Roots | Things Fall Apart | Vinyl

Things Fall Apart is the Roots' 1999 fourth album (later reissued on vinyl), a socially conscious, jazz-inflected hip-hop record examining Black identity, struggle, and survival, its title borrowed from Chinua Achebe's novel. Built on the band's signature live instrumentation rather than sampling, the record includes standout track “You Got Me” featuring Erykah Badu and Eve, which won the Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. It's widely regarded as one of the most artistically ambitious and socially engaged hip-hop albums of its era, cementing the Roots' reputation as one of the genre's most musically serious acts.

Track List

Side A

1. Act Won (Things Fall Apart)
2. Table of Contents (Parts 1 & 2)
3. The Next Movement
4. Step into the Realm
5. The Spark

Side B

1. Dynamite!
2. Without a Doubt
3. Ain't Sayin' Nothin' New
4. Double Trouble

Side C

1. Act Too (The Love of My Life)
2. 100% Dundee
3. Diedre vs. Dice
4. Adrenaline!
5. 3rd Acts (interlude)

Side D

1. You Got Me
2. Don't See Us
3. The Return to Innocence Lost
4. Act Fore… The End?

Release Details

• UPC: 0008811194819
• Label: Ume
• Format: LP Vinyl
• Genre: Rock
• Release Date: 4/20/13