10 Greatest Hip Hop Concept Albums
6. The Roots - Undun
A tightly written and brilliantly executed album, The Roots’ 2011 record plays out a day in the life of its protagonist Redford Stevens in reverse chronological order, beginning with his murder and then travelling backwards to the start of the day, in which he muses on the life of crime and the steps he’s taken to find himself in such a precarious spot.
It’s a deft concept that takes steps not to glamorise nor excuse the drug trade. On “Tip The Scale”, frontman Black Thought raps about institutionalised racism and the expectations placed on young black men in America; (chronologically) later, though, we hear Redford discuss the steps he’s taken and the poor decisions of his own making on “Stomp”.
The album concludes with a brief, instrumental suite, including Sufjan Stevens’ “Redford”, the track from which the protagonist’s name was taken. It’s a bold ending to a genre defying album, one best taken as a whole (especially as it’s confined to a tight 38 minutes).
As ever from The Roots, it’s musically magnificent, flipping from the neo-soul of “One Time” to the stark beat of “Sleep”. It’s experimental hip hop made by people who fully understand the rules they’re breaking.