The fourth review in a series of six covering all of the Roots full length albums. Enjoy..

One could argue that the lead emcee of Philadelphia's most respected crew, the Roots' Black Thought, is one of the more overlooked emcees in recent history. This is probably because the Roots' aren't necessarily known for their emceeing skills as their massive talent in the instrumentation department, with members like Kamal and Hub backing the vocals with Rahzel and Scratch's human beat masters.. and of course the notorious drumming of ?uestlove. However, its a shame Black Thought (and even Malik B) are overlooked in history, because they've consistently proven that they are one of the best one-two punches of the nineties, and that Black Thought by himself is one of the top emcees of his era. Look no further than Illadelph Halflife, the most brilliant album from the crew..

You don't even have to go very far into the album to see that these two emcees are more than competent on the mic. Respond-React and Section are two of the illest cuts on the album, showcasing killer flows and lyrics from Black Thought and mic. The former, over a light beat with crescendoing piano keys now and then, is saturated to the max with multisyllable rhymes in the two verses from each of the emcees: "The attractive assassin, blastin the devil trespassin/Master gettin cash in an orderly fashion/Message to the fake nigga flashin/Slow up Ock, before you get dropped and closed like a caption". Section even manages to top the track, with more rhymes from 'Lik and 'Riq: "Y'all know the dynasty, the Roots repertoire/The lieutenant from the reservoir, serve the spar/The injurar, preditar of a competitar/I send MCs where the paramedics are/At first, I'm like "nah", I'm nonchalant from afar/Then strike to cut the fake rap star jugular". The beat here is amazing as well, a soft xylophone/keyboard loop complemented by resounding waves of synthesizers.

The Roots managed to get some impressive guest appearances on the album as well. The Okayplayer Neo-soul duo of the Jazzyfatnastees join the crew on Episodes, singing the hook and adding some background vocals. Black Thought, Malik B, and the unofficial Roots emcee Dice Raw take their turns at verses here, over a very chill beat. Also lending his crooning voice to a hook, soul star Raphael Saadiq appears on What They Do, undoubtedly one of the best songs the Roots have ever come up with. The instrumental on this track is just ridiculous.. a relaxing combination of soft guitar notes and light drums over a . Black Thought goes solo on the track, spilling out his thoughts of the hip-hop industry and how it needs to be taken back to its origin as an art, not a business full of unoriginality: "Lost generation, fast paced nation/World population confront they frustration/The principles of true hip-hop have been forsaken/It's all contractual and about money makin/Pretend-to-be cats don't seem to know they limitation/Exact replication and false representation/You wanna be a man, then stand your own/To MC requires skills, I demand some shown". Definitely one of the best tracks on the album.

Of course, the guests aren't just singing hooks on the album. Female emcee Bahamadia joins Black Thought and Malik for Push Up Ya Lighter, a song which radiates vibes sure to calm down even the most stressed of people. Bahamadia's instantly recognizable voice and flow kicks in after the two Roots emcees have taken their turns at the mic. This is actually the song that provoked me into getting Bahamadia's Kollage, one of the better hip-hop albums released by a female in the last decade. Hip-hop head favorite Common also appears on UNIverse at War. Listening to this song, you'll notice a huge contrast between the flows of the laid-back Common and the up-tempo Black Thought, adding personality to each of their verses ranges from braggadocio to sucka emcees. Even the legendary Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest joins the Roots on Ital, his funky flow blending beautifully with the signature vibes of the Roots' instrumental team.

Like I mentioned before, lyrical dominance is apparent on this album, perhaps most evidently on Clones, a four verse song from Black Thought, Malik B, Dice Raw, and M.A.R.S. With ?uestlove's drums kicking off each of the four verses, they trade off, establishing their emceeing prowess while shutting down all the clones in the rap game, artists who are "Ten percent real, ninety percent invented for a fuckin' record deal".. quite a contrast from The Hypnotic, a hypnotizing (pun intended) Black Thought solo track, telling a story about a girl he met and his relationship with her. And a short fifteen second outro closes the album off nicely:

"For now, the Roots remain a little bit of an enigma, even to themselves. 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."

Without a doubt in my mind, this is THE best album from the Illadelph natives. Carefully crafted rhymes from the duo of Black Thought and Malik B, high-profile guest appearances from legends like Common and Bahamadia, and a couple of soul artists lend voices to the hooks make this an album full of brilliant songs. The instrumentals are all soothing and vibrant, radiant with soft vibes which create the ultimate backdrop for Thought, Malik, and Dice Raw (on occasion). With this album the Roots leave any doubts of their vocal skills in the dust, establishing their place in history and still keeping the instrumentals phenomenal.

One of the best albums in existence. Get it.

5.0 Stars

The Roots' albums (to be reviewed):
The Tipping Point
Phrenology
Things Fall Apart
Illadelph Halflife
Do You Want More?!!!??!
Organix

Recommended: Yes