The pouring rain this nite was the perfect storm for going to a funeral. The wake was for a young man named Redford Stephens who lived so fast and died so young. The soundtrack for the funeral would be the Roots’ 13th studio album titled ‘UnDun’.
UnDun is a musical narrative retracing the life of a young man who choose the street life just to get by. As a street dude he knew his time was limited but he was determined to get his, if not in the here and now, definitely on the otherside.
The theme of UnDun is the Philadelphia story. And the Chicago story. And the St.Louis story. And the Camden story. Young men can’t discover their value or opportunity unless they are precariously close to losing it all. And most of them do. Redford Stephens did.
The tragic destiny for Redford Stephens is made noble by the Roots musical narrative. So maybe he does finally come up after all even tho’ he isn’t around to see his victory. Redford Stephens triumph will be the kids who hear his story and choose the classrooms over the corners.
UnDun is another masterful example of the Roots dedication to placing the highest level of art within their music. The Roots will always be the greatest live experience that Hip-Hop has to offer but they also respect the architects of this genre who lived thru the real struggle.
The essence of that sound is still here in their music if you want to open your ears to hear it.
The Roots featuring Phonte and Dice Raw – ‘One Time’
Verbatim…. I could not agree more.