledged idea/song. With a barebones beat consisting of a dirty drum-line from ?uest and some strings that come into and out of the instrumental rather quickly, Dice Raw warns that “to me, these punk MC’s is nothin but fruit”. While short, it provides a needed break in the album that has just been going full-force for about ten tracks straight.

1. Adrenaline!

And just as Diedre vs. Dice provides a mild break in the heavy-hitting instrumentals, Adrenaline! Comes right back with a stand-out performance not only by four spitters, but also by Kamal Gray on piano absolutely shining behind ?uestlove’s beat. While by this point in the project it should come as no surprise that Black Thought, Malik B, and Dice Raw all come through with heavy-hitting verses, a pre-Roc Beanie Sigel verse may come out of left field a bit, but his talent shines through already. This song is as Philly as it gets, with every rapper on here making references to Philly spots and icons. And the hook, while as barebones as a hook can really be, still manages to act as an earworm.

1. 3rd Acts: ? Vs. Scratch 2 … Electric Boogaloo

This interlude, consisting entirely of scratching, was probably just put here so they could put Electric Boogaloo in a song title. Note: I really wanted to type a long-winded thing about how the lyricism just doesn’t stand up to some other tracks on the album and do this whole thing. But The Weeknd album comes out in like an hour and a half. So….priorities.

1. You Got Me

Here we are. The big one. If this is the only track you’ve heard from The Roots, that’s okay. You need to fix it, but it’s okay. This is one of those songs that transcends beyond a genre or an album a little bit. Even though this album is amazing, this song reached a whole different level that the rest of the album never reached. This track won the group a grammy, and is far and away their biggest hit, despite not having anything that screams “Hit Single” about it. The hook, originally written by a then-unknown Jill Scott, is performed on the album cut by the amazing Erykah Badu.
The track tells the story of Thought meeting a woman from Philly while performing in Paris and linking when they get back, and the struggles of their budding relationship. The hook combines with Eve’s verse to act as the woman’s perspective, with her questioning if Thought only loves the mic before ensuring him that she could be trusted. The hook reassures this – “Baby don’t worry, you know that you got me”.
The instrumental on this thing is absolutely beautiful, with a rather simple guitar and drumline being supported by background vocals and strings to give an airy, euphoric sound that just plays so well into Erykah’s voice. It isn’t until the outro that you hear a whole lot out of ?uestlove, but this is one of the few tracks where he almost doesn’t need to take the center stage.

1. Don’t See Us

As the album winds down, the instrumentals stay a little more low-key, like in the preceding track. The beat on this thing constantly changes, with a basic drumline and handclap being the only consistency. The keyboards on this are great when they show up, and the beat just begs for somebody to rap over it. And that’s just what Malik B, Black Thought, and Dice Raw all do, with six verses packed into this track. That being said, this track is honestly one of the weaker full-length tracks on the project and one of the only knocks on it. That’s not to say that it’s bad, because the instrumental is cool and the rappers all provide nice verses. But compared to so many of the other songs on this track list, this track just lacks that it factor, that thing that jumps out and grabs you and makes you go “Oh shit, that was kinda crazy”.

1. The Return to Innocence Lost

The first time this song came on, I was just relaxing to this album and enjoying the unique sounds that make The Roots so incredible. There had been four or five times that I had stopped and went, “okay, I wasn’t ready for that, holy shit”. Boy was I naïve.
The Return to Innocence Lost is a spoken word poem by Ursula Rucker describing the vicious cycle of the hood. Anthony Tidd plays the guitar that weaves in and out behind her. I really don’t know how to describe how powerful this poem is, other than to say that it is one of the most haunting, disturbing things I’ve ever heard. When I write these track-by-track reviews, I usually sit and listen to each track 4-5 times before I start writing. I didn’t make it through the second round of this one. Its…. Incredible. And haunting. And powerful. And I could never do it justice in a hhh write-up.

1. Act Fore….The End?

The introduction of this track gives a peak into the way The Roots operate: don’t know what to do? Make music. With a piano sample from an old TV Series theme Eager Beaver, scratching throughout, and one final dirty drumline from ?uest, the beat was laid out there for Black Thought to shine all on his own. He contributes three stellar verses that make up for an otherwise forgettable hook, and while this “hidden track” doesn’t add a ton to the album as a whole, it’s still a good track and I wouldn’t dare complain about more music from The Roots.
Conclusion
While “political” or “conscious” hip-hop is usually associated with having bars aimed at political figures or talking about systematic change, much of Things Fall Apart doesn’t fit that mold. It’s almost as if the sound itself was a statement, because it isn’t like Thought was spending lines shit-talking Bill Clinton. He was talking about the Philly streets, about the area he grew up in. Yet, the political tag this album gets applied doesn’t feel inherently misplaced. Thought’s stories act as their own message, taking the concept of suffering going on in his neighborhood and putting it on this grand pedestal for all to see.
All in all, this project not only provides some of the best live instrumentation in hip-hop, but some of the best lyricism you'll find as well. This project has some clear influence, not only other other projects of the Soulquarian era, but decades later as well. You can hear it on modern classics like To Pimp a Butterfly, as well as on some of the instrumentals chosen by Chicago's SaveMoney collective and related acts. This album feels like a moment in hip-hop, where an entire sound cultivated into one big project that everybody can look back on as one of the pinnacles of an entire sound.
Five Favorites: Dynamite!, The Return to Innocence Lost, You Got Me, 100% Dundee, Double Trouble
Final Rating: 9.6/10
Discussion Questions?
· Had you heard this project before? If not, did you recognize the main cover?
· What is your favorite Roots album, and where does this one stack up?
· How do you compare this project to the other projects coming out of the Soulquarian era?
· Would you consider this project political/conscious?
· How well does this album hold up?
· If released today, do you think this album would be received better or worse?

Ayo music makers! Firstly, my English is going to be shit, sorry. So, my problem is, drums. Can somebody please explain like I'm 5 about the use of drum sample packs (like kicks, snares, and toms) and how it'll affect the quality of my music? A little trivia, I'm not technically an electronic musician. But my inspiration starts from Miles Davis "Kind Of Blue", to "Dark Side Of The Moon", to U2's "Joshua Tree", to Madonna's "Ray Of Light", to Radiohead's "Kid A", up to Beck's "Morning Phase", all the gay shit, I know, don't judge me. In simple terms would be: Musically and technologically advance production that'll stand the test of time? And oh, a unifying theme of sound and lyrical progressions. Back to my problem. So here are a few questions:

• 1) Do these people (like Beastie Boys,The Chemical Brothers, Radiohead, or Skrillex, to Madeon, etc) designs their own drum packs? By that I mean like the kick, the snares, and everything?
  
• 2) If so, how did they do it? I know how to design pads, basses, leads, and stuff. But how can one design a custom kicks, snares, etc? How can you make a kick out of a sine wave?
  
• 3) Am I allowed to create a drum seq with the one shots that came with a particular drum machine/VSTs (like Battery 4, or Arturia Spark, etc, lame, I know).
  
• 4) Will action no. 3 reduce the merit of my musicality and/or the originality of my record?
  

That's all I guess. Please help me masters. I'll love you forever! Even my ghost would still haunts you with ever-glowing love after I'm dead. Ok thanks in advance yeh! :)