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“A gorgeous neo-classical suite… if an album can be both chilling and beautiful at once, Undun is it.”

(Chicago Tribune)

 
 
 
 
 
 

About the Album

Released December 2, 2011 on Island Def Jam Music Group

Undun is the tenth studio album by American hip hop band The Roots, recorded in Philadelphia and New York City. The album features guest contributors, including vocalist Bilal and rappers Big K.R.I.T., Dice Raw, Phonte, and Metropolis Ensemble artists.

Musically, Undun incorporates influences from neo-soul and indie music. Thematically, it is an existential concept album about the short, tragic life of fictional character Redford Stevens, set in urban poverty and told through a reverse-chronological narrative.

To celebrate the album’s release, Metropolis artists joined The Roots, Bilal, and D.D. Jackson on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” (NBC) to perform a medley of “Tip the Scale” and “Redford” on December 6, 2011.

 
 

Recent Reviews

Featured
HipHopDX: Undun Review
HipHopDX: Undun Review

The remainder of undun speaks through the instrumentals, where innocent pianos and violins turn into reckless percussions that fade into searing strings suggesting Redford has died.

New York Times: The Roots: 2 Albums, One Quest
New York Times: The Roots: 2 Albums, One Quest

The album has an instrumental coda… an elegiac string quartet and a last dissonant piano chord, an unpeaceful final rest.

The Guardian: Undun Review
The Guardian: Undun Review

Undun is also a mirror held up to present-day America, where ambitions are more likely to die than prosper. It's a downer, but timely and affecting, with moments of beauty.

Chicago Tribune: Undun Review
Chicago Tribune: Undun Review

A gorgeous neo-classical suite closes the album… If an album can be both chilling and beautiful at once, "Undun" is it.

Time: The Roots Have Made A Concept Album. And It’s Good!
Time: The Roots Have Made A Concept Album. And It’s Good!

“All told, the story undun tells is sometimes chilling, often thrilling, and always illuminating.”

Rolling Stone: "Undun" Review
Rolling Stone: "Undun" Review

“The Roots’ 13th release is a concept album with a bravura twist: It narrates the story of a bootstrapping hustler in reverse, from death to birth.“

 
 
 

“It has more of a community feel because in our heads undun is a play or a movie… Maybe on next album we’ll go all out and do a full-blown orchestra.”

Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson

A long-time Metropolis collaborator, The Roots’ bandleader has invited Metropolis to join projects over the years, including Shuffle Culture and Electronium (both at BAM) and live performances on Jimmy Fallon (NBC).

 
 
 

WATCH: The Roots, D.D. Jackson, Bilal, and Metropolis perform on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on December 6, 2011.

Project In-Depth

The un(dun) app was a companion piece to the album release. Through the use of photos, lyrics, a series of interviews and music video vignettes, the app provided an immersive experience that elucidates the life and times of one Redford Stephens (1974-1999), a complex youth who struggles to define himself within a troubled inner city milieu and dies in the process.

  • Dun
    The Roots

    Sleep
    The Roots, Son Little

    Make My
    The Roots, Big K.R.I.T., Dice Raw

    One Time
    The Roots, Phonte, Dice Raw

    Kool On
    The Roots, Greg Porn, Truck North

    The OtherSide
    The Roots, Bilal Oliver, Greg Porn

    Stomp
    The Roots, Greg Porn

    Lighthouse
    The Roots, Dice Raw

    I Remember
    The Roots

    Tip The Scale
    The Roots, Dice Raw

    Redford (For Yia-Yia & Pappou)
    Sufjan Stevens

    Possibility (2nd Movement)
    The Roots

    Will To Power (3rd Movement)
    The Roots

    Finality (4th Movement)
    The Roots

  • The Roots

    • Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, drums

    • Kirk "Captain Kirk" Douglas, guitar

    • James Poyser, keyboards

    • Kamal Gray, keyboards

    • Frank "Knuckles" Walker, percussion

    • Damon Bryson, sousaphone

    Featured Artists

    • Dice Raw

    • Greg Porn

    • Mercedes Martinez

    • Michel Chion

    • Modesty Lycan

    • Nina Simone

    • Patty Crash

    • Raheem DeVaughn

    • Sufjan Stevens

    • Howard Roberts Choral Group, vocals

    Metropolis Ensemble

    • Emily Smith, violin

    • Henry Wang, violin

    • Sean Lee, violin

    • Siwoo Kim, violin

    • Danny Kim, viola

    • Jack Stulz, viola

    • Dane Johansen, cello

    • Alice Yoo, cello

    • Richard Nichols, executive producer

    • Producers: Anthony Woods SJ, Tarik "Black Thought" Trotter, Damion Ward, DD Jackson, Dice Raw, Hecky Krasnow, Mary Lou Williams, Mike Jerz, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, Ray Angry, Rev Run, Trapzillas & The Wurxs

    • DD Jackson, strings arrangements

    • Daniel Felsenfeld, string arrangements

    • Dave Kutch, mastering engineer

    • Jason Goldstein, mixing engineer

 
 

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson

Ahmir Khalib Thompson (born January 20, 1971), known professionally as Questlove (stylized as ?uestlove), is an American musician, record producer, disc jockey, filmmaker, music journalist, and actor. He is the drummer and joint frontman (with Black Thought) for the hip hop band the Roots. He is the Musical Director for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where his beloved Roots crew serves as house band. Beyond that, this 4-time GRAMMY Award winning musician’s indisputable reputation has landed him musical directing positions with everyone from D’Angelo to Eminem to Jay-Z. Questlove has also released two books including the New York Times Bestseller Mo’ Meta Blues and Soul Train: The Music, Dance and Style of a Generation. One of this latest endeavors includes scoring Chris Rock’s new film, Top Five, and also working as the music supervisor. More »

 

Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter

Tariq Trotter , better known as Black Thought, is an American rapper, actor and the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group the Roots, which he co-founded with drummer Questlove . Regarded as "one of the most skilled, incisive, and prolific rappers of his time" by Andy Kellman of AllMusic, he is widely lauded for his live performance skills, continuous multisyllabic rhyme schemes, complex lyricism, double entendres, and politically aware lyrics. With the Roots, he is a singer and rapper on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, frequently playing games with Fallon and his guests. More »

 
 

Meet the Artists