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“Illadelph Halflife” is the third studio album by The Roots, released on September 24, 1996, through DGC and Geffen Records.
The story
The Roots had released “Organix” in 1993 and “Do You Want More?!!!??!” on DGC in 1995, building a following through live shows as a hip hop group with a full band. For the third album, recorded in 1996, they widened their circle of collaborators. Guests included Q-Tip, Common, Bahamadia, Dice Raw, Raphael Saadiq, D’Angelo, the jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson, the saxophonist Joshua Redman and the poet Ursula Rucker. The album’s title plays on “Illadelph,” a local nickname for Philadelphia. Q-Tip and Common were part of the same circle of artists that, with Questlove, later formed the Soulquarians collective.
Sound and production
Most of the album was produced by The Grand Negaz, the band’s in-house production team, with additional work from Questlove, Black Thought, Kelo, Q-Tip of The Ummah, Raphael Saadiq, Scratch, Chaos, L.A. Jay, Slimkid3 and Scott Storch, whose Fender Rhodes had been central to the previous album. “Clones,” released on July 16, 1996, served as the first single, followed by “Concerto of the Desperado” and “What They Do,” issued on November 19, 1996. Critic Neil Strauss of The New York Times called the album “one of the year’s best rap offerings,” noting that the group moved from politically conscious lyrics to lighter rhymes.
Legacy
The album reached No. 21 on the Billboard 200 and No. 4 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, becoming the band’s first record to enter the Top 40, and it also charted at No. 56 in Sweden. Spin rated it 9 out of 10. The album set up the commercial breakthrough of “Things Fall Apart” in 1999, which reached No. 4 and eventually went platinum. In 2008 multitrack tapes from the sessions were destroyed in a fire on the Universal Studios back lot, though the original 1996 master tape was not affected. “Illadelph Halflife” remains a central document of the Philadelphia band’s early years and of the live-instrument approach that set The Roots apart.
Tracklist & credits
- 34Intro0:34
- 35Respond / ReactProd. Black Thought, Kelo5:07
- 36SectionProd. Kelo, The Grand Negaz, Vince Kershner, David Ivory4:08
- 37Panic!!!!!!Prod. The Grand Negaz, Rahzel "The Godfather Of Noyze", Rahzel The Godfather Of Noise, ?uestlove1:24
- 38It Just Don't StopProd. Kelo, David Ivory4:33
- 39EpisodesProd. ?uestlove, Chaos, David Ivory5:56
- 40Push Up Ya LighterProd. Kelo, The Grand Negaz4:36
- 41What They DoProd. The Grand Negaz, Raphael Saadiq, Brother ?uestion5:57
- 42? vs. ScratchProd. ?, Scratch1:47
- 43Concerto Of The DesperadoProd. Kelo, David Ivory, Gordon Rice3:38
- 44ClonesProd. Kelo, David Ivory4:45
- 45UNIverse At WarProd. Chaos4:55
- 46No AlibiProd. Chaos, The Grand Negaz5:11
- 47Dave vs. USProd. The Grand Negaz0:50
- 48No Great PretenderProd. The Grand Negaz4:25
- 49The HypnoticProd. L.A. Jay, Slim Kid 3, Brother ?uestion5:19
- 50Ital (The Universal Side)Prod. The Ummah, The Grand Negaz4:53
- 51One ShineProd. The Grand Negaz5:40
- 52The Adventures In WonderlandProd. ?uestlove, The Grand Negaz4:34
- 53Outro0:15
Tracklist and producer credits: Discogs. Gear credits: Breakbeat Archive, sourced on each credit.
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Released September 24, 1996. More from hip hop in 1996.