Patreon Unlocked: Getting Back to the Roots

Sum'n to Say

Ain't Gon' Let Up is our Patreon tier where folks can request an episode topic, for any verse, song, album or event taking place in hip-hop and R&B, in the South or otherwise. Find out more at patreon.com/sumntosay. Shoutout to Robbie McClellan for requesting a look back at Things Fall Apart, the Roots album that recently turned 20. Revisiting the album prompted us to look back at the late '90s battle lines between mainstream and alternative hip-hop — and how the Roots found commercial and critical acclaim, despite being firmly on the "losing" side of that battle.