The Roots - "Things Fall Apart"

The Roots released their fourth studio album, “Things Fall Apart”, on February 23, 1999 on MCA

Records. The album was recorded at the famed recording studio the Electric Lady. The album was

produced by members of the Soulaquarians and is consider some the group’s best work in terms of

recognition and accolades received. The Roots even won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for their song, “You Got Me,” which featured Erykah Badu and Eve. The album features the hard and thought provoking lyrics of emcees, Black Thought, Malik B and Dice Raw and they are accompanied by many other Philadelphia based artists as well as Mos Def and Common. The vibes are handled primarily by The Roots band.

Review with Mike T. (@mike_t_bvnm)

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Chris: Mike, I’m interested in why you wanted to review this Roots album in particular. This is album I had obsession with for a while. This album actually has 5 different album covers. There is the one that everyone is most familiar with, which is the Black couple running from the police, but there is actually 4 others that are much harder to come by. When I was in the first issue, rare issue CD game, copping all 5 versions of “Things Fall Apart” was one of my most coveted grails. Unfortunately, I only own 2 versions and I’ll be honest, while thinking about this review I checked Discogs and EBay to see if anyone had one of the other versions listed. I had to remind myself that I’m no longer in that game haha. Ok, time to get back on track, what was it about “Things Fall Apart”?

Mike T.: It was from one day talking about possibly doing another review, and you were listing off groups/artists we could do. Then you mentioned the The Roots. It clicked because immediately I thought of “Dynamite!” from someone at an old job playing it over the speaker when I would open the restaurant back in the day. And being that I don’t know that much older Hip Hop, I thought this would be a good one because I had never listened to the album outside of that song. I didn’t know that this had other album art covers. When you mentioned that I had to google it because I wanted to see what other covers that were done for this album. Each one is very bold. Bold in the sense that looking at each of these they are speaking loudly about history in the world. From riots in the 1960’s to a starving child in the 1990’s. When looking up the album art I read a little about each photo. Each photo was selected to portray a story of violation of  human rights. So this was interesting to learn about. I’m glad you mentioned the different album arts, because I would have just figured the one with the two women running would have been the only one.

Chris: I’ve heard that “Act Too” (The Love of My Life) is supposed to be a continuation of Common’s “I Used to Love H.E.R.” who is also featured on the track. Common relates Hip Hop music to a woman on “I Used to Love H.E.R.” and he continues that metaphor on “Act Too”. Without thinking about it too too much, I feel like this act of rapping or commenting on the state Hip Hop or the rapper’s love for Hip Hop music is something that is pretty unique to Hip Hop. You don’t hear as many Soul singers singing about Soul music or Rockers singing about Rock music or more specifically the current state of Rock music. There are probably a few we can think of but I’d say it’s probably most prevalent in Hip Hop music. Would you agree with me? Also, what did you think of these two tracks? Granted, this is a review of “Things Fall Apart” but many Hip Hop heads I’ve met throughout my life consider “I Used to Love H.E.R.” as one of their favorite tracks of all time and because of that, I think that it’s appropriate to ask the question since “Act Too” is its continuation.

Mike T.: Definitely not something that is very common I feel. Especially being one that listens to more Metal music. It’s not something you particularly hear in songs. If they do touch on the music industry It's more so the life of touring, and being on the road. You’ll hear songs about what the life is like in that manner, so I would agree that this is something more of a Hip Hop thing. This was an interesting listen. It took me a couple listens of both tracks because the dynamic of the songs are both really cool. Being a continuation track without knowing I was kind of expecting the same beat for both, because you’ll have tracks that are continuation tracks and it’s the same beat, or it takes the foundation of the beat and changes only slightly. So it was cool to see the two different builds of these songs. “Act Too” is super to the Roots vibe of that very Jazz/Soul/Funk vibe. I can’t say I like one more than the other though. I love the musicality of “Act Too”, but the lyricism in “I used to Love H.E.R.” has this very story telling vibe that I really enjoy. Common paints a great visual picture of a physical form for Hip Hop. It’s just hard for me to compare the two, but all in all I enjoyed listening to both I went and played them back to back a couple times to really see how the both tell their own story for each one.

Common – “I Used to Love H.E.R.

The Roots featuring Common – “Act Too (Love of my Life)”

Chris: A common topic discussed amongst Hip Hop heads is “Who are your Top 5 Emcee?”. A lot of times those discussions devolve into a conversation about who is the greatest. While he’s not in my personal Top 5, it’s hard to argue that he’s not one of the greats. A few years ago, he had this freestyle on Funk Flex that went viral and it reminded all of us not sleep on Black Thought. What do you think of Black Thought on this album and what track do you think best exemplifies is lyrical dexterity?

Mike T.:  You know for me it’s “Dynamite!” because of the track as a whole. It has such a good walking bass line throughout the track with that Blues guitar. The back and forth between Black Thought, and Elo. But what I really enjoy is the fact that both Emcees have such a diverse lyrical ability. They use very little profanity which I feel is very heavily used in the Hip Hop world. But it is not used much outside of a few vulgar words here and there. Black thought right off the bat touches on that rapping is just basic instinct for him. Reps Philly hard, letting people know his crew and himself are going to tell it like it is. Plus it’s just a fun track all around. Has a great hook that you can’t help but turn up and sing along.

Chris: I’m glad that you mentioned how Black Thought, and really the whole Roots crew, reps Philadelphia. There are also many other Philly artists on this album, including Jazzy Jeff, Beanie Sigel, Eve and even Ladybug Mecca, who I believe is originally from Philadelphia. For me, it’s “100% Dundee”. I love that song. Black Thought and Malik B. both kill that song. It’s a great song to listen to with your volume turned all the way up.

The Roots – “Dynamite!”

The Roots – “100% Dundee”

Chris: The production on this album was guided by the Soulaquarians and Scott Storch, who I’m not sure if he was still an official member of The Roots at this time or not. During the time that this album was recorded, The Soulaquarians also produced D’Angelo’s “Voodoo”, Erykah Badu’s “Mama’s Gun” and Common’s “Like Water For Chocolate”. I don’t really like the term Neo-Soul but that’s what we called it at the time. All four of these projects are considered Neo-Soul classics or standards. Obviously, a lot of what The Roots do is considered live or at least with live instruments, as opposed to sampling. What did you think of the sound of “Things Fall Apart”? In comparison to some of the other music you listen to, how do rate The Roots as a band? Did any tracks in particular stand out for their musicality?

Mike T.: This is probably my favorite thing about this album is the live band feel it has. You get a great sense of this speakeasy Jazz/Blues group. Then bam this well thought out melodic raps that just fit. I honestly feel like if this was just an instrumental album it would be a great Jazz album. The bass is such a heavy driver of why the vibe of this album is so great. It’s not filled with just generic bass. You listen and hear walking bass lines like you would see from a live band. Not something just generated from a MPC. I think incorporating the live band gives it more depth. I’ve been to a couple local Hip Hop shows, and one thing I dislike about live Hip Hop is the fact that some of these artists will just rap along to their song. So if they miss anything the track has it covered. Rather than rapping to an instrumental track. So I feel like The Roots adding the live instruments/band to their music really shows the level of artist they are. There’s no they’re just a studio artist. This shows pride in their musicianship, in my opinion.

Chris: I’ve had the pleasure of seeing The Roots live a couple of times. To me, they are kind of like The Band or the Allman Brothers in that hearing them live is quite a different experience than hearing them on record. I read that one of the reasons that Scott Storch left the group is because he didn’t really enjoy the touring aspect. I feel like that’s probably why they took the gig with Jimmy Fallon, they just love playing music.

Chris: What were some of your favorite songs?

Mike T. : Well you know from last question “Dynamite!” is on there. Then I really liked “Step into the Realm”. It’s one of the shorter tracks but something I liked about the track if you listen close to Malik B’s voice it has kind of a digital feel to it which I thought was a cool touch. “Ain’t Sayin’ Nothin’ New” is another one for that musical aspect of the track. This has that Blues guitar with the subtle bass line in the background. Mixed with the drums I loved the vibe of this track. Musically this album has been one of my favorites to listen to just because the musicianship is so good. I have a special love for Jazz even though I listen to heavier music. Growing up I played saxophone, and was involved in Jazz throughout my years in school. So loved just listening to this album in the car and just vibing out.

Chris: “Dynamite!” is a J Dilla produced track. I love the guitar sample. I’m not familiar with it but it kind of reminds me of like Grant Green or like Wes Montgomery maybe. I also liked “Ain’t Say Nothin’ New” and “Double Trouble” with Mos Def. I like those kind of throwback, tag team rhyme schemes, it reminds me a lot of the Hip Hop that was introduced to me when I was really young.

The Roots – “Ain’t Say Nothin’ New”

Chris: “You Got Me” was originally recorded with Jill Scott, who was not well-known outside of Philadelphia at the time, but MCA Records insisted the re-recorded the song with a name. In comes Erykah Badu and an iconic music video and you’ve got yourself a Grammy. I wanted to bring this track up because it, in my opinion, it’s what brought The Roots into mainstream consciousness but also to show you this really great performance of “You Got Me” from Dave Chappelle’s Block Party that features both Jill Scott and Erykah Badu.

Mike T. : So after seeing the live video from Block Party. I am going to say I think the MCA made a mistake. The live version is so good. Both Jill Scott and Erykah Badu together give it that extra layer that just makes it pop even more. Jill got these bold soul aspects to her that just made it for me. Along with the live band. Like was saying in the previous question. The one thing I have that I do not like about live Hip Hop is that artists just rap along to themselves on their own tracks. But this. Having the band actually apart of the group shows that level of musicianship for the group and the talents of the Emcees not have just a generic backtrack playing. And watching that live video really shows that.

The Roots feat. Jill Scott and Erykah Badu – “You Got Me” (Live on Dave Chappelle’s Block Party)

Chris: So just to give you some perspective, “Things Fall Apart” was released the same year as the “The Slim Shady LP.” Both we’re actually nominated for Grammys and “The Slim Shady LP” ended up winning it. The difference between the two albums is so stark but both are equally great, in my opinion. Do you have any final thoughts on “Things Fall Apart”?

Mike T.: I think those are two really hard albums to compare. I don’t think many artists stood a chance that year going against Slim though. That album itself just resonated with people. I think this album is a more fun album to listen to though. I like both albums though for their own reasons. “Things Fall Apart” has been one of my favorite listens out of the reviews we’ve done. I appreciated the lyricism that was highlighted in this album. Like I mentioned before the diverse vocabulary of the emcees on the album really shines. It’s not often that you listen to a Hip Hop/Rap album, and there’s very little vulgarity. This to me showed that each Emcee had way more thought out lyrics than just saying “fuck” and “shit” every other word. All in all this album was fun to listen to, and hard not to bob the head and sing along to. This is what makes doing these reviews fun. It shows me music I don’t know much about, and introduces me to something I enjoy jamming out to. And this was definitely one of those albums. It’s going to make its way into the rotation more.

Chris: The album is well put together. I had read that they had record over a 100 songs and narrowed it down to these 14 and that is the way that it feels. There really isn’t any fillers on this album. If you had heard The Roots’ earlier work, they were committed to that Underground Hip Hop, Jazz band vibe and “Things Fall Apart” was a little bit a step away from that, which is why I think they included the dialogue between Denzel Washington and Wesley Snipes from “Mo’ Better Blues.” “Things Fall Apart” was harder but was also more radio friendly. I think I actually like this album even more than I did before. I do prefer their earlier projects but “Things Fall Apart” definitely held up.

Black Star - "Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star"

“Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star” was released on September 29, 1998 on Rawkus Records. The name Black Star pays tribute to the Black Star Line, which was a shipping company established, with the help of Marcus Garvey, to help incoporate Black owned businesses into the global economy, thereby promoting economic independence in the Black community. The Black Star moniker was aptly chosen because like the Black Star Line, Mos Def (now known as Yasin Bey) and Talib Kweli were socially conscious, pro-Black and their label was independent. Both Mos Def and Talib Kweli, who both had already released singles on Rawkus, postponed their solo projects in order to work on an album together. Half of the tracks were produced by the Rawkus staple, Hi-Tek, and the other half were split up between Da Beatminerz, Shawn J. Period, J. Rawls, Ge-ology and 88-Keys. Many consider the Black Star album to be the finest of the Rawkus releases and the collaboration between Mos and Talib to be one of the best duos in Hip Hop history. 

 Guest review with Sean (@bort_sampson_) 

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Chris: So why did you want to review “Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star”? 

Sean: I like reviewing these old Rawkus records in general because they were so ingrained in our lives back then. Damn near every drop, we were at Hastings coping the new – Talib, Hi-Tek, Big L, Reflection Eternal. And the one that had already dropped, we copped those too – Mos, Pharaoh, High & Mighty, and of course Black Star. Give that we both consider this album a classic, I wanted to see what your current thought on it were, and if you still considered it a classic. 

Chris: Indeed, that was back when you were judged by the quality of your CD book. I don’t think I ate lunch one time in High School haha. All that lunch money went towards CDs.

I actually heard “Black on Both Sides” before I had heard the Black Star album and I’m pretty sure the first time I heard it was on a burned copy I had gotten from you, Sean. Do you guys have any memories of listening to “Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star”?

Sean: Same here. “Black on Both Side” was my introduction to both Mos and Talib. I do remember thinking I had to cop Black Star the moment I found out about it. I think it actually took a minute to find it in store and being pretty stoked when I finally did.

Chris: Oh man! I love that feeling of finding a coveted album in the stores. You don’t get that nowadays just the disappointment of when something is available for streaming like De La Soul’s catalog, although you can find it all, in various qualities, on YouTube.

A lot of people consider “Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star” to be one of the shining examples of the Conscious Hip Hop movement of the late 90s and early 2000s. Is Conscious Hip Hop a sub-genre you gravitated towards? Is there a song in particular on this album that stood out for its message?

Sean: Not necessarily. I would say my taste in Hip Hop was pretty broad. On one hand, I loved artists that were “conscious” or “backpackers”, like Black Star, Common, De La Soul, Tribe, etc. But, I also loved old school, early 90s Dr Dre, Snoop, Ice Cube. On a third hand, I also liked the late 90s Cash Money squad, Pop Rap, and underground stuff. And I wouldn’t listen to something simply because it was something, I tried to keep a pretty open mind.

Chris: I’m definitely on the same boat as you. It was pretty much all just Hip Hop to me but I do remember a lot of people referred to “conscious” Hip Hop as “underground” Hip Hop. Definitely was asked the question, “Do you like Underground?” and remember people saying they were only into “underground.” I guess because “conscious” Hip Hop was pushed on the airwaves as much some of the other musicians you mentioned.

 

Chris: DJ Hi-Tek produced “Definition”, “Re:Definition”, “K.O.S.”, “Respiration” and “Twice Inna Lifetime” on this album. Where do you think Hi-Tek’s work on this album ranks with the rest of his discography? 

Sean: I think pretty high, if not his best. I mean, this album is pretty widely considered to be the pinnacle of the Rawkus catalog, and the songs you mentioned are some stone cold classics. So, I think by definition, it almost has to be his best work. Hi-Tek was pretty instrumental in shaping the Rawkus sound and put out so many bangers for Rawkus back then, so I think it’s closer than one would think. The Reflection Eternal and “Hi-Teknology” albums are pretty underrated in my opinion, and generally speaking Hi-Tek doesn’t get enough love for his work. I was looking for “Hi-Teknology” the other day on Rhapsody and was disappointed it wasn’t streaming there.

Chris: Definitely. Mike and I actually reviewed “Hi-Teknology” in one of our earlier posts and I felt like it really held up. Based on the tracks mentioned here, Black Star almost should be Mos, Talib and Hi-Tek but then again, I was so pumped to hear a Black Star album with Madlib behind the boards! Hopefully, we’ll get to hear that one day.

I think one of the cool things about Mos and Talib is the homage they pay to Hip Hop. There is “B Boys will B Boys”, the reinterpretation of Slick Rick’s “Children’s Story”, the BDP inspired “Definition” and many other references throughout the album. Is this something that you enjoyed as well?

Black Star - "Definition"

Boogie Down Productions - "Remix for P is Free"

 

Yellowman – “Zungguzungguzungguzeng”

 

Sean: It was something I appreciated the more I listened to it and the older I got. Back then, I was less invested in the homages or references they were making than I was in whether or not I connected with the song. Once you connect, then you begin to take that next step and dig deeper into the material, which is what happened to me. And I think that’s a pretty cool way to learn about the history of something.

Chris: Did you all have any favorite tracks?

Sean: My favorite track is “Respiration.”

Chris: That’s a great one! Mine has become a favorite track now that we decided to revisit this album, “Thieves in the Night”. Bree and I saw Talib in concert about a year ago. I think of seen Talib literally about 15 times in my lifetime. We used to have this joke that he was rent a room in house behind LA Underground. Anyway, he introduced the song “Thieves in the Night” by saying it wasn’t a song he performed very often but he felt like it was very pertinent during these times and I couldn’t agree more. The chorus is a quote for Toni Morrison’s book “The Bluest Eye”. I really recommend the book and giving the song a couple of more spins. 

Black Star - "Thieves in the Night"

 

Chris: Let’s talk about the song “Respiration.” Of course, it features Common, who although he wasn’t signed to Rawkus Records but appeared on 3 of the Top 10 Rawkus songs, according to Complex. Actually, Complex has their number 1 song in their ranking of the Top 50 Rawkus Records Songs. Since you guys are pretty well versed in the Rawkus catalog, do you agree with that ranking? 

 Black Star feat. Common - "Respiration"

  

Sean: Yes, I agree with that. To me, it’s the quintessential Rawkus song – first, you have two hyper intellectual MCs that were probably the biggest names on the label and a third hyper intellectual MC who could’ve been, and who should have and who many people thought was. Second, the subject material was classic Rawkus – a deep look at the world around each of them, much deeper that “murder, drugs and bitches” and other Gangsta rap ethos of the time. And finally, it was produced by Hi-Tek, who played a large role in shaping the Rawkus sound. If I could only listen to one track from the Rawkus catalog, this would probably be it.

Chris: Knowing how big of a fan you are of “Black on Both Side”, I thought you would have said “Ms. Fatbooty”. I actually don’t agree with the ranking. When I think of THEE quintessential Rawkus song, the first one that comes to my mind is “1-9-9-9” or even “Definition” from this album. I was surprised Complex ranked “1-9-9-9” 5th and “Definition” was 27th! 

So this is the third Rawkus release we’ve reviewed together (“Black on Both Side, “Home Field Advantage” and now “Black Star”). On our review of “Home Field Advantage,” the three of us all agreed that “Black Star” was the best album in the Rawkus discography. Now that the album is a little fresher in our minds, do you still feel the same about the album?

Sean:  I do agree with that – this still is the gold standard of Rawkus records for me, along with “Black on Both Sides”. Great flows, great beats, a deep dive into Hip Hop history, phenomenal album art work and two MCs who were at the height of their abilities. In addition, it has a good mix of bangers, “Definition” and “Re:Definition”, and more introspective songs, like “Brown Skin Lady” and “Thieves in the Night”, and a certifiable classic that is and in an introspective banger like “Respiration”. This album is like J Lo, it just keeps getting better with age.

Common - "Like Water For Chocolate"

Common’s fourth studio album, “Like Water For Chocolate”, was released on March 28, 2000 on MCA records. By the time production of “Like Water For Chocolate” had begun, Common had left his hometown of Chicago and was living in New York City where he linked up with Questlove and other members of the Soulquarians.  The Soulquarians were a music collective featuring Hip Hop artists (Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Common, Q-Tip and Jay Dee), Soul singers (D’Angelo, Erykah Badu and Bilal) and a few other talented musicians (Roy Hargrove, James Poyser and Questlove). “Like Water For Chocolate” served as the formal introduction of the Soulquarians as a production team. “Like Water For Chocolate” spans across Hip Hop, Soul, Funk, Blues and Fela-esque rhythms.  Common flips back and forth between conscious and enlightened and braggadocios and perpetrating the stereotype.  He even has a skit and a song where he jokes about the juxtaposition. “Like Water For Chocolate” may not be Common’s best work but it was well received and definitely served as a turning point in his career.

Guest request Sean's (@bort_sampson_) 3rd review

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Chris: Why did you want to review “Like Water For Chocolate”?

Sean: I wanted to review it because quite frankly, I hadn’t listened to in a while and was wondering if it was as good as I remembered it. It also was released during a pretty influential period of my music life, along with other albums like Blackstar, “Black on Both Sides”, “Hi-Teknology”, stuff like that. Not that they all released around the same time as each other, more that I really discovered a lot of them around the same time.

Chris: I thought it was kind of funny that you chose “Like Water for Chocolate” because I recently within the last couple of weeks read Laura Esquivel’s book by the same name and although I was aware of the book, I had always thought the title  “Like Water For Chocolate” was harkening back to Jim Crow laws and I still do but I wasn’t aware of the double-meaning. Common is comparing himself to Tita (the main character in the book) whose emotions were key ingredients in the food she made.

Sean: Can’t say I ever read the book but I see the connection – the main character poured out her emotion in the food, Common poured his emotion into his music. Especially as related to this relationship at the time with Erykah Badu.

Chris: Obviously “Like Water For Chocolate” has a different feel to it than his other releases up to this point in his career, what did you think of the production on this album?

Sean: It’s weird, because I was simultaneously feeling this album as much as I used to and not as much. The production was tight for the most part but sometimes I felt like there was a bit of a disconnect between it and Common’s flow. I think maybe it maybe it has more to do with his flow by itself. He just has a lot of hard pauses and it sounds a little jerky to me and I found myself kinda getting taken out of the music, if that makes sense. I didn’t realize that J Dilla produced 75% of the album. I still love that Bobby Caldwell sample.

Chris: I’m thinking the jerkiness you’re describing was the influence of Dilla. That is very much a Dilla/Slum Village quality. I remember around this time my appreciation for Jay Dee was at a fever. I loved the soulfulness of this album. I feel like it’s a foundational album for a lot of other albums with that sound that came out around this time.  This album propelled me into listen to a lot of more that Philly Soul/Neo-Soul for next 4 or 5 years or so. I still listen to D’Angelo, Erkyah Badu, Goapele, Bilal, Angie Stone, Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild, Ledisi, Kindred the Family Soul and Lina because of this album’s influence on me.

Common feat. Black Thought and Rahzel – “Cold Blooded”

Chris: Let’s talk about “The Light”. Jay Dee’s flip of Bobby Caldwell’s “Open Your Eyes” was the perfect complement to Common’s ode to Erykah Badu. I think that “The Light” is the definitive Hip Hop love song of our generation. What are your thoughts on “The Light”?

Sean: It holds up perfectly, in my opinion. It what I would think of if I had to pick a perfect example of a Common track – very thoughtful with a clear message.

Common – “The Light”

Bobby Caldwell – “Open Your Eyes”

What is the standout track or tracks for you?

Chris: There are so many! It’s very difficult to narrow it down to or even a couple but if I had to, maybe “Thelonious” and “Funky For You”. I just love the vibe of both of those songs. You? “Sixth Sense”?

Sean: “Sixth Sense” and probably “Heat” or “Questions”. It’s funny that I gravitate towards the lone Primo track on the album. His stuff has always gotten to me.

Common – “Sixth Sense” (produced by DJ Premier)

Chris: When The “Like Water For Chocolate” Tour came through Albuquerque in November of 2000, that was actually my first ever concert and still to this day one of my favorite concerts ever. You were there! Do you have any memories from that show?

Sean: When he came out in the red Adidas track suit and started break dancing! That was amazing and completely unexpected! You?

Chris: For sure that was dope! I think just the live band and how awesome they were.

Sean: Yeah, a live band just brings a different energy and depth to performance.

Chris: How do you feel about “Like Water For Chocolate” now after re-listening to it for this review?

Sean: I enjoyed it but it probably not something I’ll listen to regularly. It’s not “Black on Both Sides” for me lol

Chris: I like it just as much, no more, no less.