Studio Album · No. 3

Illadelph Halflife Songwriting Credits by The Roots

1996 DGC / Geffen 20 tracks 78:45

Produced by Black Thought, Chaos, Kelo, L.A. Jay, Q-Tip, Questlove, Rahzel, Raphael Saadiq, Scott Storch, Scratch, Slimkid3, The Roots  ·  Engineered by Bob Power, Tim Donovan, Mel Lewis

DGC / Geffen Alternative Hip HopJazz Rap
Complete Artist
100%
Authorship

Holds writing credit on 18 of 18 tracks · 2 not yet documented

Authorship Breakdown 18 / 18 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 18 tracks with documented writers, by whether The Roots carries a lyricist or composer credit.

100%
18 trackswritten by The Roots 0 tracksoutside writers 2 trackswriters not documented
The Roots's roles on this album

Share of the 20 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist90%
Composer90%
Producer50%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

20
Tracks
20
Lyricists
14
Producers
1996
Released
Data Insight

The first album with full credits, and they run wide: Black Thought on 14, Malik B. on eight, Kamal Gray on seven, Hub on five. Six tracks are written entirely in house. Two tracks carry no member at all, which is the interlude problem that recurs on every later record.

Illadelph Halflife came out on DGC and Geffen in September 1996 and reached number 21 on the Billboard 200. "What They Do" reached number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100, their highest charting single at that point.

Track Listing & Credits 20 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Intro
Not documented - Black ThoughtChaosKeloL.A. JayQ-TipQuestloveRahzelRaphael SaadiqScott StorchScratchSlimkid3The Roots The Roots (Performer)
2
Respond/React
QuestloveKenyatta WilliamsMalik B.Black Thought Ahmir ThompsonKenyatta WilliamsMalik Abdul-BasitTariq Trotter KeloBlack ThoughtQuestlove The Roots (Performer)
3
Section
QuestloveKamal GrayMalik B.Black Thought Ahmir ThompsonJames GrayMalik Abdul-BasitTariq Trotter The RootsKelo The Roots (Performer)
4
Panic!!!!!
QuestloveRahzelBlack Thought Ahmir ThompsonRozell BrownTariq Trotter QuestloveThe Grand NegazRahzel The Roots (Performer)
5
It Just Don't Stop
Kamal GrayKenyatta WilliamsHubMalik B.Black Thought James GrayKenyatta WilliamsLeonard HubbardMalik Abdul-BasitTariq Trotter Kelo The Roots (Performer)
6
Episodes
QuestloveKamal GrayDice RawMelvin LewisMalik B.Black ThoughtJazzyfatnastees Ahmir ThompsonJames GrayKarl JenkinsMelvin LewisMalik Abdul-BasitTariq TrotterTracey Moore ChaosQuestlove The Roots (Performer)Dice Raw (Featured Vocals)
7
Push Up Ya Lighter
QuestloveBahamadiaKamal GrayMalik B.Black Thought Ahmir ThompsonAntonia ReedJames GrayMalik Abdul-BasitTariq Trotter The Grand NegazKelo The Roots (Performer)Bahamadia (Featured Vocals)
8
What They Do #34
QuestloveKamal GrayHubRaphael SaadiqRahzelBlack Thought Ahmir ThompsonJames GrayLeonard HubbardRaphael SaadiqRozell BrownTariq Trotter QuestloveThe Grand NegazRaphael Saadiq The Roots (Performer)Raphael Saadiq (Featured Vocals)
9
? vs. Scratch
QuestloveScratch Ahmir ThompsonKyle Jones QuestloveScratch The Roots (Performer)
10
Concerto of the Desperado #71
Kenyatta WilliamsBlack Thought Kenyatta WilliamsTariq Trotter Kelo The Roots (Performer)
11
Clones
Dice RawKenyatta WilliamsPhillip BlenmanMalik B.Black Thought Karl JenkinsKenyatta WilliamsPhillip BlenmanMalik Abdul-BasitTariq Trotter Kelo The Roots (Performer)Dice Raw & M.A.R.S. (Featured Vocals)
12
UNIverse at War
HubCommonMelvin LewisBlack Thought Leonard HubbardLonnie LynnMelvin LewisTariq Trotter Chaos The Roots (Performer)Common (Featured Vocals)
13
No Alibi
QuestloveKamal GrayHubMalik B.Black Thought Ahmir ThompsonJames GrayLeonard HubbardMalik Abdul-BasitTariq Trotter The Grand NegazChaos The Roots (Performer)
14
Dave vs. US
QuestloveDavid MurrayRahzel Ahmir ThompsonDavid MurrayRozell Brown The Grand Negaz The Roots (Performer)
15
No Great Pretender
QuestloveRahzelMalik B. Ahmir ThompsonRozell BrownMalik Abdul-Basit The Grand Negaz The Roots (Performer)
16
The Hypnotic
QuestloveBlack ThoughtSlimkid3 Ahmir ThompsonTariq TrotterTrevant Hardson QuestloveL.A. JaySlimkid3 The Roots (Performer)D'Angelo (Featured Vocals)
17
Ital (The Universal Side)
QuestloveQ-TipKamal GrayBlack Thought Ahmir ThompsonKamaal FareedJames GrayTariq Trotter The Grand NegazThe Ummah The Roots (Performer)Q-Tip (Featured Vocals)
18
One Shine
QuestloveHubScott StorchBlack Thought Ahmir ThompsonLeonard HubbardScott StorchTariq Trotter The Grand Negaz The Roots (Performer)Joshua Redman (Featured Vocals)
19
The Adventures in Wonderland
QuestloveRucker Ahmir ThompsonRucker The Grand NegazQuestlove The Roots (Performer)Ursula Rucker (Featured Vocals)
20
Outro
Not documented - Black ThoughtChaosKeloL.A. JayQ-TipQuestloveRahzelRaphael SaadiqScott StorchScratchSlimkid3The Roots The Roots (Performer)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 43 contributors

Q
Questlove
Writer · Producer
On this album14 written
BT
Black Thought
Writer · Producer
On this album14 written
AT
Ahmir Thompson
Writer
On this album14 written
TT
Tariq Trotter
Writer
On this album14 written
MA
Malik Abdul-Basit
Writer
On this album8 written
MB
Malik B.
Writer
On this album8 written
JG
James Gray
Writer
On this album7 written
KG
Kamal Gray
Writer
On this album7 written
H
Hub
Writer
On this album5 written
LH
Leonard Hubbard
Writer
On this album5 written
R
Rahzel
Writer · Producer
On this album4 written
KW
Kenyatta Williams
Writer
On this album4 written

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2002 100%
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2004 100%
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2010 100%
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2011 100%
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Frequently Asked Questions Illadelph Halflife

Who wrote Illadelph Halflife?
Band members are credited on 18 of the 20 tracks and six of those carry nobody from outside the group.
Which singles charted?
"What They Do" reached number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "Concerto of the Desperado" number 71.
Who produced it?
The group with Richard Nichols, and the mixing engineers include Bob Power and Duro.
How did it sell?
The discography's certification column is blank for this album and no sales figure is published.
How is it different from the album before?
It brings samples back after a sample free debut and pulls the writing across more of the band.
Who engineered it?
Bob Power, Tim Donovan and Mel Lewis, among others.
How long is the album?
78:45 across 20 tracks.
Data note: The spoken-word montages that open and close the record, "Intro" and "Outro", carry no writing credit. The album article leaves the writer field blank for both, the Discogs CD pressing lists only the voices heard on them (Chuck D, Cornel West, Harry Allen, Jai Silk, Joe Young, MC Power, Wendy Goldstein and Questlove) with no Written-By, and Genius records the band name rather than any individual writer.

Sources

Wikipedia: Illadelph Halflife Wikipedia: The Roots discography Discogs: The Roots - Illadelph Halflife (DGC CD) Discogs: The Roots - Illadelph Halflife (DGC LP) Genius: The Roots - Intro [Illadelph Halflife] Genius: The Roots - Outro Cover Art Archive: Illadelph Halflife by The Roots