Artists in this Article
THE ROOTS FEAT. BIG K.R.I.T. AND DICE RAW
Make My
Producer: Khari Mateen and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson
Writer: various
Publisher: various
Island Def Jam
The Roots, otherwise occupied as the house band for Jimmy Fallon, return with an affecting new single to preview their upcoming concept album, "undun." "Make My" mourns youthful greed with shamefaced sorrow and stinging bitterness. Rising Mississippi artist Big K.R.I.T. opens with an uncommonly elegiac verse that owes more to Mos Def than David Banner, rapping, "I did it all for the money, Lord/ It's what it seems, well in it the world of night terrors/ It's hard to dream, they're hollering cash rules everything." Roots MC Black Thought's verse is more restless, as he growls about hardship while dropping some distractingly goofy wordplay. A blanket of neo-soul tones play in lieu of a third verse, and the musicality of the veteran group shines bright. "Make My" succeeds because it's personal rather than preachy, avoiding the critical pitfall of so-called "conscious rap."
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