- 01The BlueprintJay-ZI know that Jay-Z’s The Blueprint was among them, because it became my soundtrack for the rest of that week.from the chapter
- 02“Smells Like Teen Spirit”Bad PlusBut when I think about what song best represents that year, I think of the Bad Plus’s cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Nirvana has, if not a special place in my heart, at least a special part in my history.from the chapter
- 03“Smells Like Teen Spirit”NirvanaBut when I think about what song best represents that year, I think of the Bad Plus’s cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Nirvana has, if not a special place in my heart, at least a special part in my history.from the chapter
- 04Do You Want More?!!???!the Roots… eath, remember, that caused the Roots to panic about our standing at Geffen Records, to hurry up and finish our first major-label album, Do You Want More?!!???! , and to get to London so that we could retrench and regain our strength and anticipate returning to the States with a new audience and inc …from the chapter
- 05“911 Is a Joke”Public EnemyPublic Enemy’s great 1990 song “911 Is a Joke” is about the disparity in emergency-service response times in the Black and white communities.from the chapter
- 06“What’s Going On”Marvin GayeWhen I play Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On , I rarely listen to “Inner City Blues.” When I play Michael Jackson’s Thriller , I rarely listen to “The Lady in My Life.” When I play Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet , I rarely listen to “Fight the Power.” I can handle them as …from the chapter
- 07What’s Going OnMarvin GayeWhen I play Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On , I rarely listen to “Inner City Blues.” When I play Michael Jackson’s Thriller , I rarely listen to “The Lady in My Life.” When I play Pub …from the chapter
- 08“Inner City Blues”Marvin GayeWhen I play Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On , I rarely listen to “Inner City Blues.” When I play Michael Jackson’s Thriller , I rarely listen to “The Lady in My Life.” When I play Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet , I rarely listen to “Fight the Power.” I can handle them as …from the chapter
- 09ThrillerMichael JacksonWhen I play Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On , I rarely listen to “Inner City Blues.” When I play Michael Jackson’s Thriller , I rarely listen to “The Lady in My Life.” When I play Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet , I rarely listen to “Fight the Power.” I can …from the chapter
- 10“The Lady in My Life”Michael JacksonWhen I play Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On , I rarely listen to “Inner City Blues.” When I play Michael Jackson’s Thriller , I rarely listen to “The Lady in My Life.” When I play Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet , I rarely listen to “Fight the Power.” I can handle them as …from the chapter
- 11Fear of a Black PlanetPublic Enemy… What’s Going On , I rarely listen to “Inner City Blues.” When I play Michael Jackson’s Thriller , I rarely listen to “The Lady in My Life.” When I play Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet , I rarely listen to “Fight the Power.” I can handle them as singles, as songs, but not as the ends of albums.from the chapter
- 12“Fight the Power”Public EnemyWhen I play Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On , I rarely listen to “Inner City Blues.” When I play Michael Jackson’s Thriller , I rarely listen to “The Lady in My Life.” When I play Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet , I rarely listen to “Fight the Power.” I can handle them as …from the chapter
- 13“Wholy Holy”Marvin GayeWhen I play Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On , I rarely listen to “Inner City Blues.” When I play Michael Jackson’s Thriller , I rarely listen to “The Lady in My Life.” When I play Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet , I rarely listen to “Fight the Power.” I can handle them as …from the chapter
- 14“P.Y.T.”Michael JacksonWhen I play Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On , I rarely listen to “Inner City Blues.” When I play Michael Jackson’s Thriller , I rarely listen to “The Lady in My Life.” When I play Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet , I rarely listen to “Fight the Power.” I can handle them as …from the chapter
- 15“Final Count of the Collision Between Us and the Damned”Public EnemyWhen I play Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On , I rarely listen to “Inner City Blues.” When I play Michael Jackson’s Thriller , I rarely listen to “The Lady in My Life.” When I play Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet , I rarely listen to “Fight the Power.” I can handle them as …from the chapter
- 16“Egyptian Song”Questlove’s pickRufusI have written elsewhere about the songs that I heard in my youth that saddened me because they represented a certain moment: that time when my parents went on tour and left me with my grandmother.from the chapter
- 17“God Lives Through”Questlove’s pickA Tribe Called QuestOn the promo version of Midnight Marauders , and even on the vinyl version, the album ends on “The Chase.” I’m not a huge fan of that.from the chapter
- 18Midnight MaraudersA Tribe Called QuestOn the promo version of Midnight Marauders , and even on the vinyl version, the album ends on “The Chase.” I’m not a huge fan of that.from the chapter
- 19“The Chase”A Tribe Called QuestOn the promo version of Midnight Marauders , and even on the vinyl version, the album ends on “The Chase.” I’m not a huge fan of that.from the chapter
- 20The Low-End TheoryA Tribe Called QuestIf it truly ended there I wouldn’t consider it as powerful as I do, and certainly I wouldn’t think of it as the equal of its predecessor, The Low-End Theory .from the chapter
- 21“Lyrics to Go”A Tribe Called QuestBut then there is “Lyrics to Go,” and then there is “God Lives Through.” I am grateful.from the chapter
- 22“Railroad Man”Questlove’s pickBill WithersI’ve said elsewhere that how people play records is almost as important as the records themselves.from the chapter
- 23+’JustmentsBill WithersWhen my parents played +’Justments at first, they started with “Heartbreak Road,’ which is the first song on side two, but to me it was side one.from the chapter
- 24“Heartbreak Road”Bill WithersWhen my parents played +’Justments at first, they started with “Heartbreak Road,’ which is the first song on side two, but to me it was side one.from the chapter
- 25“Murder by Numbers”Questlove’s pickthe PoliceAs I’ve said elsewhere, the Police are geniuses about balancing perspectives, alternating Sting songs with songs by Andy Summers or Stewart Copeland, usually on side two.from the chapter
- 26“Every Breath You Take”the PoliceAs I’ve said elsewhere, the Police are geniuses about balancing perspectives, alternating Sting songs with songs by Andy Summers or Stewart Copeland, usually on side two.from the chapter
- 27“Addicted”Questlove’s pickAmy WinehouseOn the one hand, this shouldn’t count at all, because when I first heard the album, in its European configuration, it started with “Addicted,” so that’s what I was used to and what I considered the opener.from the chapter
- 28“Return of the B-Boy”Questlove’s pickPharcydeHad the Roots made music the way I thought we were going to make music when we first started going to the studio, it would have been more akin to the Pharcyde and this record, the same thing that Dr.from the chapter
- 29“Pray”MC HammerUp until then it was mostly things like MC Hammer’s “Pray,” which Hammer-sampled “When Doves Cry,” or Digital Underground’s “Sex Packets,” which used “She’s Always in My Hair,” or Kwame’s “Skinee Muva,” which quoted “Bob George” and was aiight.from the chapter
- 30“When Doves Cry”Prince and the RevolutionUp until then it was mostly things like MC Hammer’s “Pray,” which Hammer-sampled “When Doves Cry,” or Digital Underground’s “Sex Packets,” which used “She’s Always in My Hair,” or Kwame’s “Skinee Muva,” which quoted “Bob George” and was aiight.from the chapter
- 31“Sex Packets”Digital UndergroundUp until then it was mostly things like MC Hammer’s “Pray,” which Hammer-sampled “When Doves Cry,” or Digital Underground’s “Sex Packets,” which used “She’s Always in My Hair,” or Kwame’s “Skinee Muva,” which quoted “Bob George” and was aiight.from the chapter
- 32“She’s Always in My Hair”PrinceI listened all the way through in this case, because I hadn’t heard Prince samples used that way.from the chapter
- 33“Skinee Muva”KwameUp until then it was mostly things like MC Hammer’s “Pray,” which Hammer-sampled “When Doves Cry,” or Digital Underground’s “Sex Packets,” which used “She’s Always in My Hair,” or Kwame’s “Skinee Muva,” which quoted “Bob George” and was aiight.from the chapter
- 34“Bob George”PrinceI listened all the way through in this case, because I hadn’t heard Prince samples used that way.from the chapter
- 35“Two”MadhouseBut this was a deeper cut—it was Madhouse, “Two”—and a better use.from the chapter
- 36“Four”MadhouseMy use of Madhouse, “Four” on “What Goes On Pt.from the chapter
- 37“What Goes On Pt. 7”the Roots7” from the Roots’ Do You Want More?!!!??!from the chapter
- 38Do You Want More?!!!??!the Roots7” from the Roots’ Do You Want More?!!!??! , was an homage/answer to that.from the chapter
- 39“Whenever, Wherever”Questlove’s pickMinnie RipertonI know albums need peaks and valleys in order to make their point.from the chapter
- 40ControlJanet JacksonI’ve written earlier (back in 1987) about Janet Jackson’s Control and the way it ensured its own success—specifically, the way that it contained allegedly weaker songs that actually helped listeners to get …from the chapter
- 41Come to My GardenMinne RipertonCome to My Garden is a more understated version of that.from the chapter
- 42“Ced-Gee (Delta Force One)”Questlove’s pickUltramagnetic MCsThis has the same effect on me as “Egyptian Song,” for very different reasons.from the chapter
- 43“The Parasite (For Buffy)”Questlove’s pickEugene McDanielsThe end of the album is the only place for a song like this, a ten-minute-plus anthem about the mistreatment of Indians, dedicated to Buffy Sainte-Marie, that descends (or ascends) into absolute chaos at the eight-and-a-half-minute mark.from the chapter
- 44“Pinocchio”Questlove’s pickMiles DavisNefertiti is, for me, a backward album.from the chapter
- 45NefertitiMiles DavisNefertiti is, for me, a backward album.from the chapter
- 46DAMN,Kendrick LamarLike Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN, it feels like the songs are sequenced in reverse order.from the chapter