The Roots next album will be an experimental Hip-Hopera titled ‘UnDun’ about the brief life of a young man caught up in the streetlife.
Allow me to let Questlove tell the story…
“At this point in our career we’d like for our work to have a unifying theme, and an experiential quality. We’ve been intentionally making our albums shorter in length so that they can be experienced as a continuous work. The music is band-oriented with an eye on the moody cinematic. As a DJ, I am the King of playlists, but I don’t want our albums to feel like a playlist or a mixtape for that matter. We want to tell stories that work within the album format and we want the stories to be nuanced and useful to people.
Undun is the story of this kid who becomes criminal, but he wasn’t born criminal. He’s not the nouveau exotic primitive bug-eyed gunrunner like Tupac’s character Bishop in Juice… he’s actually thoughtful and is neither victim nor hero. Just some kid who begins to order his world in a way that makes the most sense to him at a given moment… At the end of the day… isn’t that what we all do?”
Take a listen to the first leak from ‘UnDun’ featuring Big K.R.I.T. and produced by Khari Mateen – ‘Make My’
The Roots “Make My” featuring Big K.R.I.T. by okayplayer
Catch the Roots performing at the Highline Ballroom November 29, 30 and December 5
‘UnDun’ drops worldwide on December 6
can’t wait for the album.
Man, I hope they pull it off– I love the Roots, yet I love ** NONE ** of their albums because they’ve nailed front to back the lyrical depth/continuity their provocative album titles suggest. (They’ve also had some wack features which is a damn shame when what the needs is more hot Black Thought verses– his live presence + genius mimicry is impressive but I want more goddamn poetry, dig?)
DP, on the Philly tip, you ever listen to Reef The Lost Cauze? He seems one of the much better, lesser known MCs there, way better than the second-rate mixtape verses unto infinity dudes boring NYC to tears.
just did hell drive in rain, missing a few words above, add any that feel appropriate
you love none of the roots albums? Things Fall Apart, Phrenology, Game Theory, Rising Down, How I Got Over, Wake Up even though thats like a concept joint but come on.
BIGNAT– I really don’t, no. I respect the range they go for (except for some of the recent dalliances with “indie rock,” a genre I have little use) and could make a hot two or three cd-r long Roots mix tape but the albums as they made ’em… there’s always one thing or another that irritates much moreso than, say, Nas (tho’ disc 2 of “Street Disciple” is v. inconsistent) or Ghostface.
Especially “Phrenology” and “Tipping Point,” I thought those would be mad history street politics… instead I got a HORRIBLE Sly Stone cover to start! And I love Sly but I didn’t wanna hear Jay-Z jerking off to Bobby Bland (“Ain’t No Love”) and calling it “creative” and I don’t wanna hear 3rd-rate Sly samples and calling it a ‘tribute.’
Still, all respect to the Roots– I hope there’s a a generation or two of young black (and other) ** musicians ** following their example that we can look forward to hearing in years to come.
i didn’t say nothing about tipping point i skipped all the roots albums i don’t like and also don’t own.
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