May 17, 1999 (vol. 109, iss. 124) • Page Image 26
…A <'?Thr4~ JI N OLLYWOOD SAMPLES ARE JOKES LIKE MARTIN," raps Black Thought on the Roots' latest effort Things Fall Apart. The 17-track album is a wake-up call to a rap world made turgid by money-grabbin' playas. It's also the Philadelphia sextet's magnum opus, a pure-to-the-bone hip-hop record that's anything "but" a G-thang. Ripe with superb musicianship and thought-provoking lyrics, Things Fall Apart could go down as the most influent...…