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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
One of the cornerstone albums of alternative rap's second wave, Things Fall Apart was the point where the Roots' tremendous potential finally coalesced into a structured album that maintained its focus from top to bottom.
11y
94
With so many more weapons than your average rap setup, The Roots are able to push hip-hop's rhythmic and sonic boundaries like almost nobody else, and Things Fall Apart, for the most part, does fabulous justice to that promise.
10y
90
Indeed, Things Fall Apart returns to those late '80s nu-skool days when rap first realized its potential for elaboration beyond the confines of 45 rpm.
80
They show more melodies and less bluster than their peers, less detail about what they drive and who they wear, and more musical chances. They're intellectual hip-hoppas who can rock a party.
Let's start this off by saying this is a major vibe from start to end. Each track is a major bop that hooks you from beginning right till the end, having many irresistible vibes packed into 70mins.
The production on this album is just so smooth, being a mix of alternative hip-hop, jazz rap & art pop. I love the jazzy melodies, they're just so chilled to hear in the background over these groovy hip-hop beats that keep you bopping your head or tapping your feet throughout. The catchiest ... read more
edit: 100 to 88
I lied. Still a fantastic album though! My taste has just changed a lot lmao.
The flawless rap record and my first hip hop 10.
God what a fantastic record. All killer and absolutely no filler despite so many tracks and an hour of length. I've usually thought that rap records could never be flawless and were always destined to never be perfect by tracks that may never live up to the same level as the hits on whatever album, but Things Fall Apart is different; it's ... read more
Damn when I saw this, the name, the cover, the feats and black thought(a rapper that I really love) all in 1 album I was very hyped to finally listen to this album. I expected a dark album with some storytelling about idk something of a difficult family situation and stuff like that, i genuinely expected what the cover shows me and I'm sincerely very disappointed. There isn't 1 song that got my attention and I found it very boring, 1h10 of getting pretty much nothing new or special in the game. ... read more
(Update: I have decided to include “Act Fore” into the tracklist rating for this album. It is no longer a 10)
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Track List
| 1 | Act Won (Things Fall Apart) 0:53 | 79 |
| 2 | Table of Contents, Pts. 1 & 2 3:37 | 85 |
| 3 | The Next Movement 4:10 with DJ Jazzy Jeff, Jazzyfatnastees | 93 |
| 4 | Step into the Relm 2:49 | 90 |
| 5 | The Spark 3:52 | 90 |
| 6 | Dynamite! 4:45 | 93 |
| 7 | Without a Doubt 4:14 feat. Lady B | 85 |
| 8 | Ain't Sayin' Nothin' New 4:34 feat. Dice Raw | 95 |
| 9 | Double Trouble 5:50 feat. Mos Def | 92 |
| 10 | Act Too (The Love of My Life) 4:54 feat. Common | 90 |
| 11 | 100% Dundee 3:53 | 90 |
| 12 | Diedre vs. Dice 0:47 feat. Dice Raw | 80 |
| 13 | Adrenaline! 4:27 feat. Dice Raw, Beanie Sigel | 93 |
| 14 | 3rd Acts: ? vs. Scratch 2...Electric Boogaloo 0:51 | 74 |
| 15 | You Got Me 4:19 with Erykah Badu feat. Eve | 98 |
| 16 | Don't See Us 4:30 feat. Dice Raw | 89 |
| 17 | The Return to Innocence Lost 5:40 feat. Ursula Rucker | 89 |
| 18 | Act Fore...The End? 4:44 Hidden Track | 86 |
Total Length: 1 hour, 8 minutes
Year End Lists
| #4 | / | Paste |
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Added on: September 13, 2012