- 01“1999”PrinceFor 1999, I considered writing about “1999,” the 1982 song in which Prince seemed to predict the end of the world.from the chapter
- 02“Rosario (1999)”PrinceFor 1999, I considered writing about “1999,” the 1982 song in which Prince seemed to predict the end of the world.from the chapter
- 03“Magic in Your Eyes”Rufus(Rufus’s “Magic in Your Eyes” is one.from the chapter
- 04“New Horizons”the SylversFor a while, the Sylvers’s “New Horizons” also hung there as a marker of the sad six-year-old me, but what pushed it even further in the wrong direction was when it wound up on A Tribe Called Quest’s The Love Movement in 1998.from the chapter
- 05The Love MovementA Tribe Called QuestFor a while, the Sylvers’s “New Horizons” also hung there as a marker of the sad six-year-old me, but what pushed it even further in the wrong direction was when it wound up on A Tribe Called Quest’s The Love Movement in 1998.from the chapter
- 06People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of RhythmA Tribe Called QuestI remember hearing People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm back in 1990, The Low End Theory the year after that, Midnight Marauders in 1993.from the chapter
- 07The Low End TheoryA Tribe Called QuestI remember hearing People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm back in 1990, The Low End Theory the year after that, Midnight Marauders in 1993.from the chapter
- 08Midnight MaraudersA Tribe Called QuestI remember hearing People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm back in 1990, The Low End Theory the year after that, Midnight Marauders in 1993.from the chapter
- 09“Hot 4 U”A Tribe Called QuestBy the time “Hot 4 U” appeared in the middle of side two, it was like the car was slowing down, like we were running out of gas.from the chapter
- 10Things Fall Apartthe RootsThe day the record came out was the same day I finished mastering Things Fall Apart , the Roots’ new record.from the chapter
- 11AqueminiOutkastIt was also the same day that Aquemini came out, which was possibly the birth of another sound.from the chapter
- 12“What They Do”the RootsOur previous album had gotten notice because of our “What They Do” video, which made a clear distinction between commercial hip-hop and left-of-center hip-hop, angering some people in the process (including Biggie, who said in an interview that if he saw us he was going to rush us).from the chapter
- 13“Drop It Like It’s Hot”Snoop DoggBut it was hard to make something like “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” a track that’s so effective because it’s so simple, a song that might not say much about history but becomes part of the historical record.from the chapter
- 14OrganixThe RootsWe had a practice in the Roots of numbering our songs consecutively, of using our first indie record, Organix , as the starting point, tracks 1–17, and then moving forward from there.from the chapter
- 15Do You Want More?!!???!the RootsThe tracks of Do You Want More?!!???! were numbers 18 to 33, and the ones from Illadelph Halflife were 34 to 53.from the chapter
- 16Illadelph Halflifethe Rootswere numbers 18 to 33, and the ones from Illadelph Halflife were 34 to 53.from the chapter
- 17“The Charade”Questlove’s pickD’Angelo and the VanguardD’Angelo, legendary for taking long stretches between albums, started Black Messiah to my knowledge around 2003, only a few years after Voodoo , but it took molasses time.from the chapter
- 18Black MessiahD’Angelo and the VanguardD’Angelo, legendary for taking long stretches between albums, started Black Messiah to my knowledge around 2003, only a few years after Voodoo , but it took molasses time.from the chapter
- 19VoodooD’AngeloD’Angelo, legendary for taking long stretches between albums, started Black Messiah to my knowledge around 2003, only a few years after Voodoo , but it took molasses time.from the chapter
- 20“A Love Bizarre”Sheila E.I think of Sheila E and “A Love Bizarre.” Or more specifically I think of “Dear Michelangelo,” which comes before it on the record.from the chapter
- 21“Dear Michelangelo”Sheila E.I think of Sheila E and “A Love Bizarre.” Or more specifically I think of “Dear Michelangelo,” which comes before it on the record.from the chapter
- 22“Sugah Daddy”D’Angelo and the VanguardI’m going to create a song that’s going to authentically make people want to do the Carlton in a hip way, and it would come before “Sugah Daddy.” I told D’Angelo, “Look, I want to create this song, the one that comes just before,” and for this magical half hour we didn’t struggle at all.from the chapter
- 23“Stand Back”Stevie NicksI had an idea in my mind, sort of a Stevie Nicks “Stand Back” Part II, and the way it starts on the record is how it actually starts.from the chapter
- 24“Not About Love”Questlove’s pickFiona AppleThe studio was about an hour out of West Hollywood, where I was staying, and Lady-bug Mecca had left me two tickets for that night’s Digable Planets reunion.from the chapter
- 25“Human Nature”Michael JacksonIf there’s a riff there I’m going to have to call it what I think it is, say that it’s from this part in “Human Nature” or another thing that’s a slower version of that other moment in “Fancy Dancer.” Fiona sat at the piano, I sat at the drums, and we did it in one take and I was gone.from the chapter
- 26“Fancy Dancer”CommodoresIf there’s a riff there I’m going to have to call it what I think it is, say that it’s from this part in “Human Nature” or another thing that’s a slower version of that other moment in “Fancy Dancer.” Fiona sat at the piano, I sat at the drums, and we did it in one take and I was gone.from the chapter
- 27“Daily Bread”Questlove’s pickMartin LutherWhen we were making The Tipping Point , I requested some Sly and the Family Stone stems.from the chapter
- 28The Tipping PointThe RootsWhen we were making The Tipping Point , I requested some Sly and the Family Stone stems.from the chapter
- 29“Can’t Strain My Brain”Sly and & The Family StoneWhen we were making The Tipping Point , I requested some Sly and the Family Stone stems.from the chapter
- 30“Valerie”Questlove’s pickMark Ronson and Amy WinehouseI first met Amy in Scandinavia.from the chapter
- 31“International Playboy”Questlove’s pickMoney Making Jam BoysI was trying to mess with “Peaches en Regalia,” by Frank Zappa.from the chapter
- 32Rising DownThe RootsIt was one of the first joints I worked on for Rising Down , our eighth album.from the chapter