February 23, 1999

Things Fall Apart

Erudite, literate and keenly aware of their surroundings, Philadelphia's [B]The Roots[/B] have become an anomaly in hip-hop...

8 / 10 Erudite, literate and keenly aware of their surroundings, Philadelphia's The Roots have become an anomaly in hip-hop - even though they arguably stay truest to its original spirit. Black Thought, ?uestlove and their compatriots might be a real live band who have the clout to attract Erykah Badu, Mos Def and Common to contribute to their most explosive album yet, but they're mavericks in a rap world obsessed with the dollar, survival and the art of war.

Not for nothing is the title taken from Chinua Achebe's novel about the erosion of traditional ways in the Niger delta area of West Africa. Things are falling apart in The Roots' America - relationships, families, politics - and this suite of songs is a way to describe and exorcise the psychological impact.

With an old Schoolly D break replayed on 'Without A Doubt', some jazz bubblings chiselled and scraped on 'Dynamite', and everything from painful real-life poetry and frantic funk to warnings about 'The Next Movement', here is hip-hop with the scope and vision to stand proud.

A change is gonna come, and real soon, is the core of The Roots' message. At least they give instructions on ways to prepare for the inevitable.