'They have reached the level of their dreams: a major-label record deal and some international notoriety. But for all that, their concept has not yet blown up, and it is possible it won't."
These words end "Illadelph Halflife," the third album by jazz-rap hybrid, The Roots. Six years later, Philly's finest hip-hop collective continue to play to packed venues across the globe. But the question remains: Have The Roots reached their explosive potential? They certainly made an impact in the '90s, when they reintroduced the human beat-box (Rahzel, "the Godfather of Noyze") and also used conventional instruments instead of relying solely on turntables, influencing the way everyone from Lauryn Hill to P. Diddy performed thereafter.
"Things Fall Apart," released in 1999, showed that hip-hop had actually held together and that their "organic" approach to it was no passing fad. The latest album, "Phrenology," may just show The Roots at their creative peak. Their razor-sharp rhymes, Art Blakey-esque beats and buttery R & B embellishments are still intact, but they've expanded their ideas into everything from Prodigy-style techno to Bad Brains-style hardcore. The freestyles are more grounded and the production is slicker, but bassist Hub's slabs of thump and drummer ?uestlove's trap-kit bashing retain the band's raw, front-row ambience.
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