The Roots' Classic 'Illadelph Halflife' Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary

Photo of The Roots by Michael Lavine

On this day 20 years ago, The Roots released one of their most revered albums: Illadelph Halflife. As the follow-up to their major label debut Do You Want More?!!!??! from the previous year, the album saw the Philly-bred bandbegin to truly come into their own.

On Illadelph Halflife, The Roots began to refine their song structure while still maintaining the jazzy, improvisationalfeel from their debut from the year before. Black Thought spit conscious and street rhymes with equal conviction.And as far as guest appearances, the album featured cameos by R&B and jazz staples like Amel Larrieux, D'Angelo, David Murray, Steven Coleman, Cassandra Wilson, and Graham Haynes along with MCslike Common and Q-Tip.The Source gave the album 4.5 mics, and would later list it as oneof the 100 Best Rap Albums.

While it stands as an early peak into what many would consider the group's most impactful record, Things Fall Apart (1999), it was also its own moment."What They Do" was the group's biggest song at the time, and the album reached no. 4 in the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop charts and no. 21 in the U.S. Billboard 200 - both big accomplishments for a band still in the early stages of its career.Illadelph Halfliferemainsa favorite for fans of The Roots, and is widely considered one of the best rap albums of all time.

Congratulations to The Roots for crafting an album thathas stood the test of time 20 years later. Celebrate the occasion by giving the album a spin, andcop the 20th anniversary vinyl from the Okayplayer Shop.

>>>Purchase IlladelphHalflife2xLP [via The OKP Shop]

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