EPISODE · Apr 23, 2008 · 6 MIN
The Roots - What They Do
from Feel Good Music · host DW
With my second installment of "The Roots Week," here's one of the singles off of The Roots' third album entitled illadelph halflife. Like their second LP, this album was critically acclaimed as one of The Source Magazine's Best 100 Rap Albums of all time. Unlike their first two albums, illadelph highlife sounds much more like a gritty east coast album. Songs like Clones, Concerto of the Desperado, Episodes, and UNIverse at War are good examples of this change in style. But this particular song, "What They Do", is more along the lines of a jazzy influence. With Rafael Saadiq on the hook, the listener can just mellow out to the vibe for the long 6-minute song. The music video is even better because it pokes fun at the cliches in popular rap videos such as showing off expensive cars and girls dancing with little or no clothes on - not that there's anything wrong with that : )
What this episode covers
With my second installment of "The Roots Week," here's one of the singles off of The Roots' third album entitled illadelph halflife. Like their second LP, this album was critically acclaimed as one of The Source Magazine's Best 100 Rap Albums of all time. Unlike their first two albums, illadelph highlife sounds much more like a gritty east coast album. Songs like Clones, Concerto of the Desperado, Episodes, and UNIverse at War are good examples of this change in style. But this particular song, "What They Do", is more along the lines of a jazzy influence. With Rafael Saadiq on the hook, the listener can just mellow out to the vibe for the long 6-minute song. The music video is even better because it pokes fun at the cliches in popular rap videos such as showing off expensive cars and girls dancing with little or no clothes on - not that there's anything wrong with that : )
NOW PLAYING
The Roots - What They Do
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Mar 26, 2026 ·1m
Feb 4, 2026 ·18m
Jan 2, 2026 ·47m
Dec 21, 2025 ·46m