Undun
Beginning with a beeping flatline and ending with a four-part instrumental suite, *Undun* tells the tragedy of Redford Stevens—according to ?uestlove, a character who’s “young, gifted, black, and unraveling”—in reverse. Juxtaposing Black Thought’s bittersweet bars with indie folk, the group’s tenth album encompasses wordless, heart-wrenching Sufjan Stevens samples (“Redford \[For Yia-Yia & Pappou\]”) as well as the poignant boom bap of “Make My,” where, alongside Big K.R.I.T. and Dice Raw, Black Thought raps, “If there’s a heaven, I can’t find a stairway.”
The Roots' 13th album, which includes a brief, four-part orchestral suite that builds off a Sufjan Stevens piece, is definitely their most downbeat. It's a concept record that tells the story of a man dying, in reverse.
The Roots currently occupy a strange yet comfy bifurcated existence as the hardest-working, most-sought-after band in hip-hop, and the resident music-makers on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. Thankfully, the safety and security of a regular gig at 30 Rock (with benefits, no less!) has emboldened rather than stifled the…
The Roots have always had this knack for finding a balance between necessary creative exploration and accessibility among…
The Roots' umpteenth album is titled after a Guess Who song mutilated by countless lounge bands since 1969.
<p>Hip-hop veterans the Roots hold up a mirror to modern-day America on their gloomy but affecting 10th album, writes <strong>Killian Fox</strong></p>
<p>The Roots' concept album isn't quite the triumph it could have been, says <strong>Dave Simpson</strong></p>
[xrr rating=4.25/5]There was some understandable fretting a couple years ago when the Roots unexpectedly agreed to become the house band for the new “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” program.