Talk:Illadelph Halflife

The Philadelphia Inquirer review

Transcription using Google News Advanced News Archive Search. The Philadelphia Inquirer (Columnist. D01. September 25, 1996) review of Illadelph Halflife (1996):

NOW FOR GOOD NEWS ABOUT RAP: THE ROOTS

The first major release of the post-Tupac Shakur era in rap arrives this week from Philadelphia's The Roots, and while it doesn't sacrifice a smidgen of street-level intensity, it reaffirms just how far-reaching (and how far removed from the gangsta stereotype) hip-hop can be. Illadelph Halflife (DGC *** 1/2) is the third album overall and second major-label release for The Roots, the sextet that includes lead rapper Black Thought (Tariq Trotter), fellow emcee Malik B. (Malik Abdul-Basit), bassist Hub (Leonard Hubbard Jr.), keyboard player Kamal (Kamal Gray), drummer ?uestlove (Ahmir Khalib-Thompson, formerly known as BRO the R. ?uestion) and "human percussionist" Rahzel the Godfather of Noyze. Do You Want More?!!!??!, The Roots' 1995 DGC debut, earned the Philadelphia rap collective much well-deserved praise, and constant touring won them a sizable, if not enormous, following. But because The Roots - whose roots are at the High School for Creative and Performing Arts in South Philadelphia, where ?uestlove and Black Thought met in 1987 - are hip-hop practitioners who play their own instruments and rarely employ prerecorded samples, the album also saddled the band with an "alternative" rap tag. In the hip-hop world, "alternative" means "soft," and potential record buyers who heard that The Roots came with a "jazz/hip-hop" approach might have doubted the band's command of hip-hop fundamentals.

The Philly-centric Illadelph Halflife, which is divided into a "215 side" and a "610 side," sets out to set the story straight. So there's nothing as overtly jazzy as Do You Want's "Datskat," and the new album is steeped in hip-hop essentials, from Black Thought's declaration of originality on "What They Do" and tender, chilling remembrance of a lost lover on "The Hypnotic" to the pelvis-shaking beats of "Concerto of the Desperado." The album is not without jazzy interludes - vocalist Cassandra Wilson and sax player Steve Coleman guest on the lovely "One Shine," and sax man David Murray faces off with ?uestlove and Rahzel on the too-brief "David vs. US." But whether The Roots are interested in sounds soothing (soul man D'Angelo cameos on "The Hypnotic") or startling (Rahzel's DJ-like effects are continually arresting), their allegiance is always to an organic hip-hop aesthetic that's raw and fresh. Like The Fugees, The Roots combine unquestionable skills with an expansive musical palette and a willingness to address tough issues: They take responsibility seriously on "No Alibi," and call for peace on "It Just Don't Stop" and "UNIverse at War." And they make good use of guest rappers, including Philadelphia's own Bahamadia, Common Sense and Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest.

The Roots may not blow up like The Fugees - The Roots lack a selling point such as vocalist Lauryn Hill, and they're too committed to original music to indulge in cover versions such as the Fugees' "Killing Me Softly" and "No Woman, No Cry." But even if The Roots don't turn into household names, with Illadelph Halflife they make it clear that one of the main roads to hip-hop's future runs through the City of Brotherly Love.

— Columnist

Dan56 (talk) 23:17, 17 October 2009 (UTC)