The Roots – "Things Fall Apart" Review: The Most Musically Sophisticated Hip-Hop Album of Its Era
- Jay Jewels
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Quick Verdict
Things Fall Apart arrived on February 23, 1999, and is The Roots’ finest album — the record that fully delivered on the promise of their earlier work and established them as the most musically sophisticated live band in hip-hop. Their fifth studio album won the Grammy for Best Rap Album in 2000, debuted at number four on the Billboard 200, and went gold. Produced by The Roots and ?uestlove, with contributions from DJ Premier, the album’s live-band approach to hip-hop production — guitars, keyboards, bass, and ?uestlove’s drums played live rather than sampled — gave it a warmth and musicality that distinguished it entirely from the sample-based aesthetics of its contemporaries. “You Got Me” with Erykah Badu won the Grammy. “The Next Movement” is their most energetically hard and collectively focused track. Rating: 9/10.
At a Glance
Album Details
Context: The Most Musically Sophisticated Hip-Hop Album of Its Era
The Roots had been building toward Things Fall Apart for a decade: their earlier albums — Organix (1993), Do You Want More?!!!??! (1994), and Illadelph Halflife (1996) — had established their reputation as hip-hop’s most musically sophisticated live band and the Philadelphia alternative hip-hop collective most capable of bridging the gap between the neo-soul tradition and the boom-bap aesthetic. Things Fall Apart was the album on which they most completely achieved that synthesis: the live-band production approach — ?uestlove’s drums, Scott Storch’s keyboards, Leonard Hubbard’s bass — gave the album a warmth and rhythmic organic quality that the era’s sample-based production could not replicate. The album’s guest list represents the most concentrated single-album assembly of alternative hip-hop’s finest voices of 1999: Erykah Badu, Common, Mos Def, and DJ Jazzy Jeff all appear. “You Got Me” — with Erykah Badu’s hook and Black Thought’s finest verse — won the Grammy for Best Rap Album. Its title is taken from Chinua Achebe’s Nigerian post-colonial novel, and the album’s conceptual investment in Black cultural identity and institutional critique give it an intellectual depth that matched its musical sophistication.
Track-by-Track Review (Key Tracks)
Final Verdict and Rating
Things Fall Apart is the most musically sophisticated live-band hip-hop album ever made and the record that earned The Roots their Grammy. Production scores a perfect 10. “You Got Me” is the finest thing they have ever made. The guest list — Erykah Badu, Common, Mos Def — is the best single-album assembly of alternative hip-hop voices of 1999. 9/10.
Final Rating: 9/10
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Things Fall Apart The Roots' best album?
Things Fall Apart is The Roots' finest album at Rap Reviews Daily — a 9/10 Grammy winner with production scoring a perfect 10. It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200, went gold, and won the Grammy for Best Rap Album in 2000.
What are the best songs on Things Fall Apart?
The five essential tracks are: "You Got Me," "The Next Movement," "Act Too," "Double Trouble," and "Dynamite!" You Got Me is the album's greatest track, the Grammy winner, and the finest thing The Roots have ever made.
What makes The Roots different from other rap groups?
The Roots are the only major hip-hop act to use a live band — drums, bass, keyboards, and guitar played in real time rather than sampled — as the foundation of their sound. This gives their records a warmth, musicality, and rhythmic organicism that sample-based production cannot replicate. ?uestlove's live drumming is the finest in hip-hop.
What is the rating for Things Fall Apart?
Rap Reviews Daily rates Things Fall Apart a 9/10. Production scores a perfect 10. It is The Roots' finest album, the Grammy winner for Best Rap Album in 2000, and the most musically sophisticated live-band hip-hop album ever made.
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