Things Fall Apart by The Roots

The Roots
Things Fall Apart
1999
Hip Hop
MCA

1. Act Won (Things Fall Apart)
2. Table Of Contents (Parts 1 & 2)
3. The Next Movement
4. Step Into The Relm
5. The Spark
6. Dynamite!
7. Without A Doubt
8. Ain't Sayin' Nothin' New
9. Double Trouble
10. Act Too (The Love Of My Life)
11. 100% Dundee
12. Diedre Vs. Dice
13. Adrenaline!
14. 3rd Acts: ? Vs. Scratch 2...Electric Boogaloo
15. You Got Me
16. Don't See Us
17. The Return To Innocence Lost
18. Act Fore...The End?
(Also includes a 600x597 album cover .jpeg)

Check it out, you’re now intuned to the sounds of the,
R to the, double-O to the, T-S and I stretch limit to this profession.
My voice physically fit, tracks I’m bench-pressing.
The mic chord is an extension of my intestine.
Delicate MC’s sliced in my delicatessen.
My mind state is that of the s-p connection.
Pennsy a part of me, south Philly through my arteries.
Thought the dark one, fearsome, slump son,
My vocal just a knuckle that sucker punched the drum.

"Table Of Contents (Parts 1 & 2)


I'll be the first to admit that I'm a rock fan who has just recently gotten into hip hop in the past year or two. When I did, Things Fall Apart was one of the first albums I picked up, and I'm glad I did. The Roots is different than most hip hop groups because they are actually a band. The members of The Roots actually write and play their own music (very well, in fact) live behind an emcee. They take a different approach to it than anyone else I've heard so far. Their music is very very jazz. Very smooth sounding lazy jazz that rolls along slowly but surely, under the fantastic rapping of frontman Black Thought, and lots of jumping in from other band members as well.

This album flows with a very natural progression. It opens with an excerpt from the Spike Lee film, "Mo' Better Blues" and the next track opens with just percussion and rap, until the jazz guitar slides in and out of the mix at the right times. The album features more and more instrumentation until the climax of "Don't See Us," right before the album's finale. The last track is called "The Return To Innocence Lost," contains no rapping. Instead, it consists of an instrumental track (with lots of reverse guitar) behind the steady spoken word of poet Ursula Rucker. Just do yourself a favor and download right now. Great rapping, great instrumentals, great production, and great overall feel.

Things Fall Apart is probably the most relaxing hip hop record ever made.

Click here to download part 1 (76.51 MB)
Click here to download part 2 (75.23 MB)

Explicit lyrics, man.

Buy it!
CD