Common, Black Thought & More "Freestyle" (1998)

From the mid 90s through the early 2000s, the epicenter of Philly Hip-Hop culture could be found every Monday night at a small second floor nightclub directly off South Street. That club was Fluid, that night was The Remedy, hosted by Cosmo Baker & Rich Medina. Threaded through the evolution of the music at the time, through the rise of independent movement, concurrent with the very beginning of the Neo-Soul scene, The Remedy became the destination for music and culture lovers alike. Everyone from Kid Koala to Madlib, Questlove to DJ Craze, Bobbito to Goldie - would play the most underground and obscure tunes to a hungry and receptive crowd. And it was also not unlikely to have some immense talent jump up into the DJ booth and grab the mic, whether it was local talent from the Philly Neo Soul movement, or Slum Village, or Pharoahe Monch, or Bahamadia, or Kurupt. On this particular night in 1998, it was DJ Jazzy Jeff on the ones and twos, and we brought up Philly’s own Black Thought to bless the mic, followed by Common who ripped it to pieces. The freestyle session continued with Dice Raw, Scratch, Maylay Sparks and Rehani… everyone in the pocket. Also you can hear Black Thought kick a bunch of the rhymes he’d later on go and use on the masterpiece album by The Roots “Things Fall Apart”. Listen to this classic '98 cipher below...

The Roots "Clones" (The Source, July 1996)

"Sometimes you wish hip-hop could be distilled to a simple equation: talent = success. Unfortunately, it ain't that clear-cut. Case in point: an incredibly talented group outta Illadelphia puts together a debut work that receives critical acclaim, but generates no commercial explosions. Any fool knows that the Roots measure 10 plus on the hip-hop Richter (guess that makes the general public a bunch of geniuses). But if there's a great arbiter of hip-hop fairness, the second time around may prove to be the charm for Black Thought, Malik B & co." Watch the visuals to "Clones," cont'd...

"Clones" and "Sections" are clear indicators of the direction in which the crew seems to be headed. Musically, they've eased back from the live band feel in favor of a more conventional sound. And both joints come with much more of a lyrical edge than most Roots faithful may be accustomed to, particularly "Clones" - which also features capable wordplay from M.A.R.S. and Dice Raw. While Malik B has always had a penchant for flipping on n!ggas, Black Thought could usually be found developing complex verbalistics on varied subjects ... It's too early - and probably incorrect - to say that the Roots are retreating from their original steelo, but they rip through this first single and leave a pointed mission statement on the brain: we are f#cking dope MCs." - The Source, July 1996. 

The Roots "Things Fall Apart" (February 23, 1999)

On their fourth effort, Things Fall Apart, the Roots find themselves on the cusp of a commercial breakthrough. Like De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest, the Roots have always stood for innovation in hip hop, both sonically and lyrically. Borrowing the title of Chinua Achebe's literary masterpiece, Things continues the evolution the Roots have undergone since their independently released debut, Organix (Motive/MCA, 1993). To paraphrase Chuck D, from the Roots' album, Illadelph Halflife in 1996, the Roots are an enigma, perhaps even to themselves. They certainly remain one to critics, who have tried to pigeonhole the group ever since they released Organix and their critically acclaimed sophomore album, Do You Want More?!!!??! (Geffen, 1995). Stuck with the "alternative" label, the Roots were then falsely accused of restructuring their sound on Illadelph to gain a harder, more authentically "hip hop" sound. Fusing the free-throwing live instrumentations of their first two albums with the methodical, yet still revolutionary, in-house production and engineering techniques of Illadelph, the Roots have finally perfected their sound. This synthesis, coupled with the vocal gymnastics of Black Thought & Malik B., makes for one of the most complete albums of the decade.

The plush beats on "The Next Movement" and stripped-down acoustics on "Dynamite" exemplify that wholeness. "Dynamite," which features the background harmonies of next-school soul group Jazzyfatnastees, captures the Roots at their most nuanced. Using structure, chord changes, and unorthodox time signatures, the Roots take techniques associated with hard bop-era jazz and put them in a hip hop context. The seemingly simple guitar licks on "Dynamite" provide another example of the group's creativity. Black Thought, using his voice as an instrument, stutters his way up the scales, while the guitar accents his vocal riffs. Even when they take a more traditional approach, the Roots manage to raise the standards for hip hop. The aptly named "Adrenaline" features a sparse piano loop that spurs the wordsmiths to new heights. Thought, Malik B., Dice Raw, and newcomer Beans each outshine the other in a battle of lyrical one-upmanship. But it's the tracks' subtleties that separate the group from their peers. Rahzel channels live turntablism through his transcendent beat-boxing, while Thought and his cohorts display stunning verbal calisthenics. The Roots have reconfigured the pyramid again, placing themselves at the top. Although some things in hip hop continue to fall apart, the Roots pick up the pieces and construct a new order. - Vibe, 1999.