Questlove Roots Picnic 2019
Photo Credit: Vickey Ford of Sneakshot for Okayplayer
The Roots Officially Release Lost 'Things Fall Apart' Classic "New Years @ Jay Dee's"
Did Black Thought invent mumble rap on this song?
On Friday, The Roots will release a special 20-year anniversary vinyl edition of their masterpiece Things Fall Apart. The remastered 3xLP will feature a bunch of goodies: bonus tracks curated by Questlove, a 24-page booklet featuring retrospective essays, track by track liner notes from Questlove, and rare photos. (You can preorder the vinyl here.)
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One of the goodies on the vinyl is an official version of The Roots classic "New Years @ Jay Dee's." After floating around the internet for years, this is the first time the song has been officially released.
If you don't know the story, Black Thought explained it in this interview with Ambrosia For Heads. Every December Thought would kick it at Dilla's mom's basement. During one December visit, while recording Things Fall Apart, they made this track, which features Thought using a kick-ass Busta Rhymes flow.
The song has gotten some extra attention over the last couple of years: in an interview Rolling Stone, Black Thought says he invented mumble rap on this song.
I invented rapping without actually using the words. With songs like "Don't Say Nuthin'," freestyles like "New Years @ Jay Dee's" I essentially invented mumble rap, where you go for many bars without saying any words. And when I did it, it came from a place of being inspired by scatting.
Also released is "We Got You" extended version of and a drum and bass version of "You Got Me.:
Listen to the tracks below.
