The Roots’ Iconic Album ‘Things Fall Apart’ Celebrates Legacy in Hip-Hop 24 Years Later
25 years ago, The Roots dropped ‘Things Fall Apart,’ their fourth album in February 1999. The record sold more than 500,000 copies and grabbed a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group with “You Got Me.”
Questlove told Ambrosia For Heads, “It was a do-or-die moment.” The group felt intense pressure to make it big. Money wasn’t great and their earlier albums barely reached 400,000 sales combined. “Illadelph Halflife” moved 350,000 copies, while “Do You Want More?!!!??!” hit 275,000, not enough to cover costs.
They laid down tracks at the famous Electric Lady Studios in Manhattan. They collaborated with their Soulquarians crew, while D’Angelo worked on “Voodoo” nearby. The album came with five different covers. The most striking was a black and white photo called “Woman Running,” shot during civil rights protests in the 1960s.
Some behind-closed-doors decisions shaped their hit single “You Got Me.” Though Jill Scott wrote and originally sang the vocals, label heads went with Erykah Badu instead.
Taking its name from Chinua Achebe’s famous book, the album mixed street hip-hop with live instruments. Every song wove jazz grooves and soul beats with powerful rap lyrics.
At the 2000 Grammy Awards, Eminem’s “The Slim Shady LP,” which came out the same day took home Best Rap Album. This success kicked off big changes. They put out ten more albums and won two more Grammys. By 2014, they landed the gig as Jimmy Fallon’s house band on “The Tonight Show.”
The album kept picking up steam, going from gold to platinum, launching The Roots into both music and TV stardom.
