‘Phrenology’ — a reintroduction to The Roots, 20 years later

“Let’s do everything we’re not supposed to do.” That’s how Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson describes American band The Roots’ approach to recording their fifth studio album Phrenology. The album was released 20 years ago, on 26 November 2002. 

Questlove, a DJ, producer, black music connoisseur and the band’s virtuoso drummer, describes Phrenology as a “departure album”. 

A departure album is a record where an artist takes a drastic left turn after achieving massive commercial success. The artists or bands usually disguise it as an “art record” or “experiment record”. You’ve probably experienced the phenomenon of the one-hit wonder album or when artists have to quickly record a follow-up album because their “experimental” album flopped. 

There’s just something about an artist reaching massive success that induces fear and self-sabotage. Kendrick Lamar is one of the very few artists in hip-hop today who has had commercially successful back-to-back albums.

The Legendary Roots Crew, as they are affectionately known, was co-founded by Questlove in 1987 with his friend, bandmate and MC Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter. The pair met while attending the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. 

Other band members later joined the group, each member adding their own flair and musical talent. The band’s lineup has changed numerous times over the years, with many members leaving to form their own groups and create new music, notably Scott Storch.

Storch was the band’s keyboardist from 1993 until 1995, when he went on to become a record producer, creating hits for Snoop Dogg, Pink, Lil Kim, and more, before having legal problems and officially filing for bankruptcy in 2015. 

Another much-talked-about former member of The Roots is Malik B, who was the group’s second MC, sharing the mic with Black Thought. Over the years, the troubled Malik B stopped performing and recording with the band, leaving Black Thought the solo MC. He died in July 2020. 

When The Roots released their independent debut album Organix, (1993) they were living in London and playing in small clubs to make ends meet. It was while touring Europe and playing in jam sessions that the group mastered their unique jazz-neo-soul-hip-hop sound. They brought back that sound to America, where they would go on to capture masses of international fans. 

The prolific rap group burst onto the scene in the 1990s and gained popularity with the hip-hop classic Do You Want More?!!!??! in 1995. At the time, hip-hop was almost exclusively thought of as music held down by a DJ making tracks for MCs. 

The group was the first well-known live hip-hop band, where each band member was a seasoned instrumentalist. The Roots have inspired many groups and MCs to use a live band as backup — OutKast, Mos Def and, locally, Tumi from the Volume and Hip-Hop Pantsula. 

After releasing their breakout album — and first album in the US — Do You Want More?!!!??! In 1995, the band went on to release two projects: Illadelph Halflife (1996) and Things Fall Apart (1999). Both albums received critical acclaim and the band created a massive following by speaking out against hip-hop’s negative portrayal of women and its love of the flashy lifestyle in their hilarious and classic video What They Do.

The Roots achieved huge commercial success with the Grammy Award-winning Things Fall Apart. It won Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for the song You Got Me, featuring Erykah Badu (the original was sung by Jill Scott but Badu’s vocals were used for the album). 

“You Got Me changed my career and my life forever. It was my first Grammy and I feel it solidified my place as one of the all-time greats. We paved the way with that song for everything that Erykah [Badu] and Jill [Scott] and D’Angelo, and so many other artists who would come out afterwards would do,” Black Thought told Rolling Stone magazine during an interview earlier this year.  

By 2002, The Legendary Roots Crew had fans eagerly waiting for any sign of new music. At the time of release, Phrenology was met with criticism, with many staunch fans voicing their unhappiness with the band’s departure from the organic hip-hop-jazz sounds for which they were now famous. 

Knowing what we know now, it’s clear The Roots knew they could not approach this album the same way they had previous projects. They risked losing fans and I wonder if they cared. 

The album Phrenology is named after the discredited 19th-century pseudoscience used to justify slavery. At the time of its release, hip-hop enthusiasts also proposed a new Roots-specific meaning for Phrenology: “Ph” for Philly, “re” for re-entering the scene and “nology” for knowledge. 

Looking back at where The Roots were as a group, it makes sense that they would want to re-introduce themselves and take it back to their “roots”. Many fans had no idea the band had formed their early musical influences in Europe. Although staunch fans felt the band’s departure from their signature sound was turning their backs on neo-soul music, to me it was a celebration of their musicality. How can you know what you’re capable of if you don’t stretch yourself? 

In order to honour their history and growth as musicians, the band had to step outside the neo-soul hype they helped create, which was at an all-time high, with artists like Scott, Bilal and India Arie dominating the R&B charts. 

Ironically, the first single released from Phrenology is the now classic R&B song Break You Off, featuring Musiq Soulchild. Questlove, who won his first Academy Award this year for Summer of Soul, said the song was created during a soundcheck recording for a pilot that was never released. They were camera blocking and decided to play around with Musiq on the vocals. The drummer then went away for a trip and, when he returned, the band was recording the song for the new album. 

Questlove thought the song was “cheesy R&B” which went against their original concept  for the album. The second single released from the album was The Seed 2.0 featuring neo-soul artist, Cody Chesnutt. 

“This one was polarising. Everything that You Got Me was for us stateside, The Seed was on a worldwide level that catapulted us into a glimpse of pop-rock stardom in Europe. It was no easy feat to take something that essentially wasn’t broken, and already an amazing song, and to add onto it in an organic way without bastardising what Cody Chesnutt already had,” said Black Thought, while reflecting on his major songs for Rolling Stone. 

The Seed was recorded by Chesnutt as a single before The Roots reworked it for Phrenology. The reworked The Seed 2.0 is a masterpiece — as soon as the song starts Questlove’s drums reverberate straight to your chest. In an alternative universe, I imagine Lenny Kravitz performing the song; it might have to do with the rock ’n roll influence splattered all over it or Chesnutt’s laid-back sexy look. 

The Roots crew have always had a gift for delivering a strong message and using melodies and instruments to deliver a soft landing. You get so lost in the rhythm, you miss what Chesnutt is singing about on The Seed 2.0. “Fertilise another behind my lover’s back / And I’m keeping my secrets mine / I push my seed in her bush for life, / It’s gonna work because I’m pushing it right / If Mary dropped my baby girl tonight / I would name her rock n roll.”

Another song from the album that had fans talking was the 10-minute Water, where Black Thought talks about Malik B’s struggle with drug addiction. Thought calls for Malik to stop letting life pass him by and let him help, because together they need to get over “the water”. 

The much-anticipated album was recorded over a period of two years from June 2000 to September 2002. 

“If you’re a Roots fan already, you’re at the point where you can rest assured with regards to the quality of the music. But that’s what we were racking our brains for, and that’s what took this album so long — trying to make this release a step up from the last thing we put out,” says Black Thought. “But it’s hard. 

“In 92, 93, I was in a completely different place. I had mad ammo, mad material, I had my whole life’s worth of ideas and shit. I would be constantly writing rhymes and I would always have a book with me, freestyling some shit. Now, if I’m writing a song, it’s because I’m in the studio and I’m about to record it,” adds Black Thought in a 2002 interview with The Fader magazine. 

For an album that essentially broke all the rules, Phrenology became an international success and was nominated for Best Rap at the 2004 Grammy Awards. The album had guest appearances by Chesnutt, Scott, Nelly Furtado, Talib Kweli and Musiq Soulchild. 

The Roots have gone on to record a number of albums and star in movies and TV shows. They are the official band for Tonight with Jimmy Fallon.