Illadelph Halflife
Encyclopedia
The New York Times
writer Neil Strauss called the album "one of the year's best rap offerings" and wrote that "The Roots move indiscriminately from politically conscious lyrics (not just about black America but also about Bosnia, the Olympics and terrorism) to silly rhymes ('roam like a cellular phone/far from home')". The Philadelphia Inquirer
gave it 3½ out of 4 stars and wrote that "while it doesn't sacrifice a smidgen of street-level intensity, it reaffirms just how far-reaching (and how far removed from the gangsta stereotype) hip-hop can be". Giving it 4½ out of 5 mics, The Source
magazine called it "a thoughtful musical endeavor... an emotional and spiritually fulfilling aural experience". Spin
described it as "an artistic progression, and added confirmation of the Roots' place at hip-hop's vanguard", giving it a 9/10 rating. The San Diego Union-Tribune
s Jeff Niesel gave it 3 out of 4 stars, stating "the Roots find the perfect mixture of jazz and hip-hop for their songs about the hardships of urban life".
The Village Voice
s Robert Christgau
gave the album a (neither) rating, which indicates a record that "may impress once or twice with consistent craft or an arresting track or two. Then it won't.". However, Illadelph Halflife was ranked number 33 on The Village Voices Pazz & Jop Critics Poll of 1996. A 2004 retrospective review by Rolling Stone
rates the album with 4 out of 5 stars and perceives it as an improvement over The Roots's previous work, stating "The messages grew more focused on 1996's Illadelph Halflife, which includes several strident anti-gangsta tirades and taunts. Black Thought replaced the bellicose, confrontational bravado of so many rappers with discussions of fidelity and responsibility".
Singles
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
writer Neil Strauss called the album "one of the year's best rap offerings" and wrote that "The Roots move indiscriminately from politically conscious lyrics (not just about black America but also about Bosnia, the Olympics and terrorism) to silly rhymes ('roam like a cellular phone/far from home')". The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
gave it 3½ out of 4 stars and wrote that "while it doesn't sacrifice a smidgen of street-level intensity, it reaffirms just how far-reaching (and how far removed from the gangsta stereotype) hip-hop can be". Giving it 4½ out of 5 mics, The Source
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
magazine called it "a thoughtful musical endeavor... an emotional and spiritually fulfilling aural experience". Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
described it as "an artistic progression, and added confirmation of the Roots' place at hip-hop's vanguard", giving it a 9/10 rating. The San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Union-Tribune
-Predecessors:The predecessor newspapers of the Union-Tribune were:* San Diego Sun, founded 1861 and merged with the Evening Tribune in 1939.* San Diego Union, founded October 10, 1868.* Evening Tribune, founded December 2, 1895.-Ownership:...
s Jeff Niesel gave it 3 out of 4 stars, stating "the Roots find the perfect mixture of jazz and hip-hop for their songs about the hardships of urban life".
The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
s Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
gave the album a (neither) rating, which indicates a record that "may impress once or twice with consistent craft or an arresting track or two. Then it won't.". However, Illadelph Halflife was ranked number 33 on The Village Voices Pazz & Jop Critics Poll of 1996. A 2004 retrospective review by Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
rates the album with 4 out of 5 stars and perceives it as an improvement over The Roots's previous work, stating "The messages grew more focused on 1996's Illadelph Halflife, which includes several strident anti-gangsta tirades and taunts. Black Thought replaced the bellicose, confrontational bravado of so many rappers with discussions of fidelity and responsibility".
Track listing
- "Intro"
- "Respond/React"
- "Section"
- "Panic!!!!!!!"
- "It Just Don't Stop"
- "Episodes" (featuring Dice RawDice RawDice Raw is a hip-hop artist associated with The Roots, and one of the founding members of musical group Nouveau Riche.In 2000, Dice Raw recorded his solo debut album, Reclaiming the Dead on MCA Records....
) - "Push Up Ya Lighter" (featuring BahamadiaBahamadiaBahamadia is a Philadelphia-born hip hop artist born in 1970, and a DJ who later became an MC. As a member of Gang Starr Foundation, she released her critically acclaimed debut album entitled Kollage in 1996. The album featured production by Guru and DJ Premier of Gang Starr...
) - "What They Do" (featuring Raphael SaadiqRaphael SaadiqRaphael Saadiq is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Saadiq has been a standard bearer for "old school" R&B since his early days as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! He also produced songs of such artists as TLC, Joss Stone, D'Angelo, Mary J...
) - "? vs. Scratch (The Token DJ Cut)"
- "Concerto of the Desperado"
- "Clones" (featuring Dice Raw & M.A.R.S.)
- "UNIverse at War" (featuring CommonCommon (rapper)Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. , better known by his stage name Common , is an American hip-hop artist and actor....
) - "No Alibi"
- "Dave vs. Us"
- "No Great Pretender"
- "The Hypnotic" (featuring D'AngeloD'AngeloMichael Eugene Archer , better known by his stage name D'Angelo, is an American R&B and neo soul singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is known for his production and songwriting talents as much as for his vocal abilities, and often draws comparisons to his influences,...
) - "Ital (The Universal Side)" (featuring Q-TipQ-Tip (rapper)Kamaal Ibn John Fareed , better known by his stage name Q-Tip, is an American hip hop artist, producer, singer, and actor from St. Albans, Queens, New York, part of the critically acclaimed group A Tribe Called Quest...
) - "One Shine" (featuring Cassandra WilsonCassandra WilsonCassandra Wilson is an American jazz musician, vocalist, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. Described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed with an unmistakable timbre and attack [who has] expanded the playing field" by incorporating country, blues and folk music into her...
& Joshua RedmanJoshua RedmanJoshua Redman is an American jazz saxophonist and composer who records for Nonesuch Records. He won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition in 1991.-Biography:...
) - "The Adventures in Wonderland (performed by Ursula RuckerUrsula RuckerUrsula Rucker is an American spoken word recording artist. Rucker is known for a diverse repertoire, and for utilizing techniques that catch her listeners' attention.-Biography:...
)" - "Outro"
- The track listing on some album releases denotes the first track as track #34 [combining the track totals from Organix (17 tracks) and Do You Want More?!!!??! (16 tracks) making 33 total tracks]. The rest of the tracks continue upward from 34 to the Outro (being track #53)
Singles
| Single information |
|---|
"Clones"
|
| "Concerto Of The Desperado" (Promo Only)
|
| "What They Do"
|
Chart history
Album| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
| Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | ||
| 1996 | Illadelph Halflife | #21 | #4 |
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart positions | |||
| Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles Hot Rap Tracks Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single... |
Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | ||
| 1996 | "Clones" | - | #62 | #11 | #18 |
| 1996 | "What They Do" | #34 | #21 | #5 | #15 |
Credits
- Producer(s): The Grand Negaz, Questlove, Kelo
- Executive Producer: Richard Nichols
- Photography: Michael Lavine
External links
- Illadelph Halflife at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Album Review at RapReviews
- Deeper Roots: The Funky Four from Illadelphia Get Electric — By Vibe
- Critic's Pick: A Different Drum — By New YorkNew York (magazine)New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
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